Throughout the 20th century, boxing was the combat sport of choice in much of the Western world. Other martial arts such as Muay Thai and Jujitsu begun to earn a little screen time in the late 1990s, but these bouts were mostly shown on obscure satellite or cable channels, making it difficult for new fans to learn about these alternative fighting styles.
Things were very different in other parts of the world, however; inter-stylistic fighting contests had been taking place in countries such as Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore since the early 20th century. In Brazil, a sport known as “Vale Tudo” (roughly translating to Everything Goes/Everything Allowed) was just as popular as boxing and was championed by the Gracie family as a way of promoting their own Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighting style.
At the same time as Western television networks were beginning to devote screen time to alternative martial arts, the boxing world was stagnating heavily – fight fans had been spoilt by years of world-class fighting action from knockout artists such as Prince Naseem and Mike Tyson, and as good as the next generation of fighters were, they failed to recreate the excitement seen during the previous two decades.
It was the perfect time for a new fighting style to break through, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship – first founded in 1993 – was fast to take advantage of the publics thirst for a more exciting fighting paradigm. Today, there is no doubt that Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is one of the fastest growing sports in the world – with over 200 million fans worldwide, it’s no surprise that bookmakers are reporting record-breaking revenues almost every year.
Even the largest bookmakers offering the best UFC odds in Canada can occasionally struggle to keep up with the volume of activity on fight nights, as bets pour in on every fighter listed on the evenings card.
But nothing stands still for long in a sport like MMA – new fighters are making their way through the ranks every year, so on that note, here are our top three picks for the hottest prospects to keep an eye on in 2022.
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Roberto Soldic
Croatian MMA fighter and professional boxer has been competing in the Polish equivalent of the UFC, known as the KSW, for several years.
Soldic is the current KSW Welterweight Champion and has expressed an interest in moving over to the UFC several times during the past couple of years. His recent second round knockout victory against Polish superstar Mamed Khalidov looks set to be his ticket to the worlds highest tier of MMA fighting.
Roberto wants to cement his place as one of the greatest Welterweights in the world, and that means taking on Colby Covington, Chimaev, and Bibiano Fernandes. These will be some of the toughest fights of his career, but if his recent performances in th e KSW are anything to go by, Roberto Soldic is ready to make his mark in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Anthony Romero
Better known by his nickname “The Genius”, Romero currently boasts a professional MMA record of 11-1-0, but this is a lightweight who is just getting started. He is the previous Ohio Combat League Lightweight Champion and former King of the Cage star but has yet to make his big break in the top tier of his sport – the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Anthony’s recent bouts in the Fury Fighting Championship have been nothing short of exhilarating, and the energy he brings to the ring would make him yet another major attraction to add to the UFC’s already extensive roster of world class fighters.
Romero has a second shot at the Contender Series coming up, and a victory in that fight could well see this powerful fighter make the transition over to the UFC for good.
Salahdine Parnasse
Another fighter well known to fans of the KSW, Parnasse is a top European Featherweight prospect who hails from France’s Golden Age of Mixed Martial Arts. A champion in his class, Salahdine is amongst the biggest stars in European Mixed Martial Arts and would be a valuable addition to the UFC.
Salahdine was unbeaten in his professional career until suffering a major upset in his first fight against Daniel Torres in January 2021.
His chances of making it to the UFC have improved significantly recently after Parnasse reclaimed his title following a rematch with Daniel Torres – the only fighter to have ever snatched a win from this promising up-and-coming fighter.
He currently boasts a professional record of 16-1-1 in the KSW – an enviable record in a sport like MMA, where even the slightest mistake or momentary lapse of concentration can result in your opponent snatching victory.
