Every champion in MMA history started out 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, five 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 five are particularly exemplary.
- Erin Blanchfield’s main training partner continues down a similar path with major UFC aspirations on her mind.
- A surging Brazilian returns from a two-year hiatus following a victory on Dana White’s Contender Series – and hopes one more win has the UFC CEO circling back.
- A California-based flyweight aims to make his first LFA title defense a successful one and a UFC ticket-puncher.
- One of the top pound-for-pound fighters on the Australia-New Zealand regional scene looks to add another name to his resume and generate a UFC call thereafter.
- A New England-based fighter, who is an alum of both “The Ultimate Fighter” and Dana White’s Contender Series angles to show he’s finally UFC ready.
Fatima Kline
Record: 4-0
Age: 23
Weight class: Strawweight
Height: 5’6″
Birthplace: Holbrook, New York
Next Fight: Friday vs. Sara Cova (5-3) at CFFC 127 in Tunica, Mississippi (UFC Fight Pass)
Background: Living on Long Island, Fatima Kline’s mother put her in jiu-jitsu class at 10 years old for self-defense reasons. A bond with fighting was quickly formed and Kline transitioned to kickboxing, wrestling, and boxing at 14. By 16, Kline wanted to fight as a career, as she competed in the adult divisions of grappling competitions, often defeating full-grown women. The goals were laid out early. At 20, she debuted as a professional in May 2021. After four wins in Invicta FC, Kline has aligned herself for a major promotional title under the CFFC banner.
The skinny: For those who don’t know – Kline is the main training partner for UFC flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield. The two have worked together for approximately four years, training under Augie Matias at MK Muay Thai. It seems like the camp keeps a small circle – but it’s an effective one. Blanchfield’s climb up the UFC ladder toward a title has been rocket-fast and Kline shows the same signs early, particularly in the grappling departments, just through four pro fights. The biggest struggle Kline has had thus far is finding willing opponents. She needs at least one more fight to get a look from the UFC. Once she crosses the experience threshold Mick Maynard is looking for, Kline should be a no-brainer signing.
In her own words: “I’ve been in Erin’s corner twice now. I’ve seen everything that goes into big fights. I’ve been alongside her in her fight camp and really have seen, even with all the pressure and that she’s top-five, how she deals with it has been a huge learning experience for me. Being able to train with someone that talented and that good, who is definitely one of the best in the world, it helps me training-wise. It helps me confidence-wise. It helps me all around. I’m super grateful to have her.”
“… I’m getting closer to the UFC now and I know there are a lot of eyes on me. I believe in my skills and I believe I’m here for a reason. That reason is to shine. I’m excited to be able to do that. … I definitely see myself taking the jump after this. I think winning a regional title, and I’m always looking for a finish, that mix of both will definitely skyrocket me. If I have to defend it once or twice, I’m more than happy to. I’ll fight anybody to get where I want to be and need to be. I know my skill level and know that I’m right there along some of the best in the world. I just need fights to do it. I think I have it. If the UFC calls me two weeks after that fight, I’d take it.”
“… At strawweight right now, there’s a lack of being good everywhere. I think that’s one of my strongsuits. I’m not just a grappler. I’m a striker. I can do it all. I think that would be a huge advantage on my end. I think I could make a big dent on the strawweight division.”
Pedro Falcao
Record: 15-3
Age: 31
Weight class: Bantamweight
Height: 5’6″
Birthplace: Porto Velho, Rondonia, Brazil
Next Fight: Nov. 12 vs. Leonardo Morales (13-8) at Tuff-N-Uff 134 in Las Vegas (UFC Fight Pass)
Background: Pedro Falcao started jiu-jitsu at 9 years old. Before long, he won tournaments left and right. At 18, he debuted in MMA against a much older opponent. The sense of challenge and reward of accomplishment hooked him. Falcao was eventually introduced to Nova Uniao coach Andre Pederneiras through pro MMA fighter Roberto Amorim. Falcao packed up his bags and moved to Rio de Janeiro to train under Pederneiras, the legendary coach of Jose Aldo. For the past 14 years, Falcao has worked toward living out a UFC dream. In 2021, he got close when he defeated James Barnes by third-round TKO on Dana White’s Contender Series. Unfortunately for Falcao, he was one of the few winners on the season who did not earn a deal. For the past two years, Falcao has rehabbed injuries and dabbled in boxing – but now he’s finally back.
