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

There’s currently many up-and-coming Swedish MMA prospects that are on the brink of making it to the big leagues. In this article, we take a closer look at 25 of the biggest MMA standouts in Sweden right now!

* This story will only focus on the up-and-coming professional fighters out of Sweden, thus no amateur fighters will be considered nor anyone who’s currently fighting for leading MMA promotions UFC, ONE, Bellator and PFL.

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25. Baysangur Makaev

• Weight class: Lightweight
• Pro record: 1-1

Baysangur Makaev Makaev took his first professional win at FCR 14 last year as he ran over Polish striker Pawel Szumlas with a first-round TKO win.

Scheduled to compete at FCR 16 in June, Makaev is certainly looking to cement his position as a rising contender in the Swedish MMA scene.

24. Rohullah Yousofi

• Weight class: Flyweight
• Pro record: 2-2

Two-time Afghan boxing champion Rohullah Yousofi has become a professional MMA fighter to be reckoned with.

After a rough start he’s now 2-2 as a pro, with back-to-back wins against Qudrat Dargai and Anton Larsson.

23. Bilal Tipsaev

• Weight class: Bantamweight
• Pro record: 4-2-1

Bilal Tipsaev is one of the absolute best bantamweights in Sweden with powerful wrestling as one of his greatest assets.

In his last fight he fell short to Hecher Sosa in an all-out war at FCR 14, a loss that snapped his two-fight winning streak.

22. Daniel Karlsson

• Weight class: Middleweight
• Pro record: 2-1

Former Swedish Champion Daniel Karlsson turned pro this past December with a win at Wolf Fight Promotion 5 which he followed up with a victory at Fight Club Rush 15 in February.

He debuted in Cage Warriors a few weeks back, but unfortunately fell short to Dario Bellandi.

21. Safiullah Husseini

• Weight class: Bantamweight
• Pro record: 3-2

After three fights at Swedish promotion Fight Club Rush, and two fights at Finnish promotion Cage, Västerås Fight Club’s Safiullah Husseini is 3-2 as a pro after just 15 months as a professional fighter.

The up-and-coming prospect is known to give it all in his fights and has a bright future in MMA.

20. Wasi Adeshina

• Weight class: Featherweight
• Pro record: 4-3

Swedish-Nigerian featherweight standout Wasi Adeshina is an entertaining fighter who made his debut in Cage Warriors a few weeks back.

All four pro wins of Adeshina came in Swedish MMA promotion Fight Club Rush where he faced fighters like Glenn McVeigh and Robert Nyström.

19. Herolind Xhafolli

• Weight class: Middleweight
• Pro record: 1-0

Undefeated as an amateur with a 8-0 record, Malmö’s Herolind Xhafolli is a former Swedish MMA champion who recently made his professional debut in style.

At Zone 4 ”Money Rain” he delivered a second-round stoppage against Mattias Henriksson to start off his pro career.

The 28-year-old has a solid background in kickboxing and judo, combined with a strong physique.

”Fighting professionally is a step up from the amateurs. Smaller gloves and longer rounds, so everything can happen, therefore you have to train way harder in my opinion,” Xhafolli told Maximum Sports ahead of his professional debut in December.

18. Nabbe Malki

• Weight class: Middleweight/Welterweight
• Pro record: 1-0

The capital’s favorite, Nabbe Malki, made his professional debut in flying colours at Fight Club Rush 13 in Stockholm, with a dominant first-round stoppage win over rival Taylan Isik.

Malki returns to action in Västerås on June 3 where he will take on fellow striker Ebrima Faal.

17. Sebastian Gonzalez

• Weight class:
• Pro record: 2-0

Sebastian Gonzalez made his professional debut at local Swedish event Wolf Fight Promotion 4, with a first-round submission win against David Adams.

Represents Redline Training Center, had a successful amateur career with two gold medals in the Swedish National Championships, and has represented the Swedish National Team abroad.

16. Christopher Bajo

• Weight class:
• Pro record: 3-2

Malmö’s Christopher Bajo is a feared striker both in the cage and the ring, with multiple professional wins in MMA and Muay Thai.

