Europe’s Top 17 hottest MMA fighters outside major promotions

There are currently many highly interesting up-and-coming pro MMA fighters coming out of Europe. In this article, we take a closer look at 17 of the biggest standouts.

Without further ado, here are Europe’s Top 17 MMA fighters that are yet to debut in a major international promotion!*

* This story will only focus on up-and-coming pro fighters out of Europe. No athletes that have made their debuts in UFC, PFL, ONE or Bellator will be mentioned.

17. Samuel Bark

• Weight class: Featherweight
• Pro record: 8-2

Sweden’s striking sensation Samuel Bark is known for his Muay Thai based fighting style and fantastic ability to take fights on short notice.

Even though he comes from a tough loss against Oktagon MMA double champion Losene Keita, ”Sammon Decker” is still one of the hottest European prospects out there.

16. Jordan Vucenic

• Weight class: Featherweight
• Pro record: 10-2

Former Cage Warriors featherweight champion Jordan Vucenic has six wins in seven fights in Cage Warriors.

After losing his title to Paul Hughes this past November, he’s back in the win column again as he submitted Tiziano Ferranti at Cage Warriors 150 in March.

15. Patrik Kincl

• Weight class: Middleweight
• Pro record: 27-10

Oktagon MMA’s middleweight champion Patrik Kincl comes from his perhaps biggest win of his career as he defeated long-time rival Karlos Vemola in their rematch at Oktagon 43 in May.

The 33-year-old Chezh is a true veteran with close to 40 fights to his name since his pro debut in 2007.

14. Bernardo Sopai

• Weight class: Bantamweight
• Pro record: 10-2

After defending his strap at FCR 15 in February with a huge first-round knockout, Stockholm’s Bernardo Sopai could very well be going to a major promotion later this year.

Only 22 years old, the well-rounded fighter has a bright future ahead of him.

13. Dawid Smielowski

• Weight class: Featherweight
• Pro record: 10-0

Undefeated featherweight Dawid Smielowski has ten straight stoppage wins, the two latest coming in KSW.

12. Felipe Lima

• Weight class: Bantamweight
• Pro record: 11-1

Former FCR champ Felipe ”D’Ouro” Lima has eleven straight wins and is one of the absolute best bantamweights around.

In his last fight, back in November 2021, he won the FCR bantamweight strap with a massive first-round flying knee KO.

On July 28, the 25-year-old will fight Danish OKTAGON bantamweight champion Jonas ”Shark” Mågård for the title.

11. Bogdan Gnidko

• Weight class: Light heavyweight
• Pro record: 10-0

Ukrainian light heavyweight Bogdan Gnidko has three straight first-round finishes in KSW and is undefeated with a 10-0 record.

His last win came against Rafal Kijanczuk in May.

10. Robert Ruchala

• Weight class: Featherweight
• Pro record: 9-0

Robert Ruchala is the undefeated KSW interim featherweight champion and has six straight wins in the promotion.

The Polish 25-year-old made his pro debut in 2019 and seems destined for a bright future.

9. Jonas Mågård

• Weight class: Bantamweight
• Pro record: 15-5

Denmark’s Jonas Mågård is the reigning Oktagon MMA bantamweight champion and a very dangerous fighter.

Coming from a win against former UFC fighter Gustavo Lopez, Mågård proved that he’s one of the best bantamweights around.

8. Tobias Harila

• Weight class: Featherweight
• Pro record: 11-3

Sweden’s KO king Tobias “Bad Intention” Harila always brings the action in the cage.

The highly entertaining Harila could potentially be one or two wins away from a Cage Warriors title shot and will hopefully be back in the cage later this year.

7. Salahdine Parnasse

• Weight class: Featherweight/Lightweight
• Pro record: 17-1

25-year-old Salahdine Parnasse is a KSW featherweight champion and interim lightweight champion with seventeen wins to his name.

Only 5 years into his pro career, it’s definitely possible that we will see Parnasse in a major international organization soon.

6. Josefine Knutsson

• Weight class: Strawweight
• Pro record: 5-0

Undefeated strawweight Josefine “Thunder” Knutsson could be the next Swedish fighter to break through on the international stage.

Booked for Dana White’s Contender Series on August 22, she could very well be signing with UFC next.

5. Caolan Loughran

• Weight class: Bantamweight
• Pro record: 8-0

Cage Warriors bantamweight champion Caolan Loughran is a stoppage machine with seven finishes in eight fights.

The heavy-hitting Irishman won the vacant strap after he knocked out hometown hero Dylan Hazan in the main event at CW 154 in Rome this past May.

4. Adrian Bartosinski

• Weight class: Welterweight
• Pro record: 14-0

With five straight stoppage wins in KSW – and 12 stoppage wins in 14 fights over all – reigning KSW welterweight champion Adrian Bartosinski from Poland could quite possibly sign with a major organization in the near future.

3. Paul Hughes

• Weight class: Featherweight
• Pro record: 9-1

Northern Ireland’s Cage Warriors featherweight champion Paul Hughes won the belt when he defeated Jordan Vucenic this past November.

Making his Cage Warriors debut in 2020 and currently riding a three-fight winning streak, the young champion seems destined to sign with a major international promotion in the near future.

2. Ivana Siric Petrovic

• Weight class: Flyweight
• Pro record: 6-0

Already scheduled to make her UFC debut in July, we still want to mention Norwegian fighter Ivana Siric Petrovic who might be the next big thing coming out of Scandinavia.

A flawless record of 6-0, with five wins coming via stoppage, shows that the 28-year-old is a force to be reckoned with in the cage.

1. Losene Keita

• Weight class: Featherweight/Lightweight
• Pro record: 11-0

With an undefeated record and two titles in Oktagon MMA, Losene ”Black Panther” Keita is one of the absolute hottest fighters in Europe right now.

Interim featherweight champ and lightweight champ Keita is scheduled to fight for the featherweight title against champion Mate Sanikidze at OKTAGON 45 on July 29.

Read more: Rising Stars: Here Are Sweden’s 25 Hottest MMA Prospects in 2023

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