The skinny: When you win a fight on DWCS but don’t get a UFC contract, you’re usually on the shortlist for a short-notice opportunity. Due to Falcao’s injuries, though, he hasn’t had the chance. Perhaps he’s fallen into the background for the UFC matchmakers, but a win over a UFC alum should remind everyone he’s ready to make the leap. Falcao now cross-trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, which will prove beneficial for his skills and chances to get that last-second call-up. Falcao is a seasoned veteran with a knack for finishing fights – and finishing them early. In the prime of his career, Falcao’s only loss since 2015 was due to a shoulder injury. There’s no downside to signing Falcao, who I expect to be on the UFC roster in the next six months.
In his own words: “I think what makes me different from most fighters is my ability to adapt. I can fight an opponent in any area they are weak. If they want to strike, I can wrestle. If they want to wrestle, I can submit. If they want to grapple, I can out-strike them. I am always improving my skillset so I can control where the fight goes.”
“… I am 15-3 and haven’t lost a fight since 2015. I am always working to get better. I know I can not only compete, but win, at a high level in the UFC. I believe I can compete in the top 15 of the UFC right now. … I was very close to the UFC following my win on Contender. Unfortunately, some injuries prevented me from building off that win. I believe a win in the main event of Tuff-N-Uff, a major promotion in Las Vegas, will establish me as the best unsigned bantamweight in the world again.”
This interview was conducted through a Portuguese translator and has been edited for spelling and grammar.
Cody Davis
Record: 8-1
Age: 29
Weight class: Flyweight
Height: 5’3″
Birthplace: Los Angeles
Next Fight: Nov. 17 vs. Eduardo Henrique (11-2) at LFA 172 in Phoenix (UFC Fight Pass)
Background: Born in California, Cody Davis grew up playing baseball as a middle infielder and pitcher. He played collegiately in Wisconsin. After his baseball career concluded, Davis decided to give MMA a shot for self-defense and general interest reasons. When he returned home with a criminal justice degree in hand post-graduation, Davis joined CMMA. Over the years, he trained with the likes of Chad George, Victor Henry, Chase Gibson, Ozzy Diaz, Josh Barnett, and others while working security and running classes at the gym. Since his only career loss, which came in July 2022 vs. Mark Climaco, Davis has won three in a row – with the most recent being an LFA title clinch TKO over Igor Siqueira in June.
The skinny: Davis is a speedy flyweight with good cardio, coaching, and speed. Late to the party that is MMA, Davis uses the athleticism and mindset of a collegiate athlete to transition seamlessly and make up for lost time. He puts a real emphasis on excitement and trying to finish fights in order to shake the stigma of flyweight fights. His three most recent wins came against opponents with a combined record of 20-2 at the time of their fights. He finished all three. All but one flyweight champion in LFA promotion history has gone to the UFC – and Davis is likely to follow the majority.
In his own words: “I believe I can make an impact on the division if the UFC called tomorrow. I believe I have good striking. I have good grappling. I can keep a good pace. Like in the fifth round in my last fight, I wasn’t tired at all. My mental is getting stronger and stronger. I joined this sport kind of late, so I’m just getting better and better. My mental is growing more and more as I do this sport more and more. I started training and competing when I was 22. With the people that I’m around… all I’m going to do is grow.”
“… I think I’m faster than everybody. At first, I didn’t believe it because it didn’t feel like I was going faster. But sometimes I put on the tape and I’m like, ‘Wow, I am a whole lot faster than everybody.’ I feel like I’m just moving. I’m not trying to move faster than everybody. I’m just doing it.”
