Top 30 MMA Fighters Under 30

There is a lot of great young talent in MMA today. Regardless of promotion, the sport's growing popularity is attracting a wealth of new athletes into the fold.

Some are in the UFC, some are not. Some have already hit the big time, and some are still working their way up the sport's minor leagues.

Here's a ranking of the top 30 fighters in MMA today who are under age 30.

One thing that struck me as I put this together was just how many incredible fighters fit into this category. It meant a lot of great talents ended up on the cutting room floor, but it also illustrates just how much density there is in the younger end of the MMA talent pool. (The top 10, for example, is comprised entirely of current champions, former champions and No. 1 contenders.)

Thanks for reading.

30. Edson Barboza

Weight class: Lightweight
Record: 9-0
Age: 25

This undefeated Muay Thai surgeon is No. 30 with a bullet after besting Ross Pearson last weekend in Rio.

29. Brendan Schaub

Weight class: Heavyweight
Record: 8-2
Age: 28

Barely hanging on after a knockout loss to Big Nog.

28. Scott Jorgensen

Weight class: Bantamweight
Record: 12-4
Age: 28

27. Rory MacDonald

Weight class: Welterweight
Record: 11-1
Age: 21

After wrecking Mike Pyle earlier this month, it's clear that everybody's favorite phenom is converting his potential energy to kinetic.

26. Martin Kampmann

Weight class: Welterweight
Record: 17-5
Age: 29

25. Alexander Gustafsson

Weight class: Light heavyweight
Record: 12-1
Age: 24

On his way up after wrecking Matt Hamill in the final fight of Hamill's celebrated career.

24. Jake Ellenberger

Weight class:  Welterweight
Record:  25-5
Age:  26

Opportunity to make The Leap next month against Jake Shields. 

23. Gegard Mousasi

Weight class:  Light heavyweight
Record:  31-3-2
Age: 25

Opinions may differ on this Strikeforce mainstay and 2012 Olympic boxing hopeful (particularly regarding his fight with Keith Jardine), but there is evidence this Fedor Emelianenko training partner can go as far as he wants.

22. Diego Sanchez

Weight class:  Welterweight
Record:  23-4
Age:  29

Making the age cutoff by just a few months, Sanchez has earned Fight of the Night honors in his last two contests.

21. Melvin Guillard

Weight class: Lightweight
Record: 29-8
Age: 28

20. Diego Nunes

Weight class: Featherweight
Record: 16-2
Age: 28

"The Gun" is still awaiting the announcement of his next opponent, who he is scheduled to fight at UFC 135.

19. Jim Miller

Weight class: Lightweight
Record: 20-3
Age:  27

Fellow young buck Ben Henderson knocked Miller down a peg, but my guess is the hard-scrabble New Jersey native will recover in fine fashion.

18. Ben Henderson

Weight class: Lightweight
Record:  14-2
Age: 27

Another fast riser on this list, by virtue of his dominating win over Miller.

17. Carlos Condit

Weight class: Welterweight
Record:  27-5
Age: 27

A winner of four straight, Condit has the fight of his life coming up this October, when he squares off with B.J. Penn for a shot at the welterweight strap.

16. Phil Davis

Weight class: Light heavyweight
Record: 9-0
Age: 26

15. Shinya Aoki

Weight class: Lightweight
Record: 28-5-1
Age:  28

The well-traveled lightweight is on a five-fight win streak and will fight next for the Dream promotion.

14. Joseph Benavidez

Weight class:  Bantamweight
Record:  15-2
Age:  27

13. Hatsu Hioki

Weight class: Featherweight
Record: 24-4-2
Age: 28

Hioki, who will make his UFC debut against George Roop in October, is considered by more than a few observers to be the world's best featherweight not named Jose Aldo.

12. Demetrious Johnson

Weight class:  Bantamweight
Record:  10-1
Age:  24

"Mighty Mouse" beat big-name bantamweights back to back (say that five times fast) to begin his UFC career. As a result, he found the fast track to stardom and will have the fight of his life when he faces bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz for the strap at UFC on Versus 6 in the nation's capital this fall.

11. Nick Diaz

Weight class:  Welterweight
Record:  25-7-1 
Age:  28

10. Eddie Alvarez

Weight class: Lightweight
Record: 22-2
Age: 27

Current Bellator lightweight champion and one of the consensus best lightweights on the planet.

9. Chad Mendes

Weight class: Featherweight
Record: 11-0
Age: 26

In the minds of many, it is Mendes—and not Kenny Florian—who is the No. 1 contender in the UFC featherweight division.

8. Gilbert Melendez

Weight class: Lightweight
Record: 19-2
Age: 29

The long-time Strikeforce lightweight champion.

7. Junior Dos Santos

Weight class:  Heavyweight
Record:  13-1
Age:  26

His fight with Cain Velasquez this November could be one for the ages, especially considering that, given their combined age of 55 years old, it could be the first installment of an epic series.

6. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

Weight class:  Light heavyweight
Record:  20-5
Age:  29

Hard to believe Shogun is only 29 years old. With 25 pro fights and so many accomplishments under his belt, it seems like he should be a lot older than that.

5. Frankie Edgar

Weight class: Lightweight
Record: 13-1-1
Age: 29

When he finally steps into the cage for his third match with perennial No. 1 contender Gray Maynard, the UFC lightweight champ will be just eight days from his 30th birthday.

4. Dominick Cruz

Weight class: Bantamweight
Record: 18-1
Age:  26

The UFC's bantamweight belt-holder is not yet known in the same way as are many of his champion-level contemporaries—including his vanquished UFC 132 opponent, Urijah Faber. But that may be about to change.

With a fight against fellow young buck Johnson set for October, followed by the inevitable rubber match with Faber, Cruz could be on the verge of a memorable run.

3. Jon Jones

Weight class: Light heavyweight
Record: 13-1
Age:  24

I don’t imagine much explanation is needed here.

Quite simply, he’s on the verge of an all-time greatness few have seen before.

2. Jose Aldo

Weight class: Featherweight
Record: 19-1
Age: 24

Perhaps the most destructive featherweight fighter of all time. And he's only 24. The deep-and-getting-deeper featherweight division will provide plenty of tests in the coming months and years. I suspect Aldo is up for the challenge.

1. Cain Velasquez

Weight class:  Heavyweight
Record:  9-0
Age:  29

When you're undefeated and the current UFC heavyweight champion, you get to top a lot of lists.

When he squares off with dos Santos, it could determine not only the heavyweight champion but the best fighter under age 30 in the world today.