These are a Few of the Best Young UK MMA Fighters to Watch Right Now

Posted: July 17, 2017

Updated: October 4, 2017

The UFC’s return to Scotland is officially wrapped up, and now we at GamingZion break down some of the best young UK MMA fighters to keep an eye on for the rest of 2017.

The United Kingdom has arguably the most talented group of MMA fighters in all of Europe. Many top fighters have come from this nation, perhaps most notably Michael Bisping, who managed to capture the middleweight championship with a knockout victory over Luke Rockhold.

Hundreds of young up and comers are coming out of the UK right now, and it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see some of them competing for belts in the near future. In this article we’ll list a few of the best young UK MMA fighters that could make a real impact in the next few years.

Darren Till

24 year old Liverpool native Darren Till made his UFC debut in May of 2015 with a second round KO victory over Wendell de Oliveira Marques. He’s only fought twice since then, most recently a unanimous decision victory over Jessin Ayari. Till is an extremely talented striker, and if he stays active he has a real shot at cracking into the top 15 in the near future.

Darren Till’s UFC results

  • Wendell de Oliviera Marques: Win via KO
  • Nicolas Dalby: Majority Draw
  • Jessin Ayari: Win via Decision

At the moment, Darren still holds an undefeated professional record of 14-0-1. He has yet to take on a ranked opponent, but with his injuries behind him it seems likely he’ll get someone with a name in his next bout.

It’s unclear who Darren will take on next, but as soon as it’s announced you can bet on most online sportsbooks in the UK listing him as the favorite. A few possibilities for him include fellow UK fighter Leon Edwards (who’s also one of the best young UK MMA fighters), or Alan Jouban.

Marc Diakiese

Mark “Bonecrusher” Diakiese was seen as not only one of the best young UK MMA fighters, but one of the top prospects in all of MMA before his tough loss to MMA Lab product Drakkar Klose. There’s no denying the hype train has slowed down, but it will only take one good performance for fans to forget about this setback.

Mark Diakiese MMA

Mark Diakiese (right) recently suffered the first loss of his MMA career against Drakkar Klosse (photo: mirror.co.uk)

Diakiese racked up a 12-0 record before fighting Klosse, with six of those wins coming by knockout. Against Teemu Packalen, Marc was the considerable MMA betting favorite according to BetVictor with odds of 1/2. He proved that to be correct by knocking him out in the first round.

His explosive striking makes Diakiese one of the most exciting young fighters at lightweight. A few names that would make sense for him next include David Teymur, Diego Sanchez, or Stevie Ray.

Arnold Allen

The UFC’s featherweight division is in need of some fresh young talent, and one of the best young UK MMA fighters, Arnold Allen, might be the man to shake things up. He’s a perfect 3-0 in his UFC run with an exciting victory against Makwan Amirkhani in his most recent bout.

Allen was an amateur boxer before transitioning to MMA with a 5-0 record. He’s used that striking with great effect in his MMA career with 5 KO victories.

In the aforementioned fight against Amirkhani, Allen made UK gambling news by earning the decision win despite entering as a considerable MMA underdog according to many sites like BetVictor. He will likely earn a big name opponent next, possible against Alex Caceras or Andre Fili.

Who do you thinks are the best young UK MMA fighters competing right now? Will any of the fighters we listed fight for a title in the future? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!

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