Joseph Luciano
Record: 8-1
Age: 31
Weight class: Welterweight
Height: 6’1″
Birthplace: Australia
Next Fight: Nov. 18 vs. Jonathan Micallef (4-0) at Hex Fight Series 28 in West Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (internet pay-per-view)
Background: Joseph Luciano’s first combat sports love was muay Thai. Though he admits he at first found the MMA stuff was a bit “weird” conceptually, as opposed to a proper striking match, Luciano rounded out his game when assisting muay Thai teammates who jumped to MMA. When the opportunity to take an MMA fight arose, Luciano took it, even though he’d only partaken in two jiu-jitsu classes at the time. Luciano had an extensive amateur career that included 15 fights for IMMAF, before he turned pro and signed with ONE Warrior Series. He went 1-1 there, with the loss against future UFC fighter Carlos Prates, who was 10-6 at the time. Since then, Luciano hasn’t lost. He captured the Eternal MMA welterweight title with a rear-naked choke of Kaleb Rideout in March. Now, he looks to capture the other major welterweight Australian title for Hex Fight Series.
The skinny: Luciano could very well be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the Oceania region. It’s impressive to even be in that discussion, considering the scene is currently thriving in a post-COVID renaissance. His only loss was a unanimous decision to a guy with sixteen times the pro experience of him and who’s now in the UFC. Luciano trains out of Absolute MMA, a gym that’s thriving. There are a lot of green flags when analyzing Luciano and his game. The only thing working against him is the same thing working against fellow surging Australians like Abdalla Biayda, Justin van Heerden, and Kaan Ofli: geographic location. With so many shows held in the United States and Europe, it’s not often viable short-notice opportunities arise. So what does Luciano need to do? He needs to establish himself as the consensus best welterweight on his continent by becoming the unofficial lineal champion of the regional scene.
In his own words: “I feel I’ve established myself as a cut above the rest. Capturing that second belt will make it pretty clear the division is mine and I am the best in our region. It’s pretty logical that I should get picked up after that for sure. … You want to make yourself truly undeniable, right?”
“… I definitely have the biggest eyebrows on the Australian scene and probably the coolest tats, as well. That’s pretty subjective, though. From an athletic standpoint, I’m always applying a lot of pressure to guys. I’m always going for the finish and my record speaks to that. If you like seeing a guy that absolutely f*cking goes for it and wants to win and secure subs from every position and is happy to throw down, I think the guy you should be paying attention to. I can talk a bit of sh*t, too.”
“… In this day and age, you cannot have the idea that you’re going to get to the UFC and learn on the job. Getting to the UFC is like the final point where it all starts again and you have to hit the ground running and have the skillset to match the quality of guys in there. Working in the hardest division in the hardest organization in the world, you probably wouldn’t want to learn on the job, so I feel I’m pretty established with my skillset.”
Mitch Raposo
Record: 8-1
Age: 25
Weight class: Flyweight
Height: 5’5″
Birthplace: Fall River, Mass.
Next Fight: Nov. 11 vs. Cleveland McLean (17-11) at Cage Titans 62 in Plymouth, Mass. (Spectation Sports)
Background: Around 2010, Mitch Raposo was introduced to MMA through a neighbor. “The bug got me,” Raposo says. He fell in love instantly and became a hardcore fan. Too young to fight amateur or pro, Raposo supplemented his drive to compete with high school wrestling. It was all part of his bigger plan to become a professional fighter. In 2019, Raposo turned professional at 21 following a 6-0 amateur career. Over the years, Raposo got looks at Lauzon’s MMA and with The New England Cartel, all the while keeping his home base of Regiment Training Center. Raposo competed at bantamweight on “TUF 29” as part of Team Volkanovski. He was eliminated in the opening round by Liudvik Sholinian. He then competed on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021 and lost by submission to Jake Hadley. Since, Raposo has finished back-to-back fights including a highlight-reel knockout to win the CES flyweight title.
The skinny: Raposo has matured tremendously over the span of his pro career. He was highly touted from the jump, so the spotlight was on. But don’t mistake bumps in the road for lasting failure. He’s improved from his defeats, which have only come in UFC tryout-esque experiences. Cross-training at the best locations across New England, alongside guys like Rob Font and Calvin Kattar, can only help him. He’s also spent time in Las Vegas at Xtreme Couture, getting different looks with top-tier talents. His upcoming opponent Cleveland McLean has served as a perfect litmus test in the past, so Mick Maynard will likely learn a lot about Raposo from this performance.
