20 UFC Prospects Destined For Big Things In 2020
We take an in-depth look at the exciting prospects in the UFC who will make a huge impact next year.
With the UFC putting on more and more events each year, the promotion has signed up a number of the sport's top prospects to help lighten the load. Some of them have been slowly nurtured so that they could reach their potential without fear of being annihilated on the way up, while others have been thrown straight into the fire against some top competitors, yet have managed to defy expectations and succeed.
Regardless of how they've been used by the promotion, these fighters are on the cusp of becoming the next breakout stars within the sport, So if you want to be ahead of the curve and jump on the bandwagon of the soon-to-be big hitters of the UFC, this is the list that will go give you the lowdown on who's who.
From fight-finishing phenoms who can take on the best of the best already to young fighters who have a fight IQ way beyond their years, we've gone through the 600+ mixed martial artists on the UFC's roster and picked out the up-and-coming mixed martial artists that you need to keep your eye on over the next 12 months.
20. Gillian Robertson
Despite her 7-3 record, Canadian submission specialist Gillian Robertson could be quite a force at flyweight in the coming years. The 24-year old had an iffy start to her career, going 2-2 in her first four fights. However, considering she wasn't even legal to drink at the time, you can excuse the inconsistency.
Since then, Robertson has gone on a solid run, beating four of her last five opponents and finishing each of them. Her submission game is absolutely fantastic and extremely varied. You'll notice that she's really good at controlling her opponents and shutting down any offence they might use once they're on the mat. She then uses her ground and pound to create opportunities for submissions.
Her last fight was against world jiu-jitsu black belt champion, Sarah Frota. If we're going by belt ranks, Robertson should've had a tough night ahead of her as she's a purple belt in the grappling art. However, despite Frota's best efforts at attacking Robertson, the Brazilian had no answer for her opponent's top pressure and vicious elbows from the top.
Robertson could definitely improve, especially in her striking. However, considering she's training at American Top Team and is under the tutelage of the very underrated Din Thomas, she has the potential to be a solid threat in her weight class.