Even though he’s been out of the cage since March 2022, Bajo was recently seen fighting action as he competed at fast-rising Swedish promotion Muay Thai For Life where he has back-to-back wins.

15. Zoran Milic

• Weight class: Flyweight
• Pro record: 3-1

Former Swedish amateur champion Zoran Milic is a highly entertaining flyweight fighter. With two wins and four cancelled bouts in 2022, he looks to return to action at Fight Club Rush 16 on June 3.

Formerly fighting out of Västerås Fight Club, he now trains at Allstars Training Center in Stockholm. Milic is also known to have one Sweden’s most iconic walkouts, as he enters the cage to the voice of best-selling recording artist Lepa Brena.

14. Elin Öberg

• Weight class: Strawweight
• Pro record: 4-2

Stockholm’s Elin Öberg is another Swede that fought at UAE Warriors in 2022.

With a record of 4-2, and wins in organizations like UAE Warriors, Superior Challenge and Brave CF, ”The Amazon” is making herself a name on the European MMA scene.

On May 20 she’s back at UAE Warriors to face Naomi Tataroglu in a catchweight bout.

13. Christian Stigenberg

• Weight class: Welterweight
• Pro record: 4-2

The tall and lanky striker Christian Stigenberg has a special fighting style that has proven to be a problem to his opponents.

Bouncing back from the tough split decision loss at the PFL 8: 2022 Playoffs with a first-round KO win at FCR 15, it will be interesting to see how Stigenberg follows up his momentum.

12. Amir Malekpour

• Weight class: Flyweight
• Pro record: 4-2

Former European amateur MMA champion Amir Malekpour made his pro debut in April 2019 and has become known for his entertaining fights.

On June 3, the Gothenburg fighter will clash with Renato Vidovic for the inaugural FCR flyweight strap.

11. David Jacobsson

• Weight class: Welterweight/Lightweight
• Pro record: 11-4

David Jacobsson didn’t bother being an amateur and started fighting professionally right away. 15 fights into his career, ”Fat Boy Slim” is one of Sweden’s most experienced pro MMA fighters and fought across four different weight classes.

In parallel with his MMA career Jacobsson is also the promoter behind local Swedish MMA organization Wolf Fight Promotion.

10. Andreas ”Bane” Gustafsson

• Weight class: Middleweight/Welterweight
• Pro record: 8-2

Andreas ”Bane” Gustafsson made his comeback as he headlined Fight Club Rush 14 in Västerås and is currently one of Sweden’s busiest pro MMA fighters.

Known for his physique and relentless pressure, seven of his eight professional wins came by stoppage.

Gustafsson will be back in action on June 3 at Fight Club Rush 16.

9. Bartosz Wojcikiewicz

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

Bartosz ”The Destroyer” Wojcikiewicz is one of the stars of Swedish MMA promotion Superior Challenge, and so far fought eight of his ten fights in the organization.

With a record of 9-1, Wojcikiewicz could very well move on to a bigger international organization in the future.

8. Nermin Hajdarpasic

• Weight class: Heavyweight
• Pro record: 4-1-1

The former Swedish boxing champion Nermin Hajdarpasic is one of the most colourful Swedish MMA fighters out there and backs up his hilarious trash talk with his skills in the cage.

In 2022, he took his first MMA fight outside Sweden, to fight at European organization OKTAGON MMA.

In his last fight in the promotion, Hajdarpasic put on one hell of a show as he faced the dangerous Robin Fosum in the Czech Republic.

7. Renato Vidovic

• Weight class: Flyweight
• Pro record: 4-1

With four straight wins, multiple Swedish amateur MMA champion and two-time European MMA champion Renato Vidovic is one of the hottest Swedish flyweights out there.

On June 3, the Gothenburg fighter will face Amir Malekpour for the inaugural FCR flyweight title.

6. Jonny Touma

• Weight class: Flyweight
• Pro record: 5-2

Stockholm’s Jonny Touma is one of Sweden’s most promising fighters right now and seems destined for the bigger stages.

Even though he comes from a DQ loss at UAE Warriors in February, Touma could very well be a few wins away from signing with a major promotion.

