UFC 140: Jon Jones and the 20 Best UFC Fighters 25 Years Old or Younger

Unlike most sports, MMA isn’t really known as a young man’s game.

Most of the top fighters in the world are anywhere between 26-35 years old, a trend that shows how important experience and training means in the sport.

But some fighters are able to use their natural ability and raw talent to rise to the highest level of the sport at an incredible pace, refusing to accept the usual rules.

With UFC 140 featuring arguably the top young fighter in the sport, this list was designed to show you the best young fighters that the best organization in MMA has to offer.

Jon Jones

The UFC light heavyweight champion and the man that some say will be the face of MMA, Jon Jones has risen to the top of the sport at just 24 years old.

With huge wins over Ryan Bader, Shogun Rua and Rampage Jackson, Jones has had one of the best years in MMA history already in 2011 and if he can get past Lyoto Machida this weekend at UFC 140, he could easily be called the most talented fighter in the sport.

Renan Barao

The best prospect in the bantamweight division, Renan Barao has looked incredible in his Octagon bouts.

After gaining a hard-fought decision win at UFC 130 over Cole Escovedo, Barao came out and destroyed Brad Pickett at UFC 138.

Barao will likely get a shot at one of the best 135-pound fighters in the world in his next bout, and a win will elevate him another spot up the UFC ladder.

Erik Koch

Sporting a 13-1 career record, Erik Koch has quickly become a prospect to watch in the UFC’s featherweight division.

Koch made waves with his big knockout of Raphael Assuncao at UFC 128, and gained even more momentum at UFC Fight Night 25, when he defeated Ultimate Fighter 12 winner Jonathan Brookins by unanimous decision.

He’s set to fight fellow up-and-comer Dustin Poirier at UFC 143 in a fight that will push the winner towards an eventual title fight.

Rory MacDonald

The man who many have called the next great Canadian fighter, Rory MacDonald has been compared to current welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre on numerous occasions.

MacDonald has yet to earn a big win inside the Octagon, but his close fight with Carlos Condit at UFC 115 opened some eyes, and his subsequent wins over Nate Diaz and Mike Pyle have proved that he is the real deal.

Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier was relatively unknown before UFC 125, where he fought top prospect Josh Grispi in a fight that he took on short notice.

The minimal amount of training time did nothing to affect Poirier’s game, as he came out and crushed Grispi en route to a unanimous decision. He has followed up with back-to-back victories against Jason Young and Pablo Garza.

Michael McDonald

At just 20 years old, McDonald is the youngest fighter on the current UFC roster.

No one is mistaking his age as a disadvantage though, as McDonald has been extremely impressive in all three of his UFC bouts. He won his first Knockout of the Night bonus last month at UFC 139 when he absolutely crushed Alex Soto.

McDonald is quickly climbing the bantamweight ladder and if he continues on this path, he’ll be fighting for a title within a year or two.

Alexander Gustafsson

Possibly the best fighter that you’ve never heard of, Alexander Gustafsson has quietly been disposing of his opponents and climbing the light heavyweight rankings.

None of his five UFC bouts have made it outside of the second round, and outside of a slip-up against current title contender Phil Davis, Gustafsson has dominated every opponent put in front of him.

Diego Brandao

Diego Brandao won the featherweight crown for The Ultimate Fighter season 14 last weekend, showing off his slick submission skills for the first time.

After being rocked by Dennis Bermudez, Brandao locked in an extremely impressive armbar in order to win the six-figure contract, and showed that he has some jiu jitsu to go along with his incredibly exciting striking.

Alex Caceres

The man known as Bruce Leeroy, Alex Caceres started his UFC career as a lightweight inside The Ultimate Fighter house, and fought his first two official UFC fights at featherweight before finally finding his home in the bantamweight division.

Caceres showed off a much improved striking and grappling attack when he fought Cole Escovedo at UFC on FOX earlier this year, saving his job and showcasing his talents in the process.

Anthony Pettis

Unless he eventually wins a UFC title, Anthony Pettis may spend the rest of his fighting career as the man who introduced us to the “showtime” kick.

While Pettis is mostly known for that incredible bout at WEC 53, he is one of the best lightweight fighters in the sport and could easily work his way back into the title picture with a win or two in the toughest division in MMA.