In his own words: “At 22 years old, I had two of the biggest losses of my life. You can only grow. Regardless of how hard it was or tough of a pill it was to swallow, it made me and hardened me into who I am now. Now, I feel like I’m unbreakable. I came off the couch and fought Jake and I know how I was doing in that fight. Compared to what he’s doing in the UFC now, it speaks for itself. I’ll show that when I get there.”
“… Now, I’m coming out there just to put people away. I’m not here just to wrestle guys. I need finishes. That’s what I’ve been getting. The last two fights were knockouts. I was knocking people dead. That’s what I was looking to do. I’m going to look to do that in my debut. I’m going to look to do that on the way to the belt. I don’t want anybody to take this from me. At the end of the day, I know who I am. I want to go out and be undeniable to the UFC. I don’t belong on the regional scene. Sign this kid.”
Fighters worth watching who didn’t crack the list, yet are on the verge of something big:
- Geovanis Palacios (6-0) – Friday vs. Gabriel Ramos (4-0-1) at LFA 171 in Sao Paulo, Brazil (UFC Fight Pass)
- Alisson Murilo (9-1) – Friday vs. Marcos Degli (9-3) at LFA 171 in Sao Paulo, Brazil (UFC Fight Pass)
- Demison Rodrigues (8-1) – Friday vs. Gustavo Henrique (5-2) at LFA 171 in Sao Paulo, Brazil (UFC Fight Pass)
- Marcos Degli (9-3) – Friday vs. Alisson Murilo (9-1) at LFA 171 in Sao Paulo, Brazil (UFC Fight Pass)
- Jefferson Nascimento (10-0) – Friday vs. Gabriel Costa (8-0) at LFA 171 in Sao Paulo, Brazil (UFC Fight Pass)
- Gabriel Costa (8-0) – Friday vs. Jefferson Nascimento (10-0) at LFA 171 in Sao Paulo, Brazil (UFC Fight Pass)
- Nikola Joksovic (12-1) – Sunday vs. Savo Lazic (11-6) at FNC 13 in Belgrade, Serbia (internet pay-per-view)
- Giannis Bachar (8-2) – Nov. 11 vs. Omiel Brown (6-2) at Cage Warriors 163 in London (UFC Fight Pass)
- Sam Kilmer (6-3) – Nov. 12 vs. Mansher Khera (4-0) at Fury Challenger Series 10 in Houston (Facebook)
- Mansher Khera (4-0) – Nov. 12 vs. Sam Kilmer (6-3) at Fury Challenger Series 10 in Houston (Facebook)
- Felix Klinkhammer – Nov. 17 vs. Baissangour Chamsoudinov (8-0) at ARES FC 17 in Levallois-Perret, France (UFC Fight Pass)
- Baissangour Chamsoudinov (8-0) – Nov. 17 vs. Felix Klinkhammer (9-0) at ARES FC 17 in Levallois-Perret, France (UFC Fight Pass)
- Jeff Creighton (8-2-1) – Nov. 18 vs. Joaquin Lopez (8-3) at Urijah Faber A1 Combat 15 in Wheatland, Calif. (UFC Fight Pass)
- Tyler Grimsley (6-0) – Nov. 18 vs. Matt Speciale (5-1) at BTC 22 in Burlington, Ontario Canada (internet pay-per-view)
- Cody Haddon (5-1) – Nov. 18 vs. Sean Gauci (8-1) at Hex Fight Series 28 in West Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (internet pay-per-view)
- Nate Jennerman (16-5) – Nov. 19 vs. Rodrigo Vargas (13-6) at Anthony Pettis FC 9 in Milwaukee (UFC Fight Pass)
- Cody Linne (6-1) – Nov. 19 vs. Dillon Cox (6-1) at Anthony Pettis FC 9 in Milwaukee (UFC Fight Pass)
- Reece McEwan (7-1) – Nov. 25 vs. Liam Gittens (11-4) at Cage Warriors 164 in Newcastle, England (UFC Fight Pass)