5. Alexander Lööf

• Weight class: Featherweight/Lightweight
• Pro record: 5-0

27-year-old prospect Alexander Lööf rides a five-fight winning streak and has an unblemished professional MMA record.

The Västerås fighter is a dangerous striker with wins against some of Sweden’s biggest talents like Samuel Bark and Amir Malekpour.

Recently forced to pull out of his Cage Warriors debut, we hope to see Lööf back in the cage soon.

4. Samuel Bark

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

After a massive 2022, Sweden’s most active MMA fighter ”Sammon Decker” is one of the hottest prospects in Scandinavia right now.

The former Muay Thai champion is already becoming legendary for his ability to take fights on short notice, and in 2022, he fought an insane eight professional MMA bouts.

Bark is undefeated in Cage Warriors after three fights and has quickly become a name in the European MMA scene. Even though he lost his last fight against OKTAGON MMA double champion Losene Keita, Bark could for sure have his international breakthrough in 2023.

3. Josefine ”Thunder” Knutsson

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

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

The former K-1 World Grand Prix finalist and IFMA Muay Thai world champion is for sure one of the hottest prospects in Europe right now, and in her last fight she really showed that she belongs at the biggest stages as she defeated Ye Dam Seo at ’Road to UFC’ in Singapore.

On February 25, she fought her toughest fight to date as she defeated fellow striker Jacinta Austin at UAE Warriors 35 in Abu Dhabi.

“Thunder” is booked for Dana White’s Contender Series on August 22 and win a win she could very well be signing with UFC.

2. Bernardo Sopai

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

Winning the Fight Club Rush bantamweight title in August, the young champion Bernardo Sopai has a great position going into 2023.

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

“Bernardo is also on the verge of signing with a big league,” manager Majdi Shammas told Frontkick a few months back. “The UFC knows about him.”

Honorable mention: Nikolija Milosevic

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

Amateur sensation Nikolija Milosevic won gold medals for Sweden in the IMMAF World Championships, the European Championships and the Swedish Championships in 2022.

In January 2023 she represented Serbia at the IMMAF World Championships, where she won gold once again.

Honourable mention: Djaba Murtazaliev

• Weight class: Featherweight
• Pro record: 1-0

Allstars Training Center’s Djaba Murtazaliev made his professional debut with a first-round submission at Fight Club Rush 13.

The dangerous featherweight will be back in action on June 3, as he’s set for a Nordic derby at Fight Club Rush 16. At just 1-0 Murtazaliev still has a bit to prove, but expectations are high as he undoubtedly has tons of potential.

Honorable mention: John Oldenqvist

• Weight class: Lightweight
• Pro record: 1-1

GBG MAC’s John Oldenqvist is one of that gyms best kept secrets – but not for long. While he ended up on the wrong end of a devastating knockout in his pro debut, he has since evened the score, knocking out Mashrab Mamadaliyev at the end of the first round earlier this year.

Oldenqvist has a bronze medal in the IMMAF World Cup, a silver in the Swedish nationals, and brutal kicks from southpaw. The Gothenburg native is a dangerous prospect on the Swedish scene.

Honorable mention: Josefine Modig

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

Yet to make her professional debut, strawweight Josefine Modig has found massive success as an amateur, winning both the IMMAF World Cup and the Swedish National Championships in 2021, as well as a silver medal in the IMMAF World Championships.

Modig was set to make her pro debut in December 2022, but the fight unfortunately fell through.

Now, we hope to see her back in the cage as soon as possible.

1. Tobias Harila

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

Tobias ”Bad Intention” Harila is one of those fighters who always brings excitement and raw energy to the cage.

As soon as the door closes, you know that you will watch high class entertainment – and that the fight could be over at any given second.

With his spectacular knockout win at Cage Warriors 153, ”Bad Intention” could quite possibly be just one or two wins away from a featherweight title fight.

Harila is set to face Luis Pajuelo on Contender Series on August 22, and with another spectacular win we might very well see him in the UFC next.

Complete list: Here are Sweden’s 29 UFC fighters throughout history

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