Every champion in MMA history started somewhere.
For those who make it to the highest stage, the journey begins long before they strap on UFC, Bellator or PFL gloves. Modern-era fighters progress through the regional ranks with hopes of accomplishing the highest accolades. Many will try, few will succeed.
This month, 10 fighters on the verge of achieving major promotion notoriety – one for the second time – return to the cage for what could be their stepping-stone fight. There are dozens of fighters close to making the jump in the coming weeks, but these 5 are particularly exemplary.
Jamie Siraj
Record: 12-2
Age: 30
Height: 5’8″
Weight: Lightweight
Birthplace: Canada
Next fight: Dec. 4 def. Nemat Abradashitov (19-9) via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 5 at Tuff-N-Uff 140 in Las Vegas (UFC Fight Pass)
Background: Jamie Siraj needed an outlet away from a “rough” home life. That’s when he joined Revolution Martial Arts. Former UFC fighter Kajan Johnson served as one of the head coaches. Siraj had his first fight at age 15 and was immediately hooked. After a 7-2 amateur career, Siraj turned pro in 2014. Since a 3-2 start, Siraj hasn’t lost. In 2019, Siraj was on the doorstep for a UFC call, aligned for Dana White’s Contender Series. However, Siraj fell ill and doctors didn’t know why. After a long, grueling period of his body failing, Siraj was diagnosed with hyper IGE Syndrome, an immunodeficiency disorder. It rendered him largely unable to function, septic, and near death. Through treatment, Siraj is now back to a largely normal life. In June 2023, for the first time in four years, Siraj fought and won for Battlefield Fight League. He was offered a spot on “The Ultimate Fighter 32,” but was one of the final cuts from the roster – a move that surprised him, considering he flew all the way out to Las Vegas. In May, he finished then-8-1 Tariel Abbasov by submission. In September, he defeated David Briones by unanimous decision. Now, he faces his toughest test to date.
In his own words: “For four years, it looked like I’d never be fighting again. Now, I’m just trying to make up for lost time. I’m trying to stay as active as possible. I feel like the trajectory my career was on before I got sick was that I was running through people. No one was (stopping me). The fights didn’t even look remotely competitive. I just want to continue off that trajectory and wrack up these finishes and earn my spot back in the UFC. I know that’s where I belong. I believe especially with a finish over Nemat, I think that puts me right back there. How could it not?”
Valesca Machado
Record: 14-4
Age: 29
Height: 5’4″
Weight: Strawweight
Birthplace: Brazil
Next fight: Dec. 13 vs. Yasmin Castanho (6-1) at Invicta FC 59 in Atlanta (CBS Sports Network)
Background: Valesca Machado was skeptical of martial arts the first time she stepped foot inside a gym. Quite frankly, she didn’t want to be there at all. But through her training, Machado discovered a lot about herself. Through fighting, she learned how to channel her mental, physical, and emotional well-being and progress in the right direction. After an 8-2 start to her professional career, Machado had a big break: a shot on “Dana White’s Contender Series” in 2021. She lost a unanimous decision to Piera Rodriguez. Since then, she’s gone 6-1 with her lone loss to Danni McCormack. That included Invicta FC and Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat championships. She’s won two-straight since her McCormack loss and a third one consecutively could be the charm.
In her own words: “Hopefully (in this fight) they will get to see something similar to what they saw on my last fight. … I believe I evolved a lot (since my loss to McCormack). I wasn’t able to show it in my last fight but the difference is clear in my training sessions. … (If I win) I believe I have done more than enough to get an opportunity. … I believe that I am ready to face top competition in the UFC. It would certainly take some time and a few fights to get someone ranked, but I believe I am ready to face most ranked girls.”
This interview was conducted through a Portuguese language translator.
Matheus Camilo
Record: 8-2
Age: 23
Height: 5’9″
Weight: Lightweight
Birthplace: Brazil
Next fight: Dec. 14 vs. Dorobshokh Nabatov (8-0) at ZFN 2 in Goyang, South Korea (UFC Fight Pass)
Background: Matheus Camilo only started training eight years ago. His first professional fight was only five years ago. He initially started training at Nova Uniao under Aldo coach Andre Pederneiras in Rio de Janeiro for three years but eventually moved to full-time in Las Vegas and started to train at Xtreme Couture in 2021. Since a 4-2 start to his pro MMA career, Camilo has gone 5-0 with four finishes.
Watch the tape. It’s legitimately stunning to learn Camilo hasn’t competed longer, but it also explains why he’s had to learn on the fly – sometimes at the expense of his record. In recent fights, when he’s fought his toughest competition, he’s passed each test with flying colors. Xtreme Couture members rave about his skill level and now we’re seeing why. He’s a well-rounded threat who still has a ton of room to grow. That’s scary. With an upbeat personality and improving English, Camilo could be a fan-favorite, especially considering his fighting style. Fighting front of Dana White (even if remotely) for “Lookin’ for a Fight,” this could be Camilo’s big chance to prove himself to the brass.
In his own words: “My opponent is a good striker, but he likes to get it on the ground. I’m prepared for that. I’m prepared to put on a show. This is the fight of my life. I’ll leave everything inside the cage on Dec. 14. … This is my moment. I’ve fought a lot to get this opportunity. I fight. I left my family. I didn’t just get on a microphone and talk.
“… I want to show Dana White who I am. I know he’s going to like me when I come throwing. What I have inside of me and my skills is special. … I will put on a war. I know he looks that, when people put on a war. I feel like all these years I’ve been working so hard, since I was a kid. Now, is my time. I feel that. My dreams are knocking on the door. This is what I’ve asked God for every day. Now, it’s my time. I’ll put everything into it.”
