Ian ParkerMay 30, 2025, 07:43 AM ET
ESPN's list of the top 25 MMA fighters under 25 years old has been headlined by four different fighters the past four years: Song Yadong in 2021, Usman Nurmagomedov in 2022, Erin Blanchfield in 2023 and, most recently, Tatsuro Taira. Each of those fighters has seen success in their respective promotion, competing among the best fighters their division has to offer. But one has reached the pinnacle in this sport.
Only PFL lightweight Nurmagomedov has been a champion in a major MMA promotion. He held the Bellator lightweight title from November 2022 until September 2024.
While none of the other fighters have challenged for a title so far in their UFC careers, all three recently dropped fights that would have boosted them into the championship picture. Even with the losses, each appears positioned to make another run at the top of their respective divisions at some point, so we're outlining their paths from closest to furthest away from a title challenge.
Erin Blanchfield (13-2), women's flyweight
Wins away from a title: Two or fewer
Next fight: May 31 vs. Maycee Barber
The current landscape: After losing to Manon Fiorot in a No. 1 contender fight last March, Blanchfield bounced back with a unanimous decision victory over former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas in November. That win put Blanchfield back into the title picture.
Following Fiorot's loss to the champion, Valentina Shevchenko, at UFC 315 last month, the only fighter ahead of Blanchfield in ESPN's divisional rankings is third-ranked Natalia Silva, who now appears to be the top contender after dominating former champ Alexa Grasso at UFC 315.
Blanchfield's place in the division's top two fighters would be cemented with a win over Barber, but it wouldn't guarantee her a title shot. It would instead create a pair of possible scenarios.
1. If Silva gets the next title shot, Blanchfield would be next in line to challenge the winner of that fight. Blanchfield could sit and wait for her opportunity to compete for the championship, or she could look to avenge her loss to Fiorot.
2. The UFC could go a different -- more likely -- direction and make a champion versus champion fight between Shevchenko and strawweight titleholder Zhang Weili. That match would open the door for a No. 1 contender or interim title fight between Blanchfield and Silva.
Blanchfield's path to the belt: If I were Blanchfield, I would want Silva to lose to Shevchenko in her next title defense, because Shevchenko is a better matchup for Blanchfield. Silva would likely be favored heavily over Blanchfield, because Silva's striking is lightyears ahead and she has elite takedown defense to go with a black belt in jiu-jitsu. Blanchfield would need to get the fight to the ground and keep it there to have any chance to win.
Tatsuro Taira (16-1), men's flyweight
0:51
Tatsuro Taira's takedown injures Alex Perez to finish the fight
Tatsuro Taira's body triangle injuries Alex Perez and gives Taira the win after Perez taps.
Wins away from a title: Three or more
Next fight: Aug. 2 vs. Amir Albazi
The current landscape: Like Blanchfield, Taira was probably one win away from competing for a championship last year. But a split decision loss to Brandon Royval derailed his hopes of a title shot.
Taira needs a win over Albazi this summer to get back in the win column and re-enter the title picture. Albazi is the perfect matchup for Taira stylistically and is ranked ahead of him in the UFC's rankings.
Taira's path to the belt: With a win over Albazi, especially if he can get a finish, Taira could then call for a fight with someone such as former champion Brandon Moreno or former Bellator champion Kyoji Horiguchi. Considering Alexandre Pantoja is set to defend his title against Kai Kara-France and Royval is facing Manel Kape on that same UFC 317 card, a win over Albazi probably wouldn't propel Taira to a title shot.
For Taira, it won't make a difference whether Kara-France or Pantoja wins at UFC 317, but the loser of Royval versus Kape could be an option. With Moreno expected to be booked for a fight at UFC 320 in September, Taira could take on Horiguchi or Kape, if he loses to Royval. Horiguchi is one of the best flyweights in the world and a big name to get on the résumé -- although Taira would be a betting underdog against him. Against Kape, however, he would have a grappling advantage.
Song Yadong (22-8-1), men's bantamweight
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Eye poke stops Henry Cejudo-Song Yadong bout
Song Yadong beats Henry Cejudo via technical decision in Fight Night main event after Cejudo says he can't see out of his left eye.
How many wins away from a title: Four or more
Next fight: TBD
The current landscape: Song has been up and down since losing to Cory Sandhagen in September 2022, but he did bounce back from a loss to Petr Yan with a unanimous decision win over Henry Cejudo in February. The win was controversial because of eye pokes, but that shouldn't change his standing in the division because he dominated that fight.
Song's path to the belt: As ESPN's No. 7-ranked bantamweight who has suffered losses to fighters ranked above him, there is no direct path to a title fight for Song. However, Umar Nurmagomedov's loss to the champion, Merab Dvalishvili, at UFC 311, makes Nurmagomedov an option. Nurmagomedov's grappling and pressure would be a challenge for Song, but a loss wouldn't set back Song much in this stacked division.
Considering Sandhagen is coming off the best win of his career over Deiveson Figueiredo and Yan has won back-to-back fights, including against Song at UFC 299 last March, Sandhagen and Yan will likely square off in a rematch to establish a top contender. That would leave Song looking to fight Nurmagomedov or an up-and-comer such as Marcus McGhee. Fighting -- and beating -- Nurmagomedov would be the fastest path to competing for a championship, but the more likely fight is against McGhee. If Song were to fight McGhee, a dominant win might get him a top-ranked opponent, but he would still be two or three wins away from a title shot.
