10 predictions for Regional MMA in 2022
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In 2021, the regional scene continued strong. We saw the rise of new MMA promotions, more opportunities to get into the big leagues than ever before, and a focus on bringing international talent into the United States. The Ultimate Fighter came back, the PFL Challenger Series was announced, and we saw a ton of call-ups to the UFC on short notice.
Though there’s so much unpredictability in MMA, we decided to take a deep look at the regional promotions building talent and the local fighters that made last year exciting.
Read about The Scrap’s 10 bold predictions for regional MMA in 2022…
Both Figlak Brothers will get signed to the UFC
When you look at the next generation of Cage Warriors talent we could eventually see in the UFC next, Mike & Mateusz Figlak are leading the charge. Both brothers are extremely well rounded and dominate whoever steps in the cage with them. In 2021, they both fought three times and have made their path to the UFC obvious: become Cage Warriors champions, then sign to the UFC.
Keep an eye on these two. We expect big things from them this year as both were named to The Scrap’s inaugural Top of the Class.
Yazmin Jauregui becomes Combate Global champion before getting the call
Yazmin Jauregui is a home grown talent from Combate who trains with former UFC flyweight champion, Brendan Moreno. With multiple fights in the promotion, it seems they are on the path of building her into their next star. She is currently 8-0 at just 22 years old, and truly has a bright future ahead of her. After winning the promotion’s Last Latina Standing Tournament Championship last year, Yazmin seems to be well on her way towards becoming Combate’s next strawweight champion.
If she is able to win the belt, the UFC will have to at least consider giving Yazmin the call. They need some 115ers who are making noise on the regional circuit, badly.
Fury FC will have the most UFC call-ups
UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard is at almost every Fury FC event. Why wouldn’t they have the most UFC call ups in 2022 based off that alone? Fury FC has continued to make a name for themselves on UFC Fight Pass and multiple fighters from the organization have been fun to watch inside the octagon, like Adrian Yanez. They have also hosted Dana White more times than any other regional promotion over the last year.
We’re excited to see the moves Fury FC makes this year as they continue their run with UFC Fight Pass. It’s definitely worth tuning in to witness some of the octagon’s future stars…
Nyle Bartling & Claire Guthrie will be in the TUF 30 Finale
This upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter has potential to be a badass season. Even with the heavyweight and women’s flyweight divisions are quite small on the regional scene at the moment, the UFC was able to find some phenomenal talent to feature.
If you pay attention closely to regional MMA, you’ll know that Nyle Bartling and Claire Guthrie are absolute beasts. Though you never really know how things will play out given the added pressure of the cameras and living with others, Nyle and Claire have potential to win it all and have successful fight careers in the UFC.
Make sure you stay tuned for the season premiere on ESPN+.
Multi-Fight Deals will continue to reshape the Regional MMA scene
This topic alone could be an entire article or full episode to a podcast. There are several pros and cons to the fact multi-fight deals are starting to take over regional MMA, but the reality its they are here to stay. So what does this mean? For some fighters it means guaranteed fights on some of the biggest platforms possible. For others it means less freedom and probably only get local until the big show.
It could have negative effects on the fight game in the long run, but after going through a worldwide lockdown, seeing fighters consistent active is always better than them not fighting at all. This is definitely a topic true fight fanatics should think about as the sport continues to evolve.
Paris Moran will fight for a UFC contract on Contender Series
Paris Moran is a name that might not be well known in the MMA community just yet. But by the end of 2022, Moran might end up a household name. Paris currently fights for Fury FC in the flyweight division. Currently 6-1, the Texas young gun is one of the more well rounded prospects fighting for the promotion.
After his recent win over Joey Elzea, you have to think big things are on the horizon for Moran with Dana White’s Contender Series coming back soon.
More TUF 29 alumni will get signed to major promotions
The guys from the TUF 29 cast should have all been signed to the UFC. But since they didn’t, it has been nice for them to get back to the regional scene and prove why they were selected for the show. Since Ricky & Battle won the show, guys like Dan Argueta, Aaron Phillips, and Dustin Lampros have all seen success. They all came back to the regional scene as new fighters with something to prove.
In 2022, we can see more of them making their way to the big leagues. Including Mitch Raposo who makes his return for Calvin Kattar’s Combat Zone promotion, Ryder Newman who recently got back in the win column, and Miles Hunsinger who signed to Eagle FC.
Cage Warriors will have their first championship fight on U.S. soil
The promotion had its first event on U.S. soil in 2021. Now that they have begun to establish their footing in the state of California, we expect big things in 2022. There’s no better way to follow up their big 2021 with the promotion hosting their first championship fight in the U.S. With guys like Max Rohskopf fighting for them, you have to think that’s coming sooner than we think.
You definitely should tune in… Cage Warriors is without a doubt one of, if not the best, promotion on UFC Fight Pass currently.
Sidney Trillo, Evan Elder & Thomas Petersen stay undefeated
The regional scene seems slimmer than ever before. It’s currently full of prospects in the beginning of the professional careers and former big promotion veterans making their way back after back-to-back losses. It’s a shift that is expected, but will slowly change with another year of consistent fight cards.
Though the scene is slim, young killers like Sidney Trillo, Evan Elder, and Thomas Petersen will have all eyes on them was they continue their careers in the new year. There’s no doubt in my mind the three of them stay undefeated in 2022. Who knows, some may even make their much anticipated big league debuts…
World Fight League signings will make the regional scene even slimmer
We just talked about how odd and weird the regional scene is starting to look due to multi-fight contracts, the new PFL Challenger Series, and promotions like Eagle FC & XMMA making major moves. But it’s about to look even slimmer once the World Fight League starts to book their first cards of 2023. With their big plans of making an impact early next year, you have to think that by the end of 2022, some announcements and big signings will be made.
It’s going to be tremendous for fighters to have options and career longevity. But it means that regional promotions will suffer and not all the best fighters will be under the UFC banner (if that isn’t already obvious today).
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