Charles Oliveira

After starting his career 14-0 and submitting his first two UFC opponents in impressive fashion, Charles Oliveira has fallen on hard times as he has started to fight the lightweight division’s elite.

Losing two of his last three fights to top-10s like Jim Miller and Donald Cerrone is nothing to be ashamed of, but if Oliveira is unable to get back into the win column in his next bout his star will likely fall as quickly as it rose. 

Stefan Struve

One of the most exciting fighters in the UFC, only one of Stefan Struve’s 27 career bouts has gone to the judges' scorecards.

With two Submissions of the Night and one Knockout of the Night bonus on his resume, it’s no wonder that the UFC keeps featuring Struve on its cards. At just 23 years old, the future remains bright for “The Skyscraper.”

Struve is next set to fight Dave Herman at UFC on Fuel 1 in February.

Ramsey Nijem

The runner up on The Ultimate Fighter 13, Ramsey Nijem was originally famous for little more than his tendency to take his clothes off and his love of the hit TV show Glee.

After dominating the always tough Danny Downes at UFC 137, though, fans and critics alike gained a new respect for “Stripper” Ramsey.

Paul Sass

One of the few BJJ specialists left in the sport, it is every fighter’s goal not to let the fight hit the mat when they square off against Paul Sass.

However, this is much easier said than done, as Sass has a 12-0 record and has submitted 11 of those opponents, all by either a triangle choke or a heel hook, making him one of the most dangerous fighters in the lightweight division.

Josh Grispi

Things were looking up for Josh Grispi prior to UFC 125, as his first fight in the world’s biggest MMA promotion was set to be against current featherweight champion Jose Aldo.

However, an injury to Aldo ended up costing Grispi his shot at the title, and he has since lost back-to-back decisions to Dustin Poirier and George Roop.

Once regarded as the best prospect at 145 lbs, Grispi is in desperate need of a victory in his next UFC bout, not only to remain relevant, but to hold on to his roster spot.

John Hathaway

After defeating the ultra popular Diego Sanchez at UFC 114, many fans were disappointed with UFC matchmaker Joe Silva when he scheduled John Hathaway to fight MMA veteran Mike Pyle at UFC 120.

But once again, Joe Silva proved that he knows more than the rest of us can even dream of as Hathaway was easily defeated by the more experienced Pyle and was forced to reevaluate his game after the loss.

Hathaway has since bounced back with a win over Kris McCray, but will need to impress in his next bout to get back to where he once was.

Terry Etim

Most people don’t realize that Terry Etim has been fighting in the UFC since early 2007, and with a 15-3 career record Etim has quietly become one of the better lightweights in the sport.

With four Submission of the Night bonuses on his resume, Etim is one of the more dangerous grapplers in the division. He showed how quickly he can put a fighter away when he ran through Edward Faaloloto in just 17 seconds at UFC 138.

Etim is set to fight fellow up-and-comer Edson Barboza at UFC 142, in a bout where the winner will likely earn a shot at a top-10 fighter in the 155-lb division.

Demetrious Johnson

Fresh off a failed shot at the UFC bantamweight title, Demetrious Johnson is looking to climb back into the title picture sooner rather than later.

“Mighty Mouse” is possibly the fastest fighter in all of MMA, and he has used his ability to put his opponent on his back in the blink of an eye to his advantage during his MMA career.

Johnson is next set to fight Eddie Wineland at UFC on FOX 2, and the winner will find themselves right back in the title picture.

Edson Barboza

Edson Barboza earned himself a lot of hype with his UFC debut win over Mike Lullo at UFC 123, where he literally kicked Lullo’s legs out from under him before the referee mercifully ended the bout.

Since that fight, Barboza has taken out tough lightweights Anthony Njokuani and Ross Pearson, both by decision, and has showed that he is one of the best strikers in the lightweight division.

Jose Aldo

We started with a champion, so we might as well end with one.

Jose Aldo is one of the five best fighters in the world, and has used his vicious muay thai to finish almost all of his opponents.

Throw in some incredible takedown defense and it seems like Aldo might be impossible to beat, but top-ranked Team Alpha Male prospect Chad Mendes will look to dethrone the champion at UFC 142 in Brazil.