Michael Aswell
Record: 9-2
Age: 24
Height: 5’8″
Weight: Featherweight
Birthplace: Houston
Next fight: Dec. 15 vs. Dorian Ramos (8-2) at Fury FC 99 in Houston (UFC Fight Pass)
Background: A life-long athlete, Michael Aswell was introduced to Saul Soliz’s gym for jiu-jitsu classes in eighth grade. He started competing around Texas, then picked up wrestling in high school. Weighing 205-210 pounds, Aswell burned off 60 pounds ahead of his amateur debut at featherweight at age 17. He lost that fight but then won five more before he turned professional. He won his first seven pro fights before a loss to current UFC fighter Yadier del Valle. Aswell won two after that, including a Fury FC title bout. Those earned him a crack on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024. While he did not win the bout or a contract, his gutsy performance had the UFC CEO praising Aswell and saying he was on the short list. Another win should push him through the door.
In his own words: “In my head, I’ve just been staying ready in case an opportunity fell out. That MSG card came into fruition, the Onama fight, it was everything that I thought. I was ready and could make weight. I could make 145 and I thought I was next up, but I never got the call. In my head, I was like, ‘If I didn’t get that call, I don’t think I’m going to get another one.’ … I just need to stay active and stay ready. As soon as that happened, I called (Fury FC promoter) Eric Garcia and was like, ‘Yo Eric, I need a fight. What do we got available?’
“… I learned in my Contender fight that I need to stay more active and change it up a little bit, throw more variations, add some low kicks or add more body punches or just kicks in general. I think for me just being more creative out there (will help). It was a big opportunity and a big stage and I didn’t want to mess up. I thought maybe I was just holding back a bit because I didn’t want to mess up. I kept it very simple. That’s on me. I just have got to be proactive and add more power shots instead of touches. There are a lot of things.
“… I’ve known (I’m ready) for a while. I’ve trained with the best since I was an amateur. I had coach Saul Soliz as my coach when I started in the MMA game. That guy would tell you straight up if you had it or you don’t. He told me I had it and he said if I kept working I was going to get it. Once he passed, I went to Kansas City and I was training with Glory for a bit before all the stuff happened. They had 10 UFC guys in the room and I was competing with them. Onama, I was literally training with Onama every day. We were training partners in that room for months and he liked the way I worked.”
Junior Cortez
Record: 8-3
Age: 32
Height: 5’7″
Weight: Bantamweight
Birthplace: Phoenix
Next fight: Dec. 15 vs. Mana Martinez (10-5) at Fury FC 99 in Houston (UFC Fight Pass)
Background: Junior Cortez started his journey with youth wrestling, alongside his siblings, including his sister Tracy Cortez. He instantly fell in love and won state three times in high school. He wrestled collegiately at Rend Lake College in Illinois. When family members were diagnosed with cancer, Cortez returned home to Arizona to assist and stopped wrestling. To fill the competitive void, Cortez leaned fully into martial arts. After a 4-1 career as an amateur, Cortez turned pro. He went 5-1 before earning a shot on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021 when he lost to Christian Rodriguez. Back-to-back wins earned him another DWCS crack in 2023. That time, he lost to Payton Talbott. He bounced back recently with a win over Josh Walker and could earn a third DWCS shot with win over former UFC fighter Mana Martinez this month. Cortez’s losses have aged well and he continues to sharpen his tools each day at Fight Ready MMA under coaches Eddie Cha and Santino Defranco. Additionally, Henry Cejudo is one of his main mentors, so he’s in good hands.
In his own words: “God willing. (Making the UFC) would mean everything I’ve done was for a purpose. Being an MMA fighter, financially we’re not thriving. Once we hit that UFC mark, I’ll have some room to breathe. I plan to be active. Once I get this win, if it’s the UFC or another show for Fury, I want to be active. I unfortunately couldn’t take a fight earlier in the year because I ended up re-injuring my hand. But after this fight, if I don’t get injured (which I don’t plan on), I want to be active.
“… I trust in my skills and more than anything, I trust in the dog in me. I can go into deep waters. I train really hard. I live the MMA lifestyle. F*ck, I know I can compete about 80 percent of the roster. The other 20 percent, I’d have to get a fight camp behind me because the bantamweight division is a bunch of killers. I think I’m good enough to compete against, the best-best at bantamweight.”
Fighters worth watching who didn’t crack the list, yet are on the verge of something big:
- Chris Mecate (10-2) – Dec. 6 def. Shaheen Santana (8-4) via knockout (punches) – Round 2 at LFA 198 in Commerce, Calif. (UFC Fight Pass)
- Julius Walker (6-0) – Dec. 7 vs. Myron Dennis (20-12) via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round at Peak Fighting 41 in Tulsa, Okla. (Internet PPV)
- Igeu Kabesa (19-2) – Thursday vs. Martin van Staden (22-13) at EFC 120 in Sandton, South Africa (Internet PPV)
- Ryan Hoover (7-0) – Friday vs. Luis Pena (12-8) at Xtreme Fight Night 397 in Tulsa, Okla. (Triller TV)
- Tommy McMillen (6-0) – Saturday vs. Genier Penagos (7-4) at Fusion Fight League in Great Falls, Mont. (Triller TV)
- Humberto Bandenay (24-8) – Dec. 19 vs. Alvaro Andres Guerrero (16-9-1) at FFC 85 in Barranco, Lima, Peru (UFC Fight Pass)
- Carlos Petruzella (13-0) – Dec. 22 vs. Jose Barrios Vargas (14-4) at Samurai Fight House 19 in Buenos Aires, Argentina (YouTube)
- Diego Manzur (10-1) – Dec. 22 vs. Alexis Dos Santos (5-12) at Samurai Fight House 19 in Buenos Aires, Argentina (YouTube)
