2024 ended with a bang and Dana White expanded the UFC’s reach to new places and new fighters. The year witnessed the rise and fall of many rookies. The UFC head honcho even let a 19-year-old fighter get a chance to fight for a UFC contract after he begged for one at a press conference. But that’s a story for another time. 

Today, let’s explore the young prospects in the UFC who can rise high soon. After all, these rookies are the ones who will help in expanding the fight promotion and entertain the fighting community.

1. Rei Tsuruya

The undefeated flyweight with 10 wins in his professional MMA record, Rei Tsuruya made his UFC debut at UFC 303 and defeated Carlos Hernandez, via a unanimous decision. Well, he began his UFC journey with the Road to UFC after winning 5 back-to-back fights at Pancrase and DEEP. Fast forward to UFC 303, the Japanese flyweight has already amassed a good fan following. With the WWE legend Shinsuke Nakamura cornering him for the event, the hype around the flyweight prospect rose even higher. 

The 22-year-old has won 4 fights via KO/TKO and another 4 by submission. With a knack for finishing his fights, Tsuruya can certainly entertain us in the Octagon. And that’s what shone through when he was set to make his UFC debut. He said, “I just keep doing what I love every single day. I’ve invested most of my life into MMA, but I don’t really consider that a sacrifice. I love this sport with all my heart and now I have the opportunity to compete at the highest level.”

Coming to 2025, Tsuruya is set to lock horns with Stewart Nicoll at UFC 312. While the outcome of the bout is in time’s control, we can definitely expect to watch a fight worth remembering.

2. Iasmin Lucindo

The Brazilian strawweight prospect, Iasmin Lucindo, got herself on the map when she defeated Polyana Viana with an arm triangle, back in 2023. Although she debuted in the UFC in 2022 with an unfortunate defeat, her rise was highlighted in 2024 when she rose victorious over Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 301. Defeating a former title challenger was key to propel her forward. She fought once again in 2024 and defeated the strawweight veteran, Marina Rodriguez via a split decision at UFC 307. 

It’s indeed her calm demeanor that has attracted the fighting community’s attention to Lucindo. She isn’t even rushing to the belt. Instead, she claimed she was simply enjoying the road to the top. Before her fight against Rodriguez, she confessed, “Honestly, I’m in no rush at all. People often ask me, ‘Do you want to fight for the championship belt?’ But I’m not in a hurry for that. God places the opportunities in my path. I accept them and prepare myself.”

3. Joshua Van

Before he set foot in the Octagon, Joshua Van competed under the banner of Fury FC and impressed the fight fans with a record of 7-1. But the one thing that glued the fighting community to their seats was the way he secured wins with finishes. However, the trend broke when he defeated Zhalgas Zhumagulov via a split decision on his UFC debut at UFC on ABC 5. Nevertheless, things became pretty interesting for him in 2024.

Van fought a total of 4 fights in 2024 and won 3 of them. He began the year with a bout against Felipe Bunes and defeated him with ground and pound in the second round. Within a span of 6 months, ‘The Fearless’ was ready to take on Charles Johnson in July. But that was when Johnson dropped the Myanma with a right uppercut. He went on to fight Edgar Chairez at UFC 306 and then moved on to lock horns with Cody Durden at UFC 310. Both of these wins came via unanimous decisions. 

Currently on a 2-fight win streak and a professional MMA record of 12-2-0, ‘The Fearless’ can definitely rise to become a feared flyweight in UFC. No doubt, his 2024 run showcased the power that he carries.

4. Payton Talbott

Payton Talbott, a master of the skates and yet another undefeated fighter, has greatly impressed the fighting world. Getting his UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series 2023 was the first step to greatness for the bantamweight contender. Soon, he debuted in the Octagon and won against Nick Aguirre with an RNC in the third round. 2024 witnessed Talbott fighting twice and both of them earned the Performance of the Night bonus. 

In March 2024, Talbott fought Cameron Saaiman and won with a KO via punches. Just after 2 months, he took on another fight and faced Yanis Ghemmouri at UFC 303. His striking skills shone again as he knocked his opponent out cold in just 19 seconds of the fight. With 9 wins and no losses, Talbott promises action-packed fights in the future. He often credits his passion for skating for his success in MMA. 

Talking to the UFC, Talbott said, “The one thing I will say is that nobody hits harder than concrete. I’ve never been hit harder than I’ve been slammed on a skateboard, so if you can be okay with that pain and take it to MMA, you’re gonna do pretty well.”

5. Nurullo Aliev 

The final entry on the list of Dana White’s brightest prospects is Nurullo Aliev. ‘Tajik Eagle’ is also an undefeated fighter with 9 wins and no defeats on his record. The lightweight contender found his way to the Octagon through DWCS 2022, as he defeated Josh Wick with round one ground and pound. While he didn’t compete in 2024, he is set to fight Yanal Ashmouz on January 11, 2025. 

Unlike the others on the list, Aliev has won a majority of his fights via decision and only 2 with KO. Nevertheless, we can expect the Tajik lightweight fighter to rise up in the future. All we need to do now is wait and watch. 

Which rookie fighter has excited you the most in 2024? Is there someone not on the list who succeeded in catching your attention and could help Dana White’s promotion? Let us know all about your favorite rookie in the comments down below.