A Fighter’s Path: The Path of The Undefeated

Light Heavyweights:

#15 Jamahal Hill

Age: 29 | United States | 8-0 (1 NC) MMA, 2-0 (1 NC) UFC

Jamahal Hill should have been considered for breakthrough fighter of 2020. He had yet to make his debut when the year started and was ranked by the end of 2020. Prior to entering the UFC, Hill fought primarily for Knockout Promotions in Michigan where he defeated former UFC fighter Dequan Townsend. At the end of 2019 he competed on the Contender Series picking up a victory over Alexander Poppeck with elbows. He entered the UFC with two straight victories over Darko Stosic and Klidson Abreu (later overturned). In December he was matched up with UFC veteran Ovince Saint Preux and KO’d him in the second round. This is a feat Jon Jones wasn’t capable of doing in their matchup. Hill returns to face Paul Craig on March 20 in a battle of ranked light heavyweights.

Notable Victories: Ovince Saint Preux, Darko Stosic, Dequan Townsend

Shamil Gamzatov

Age: 31 | Russia | 14-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC

One of the most under appreciated fighters on this list is Shamil Gamzatov. Like Nurmagomedov, Gamzatov is a product of the small region of Russia named Dagestan, which is well-known for producing high level combat sports athletes. Like most fighters from Russia, he began his career in wrestling at 8-years-old but was forced to retire early after sustaining injuries. Shortly after he transitioned into MMA and kickboxing, the latter of which he won a national title in. After winning several European and world titles as an amateur in MMA, he went pro in 2012. The Russian heavyweight competed locally throughout Russia and neighboring countries to open up his career. In 2016, he came to the United States to compete against Teddy Holder in the World Series of Fighting. The fight lasted a little over two minutes before the referee was forced to stop Gamzatov who was reigning down punches on Holder. He joined exclusive company of being one of the few fighters to win all ten of their first ten bouts via stoppage. Gamzatov was picked up by elite MMA promotion ACB to face former UFC fighter Rodney Wallace in a fight he would win via the judges’ scorecards. Gamzatov competed twice more under the World Series of Fighting (Now PFL) banner before signing with the UFC at 13-0. He defeated Klidson Abreu in his debut back in November of 2019 and has yet to return. Gamzatov was slated to face both Ovince Saint Preux and Devin Clark in 2020 but was forced to withdraw. The UFC has yet to announce his return, but expect big things from Shamil Gamzatov in 2021.

Notable Victories: Klidson Abreu, Eddie Gordon, Rodney Wallace

Roman Dolidze

Age: 32 | Georgia | 8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC

Part of the Georgian wave of 2020, Dolidze burst onto the UFC scene with an emphatic victory over Khadis Ibragimov in his UFC debut. Prior to that victory, the 32-year-old Georgian had spent a year and a half attempting to make his debut. Injuries and the pandemic had delayed his debut, but he has shown that it was worth the wait for us fans. He narrowly defeated John Allen in his second UFC bout brining his UFC record to 2-0 heading into the new year. At light heavyweight a few big wins could bring you into the Top 15 so don’t be surprised if we see Dolidze be matched up with a ranked opponent in his next outing. Holding nearly a 90% finish rate, Dolidze is one of the most promising fighters in the division and it will be exciting to see who he is matched up next.

Notable Victories: Khadis Ibragimov, John Allen

Carlos Ulberg

Age: 30 | New Zealand | 3-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC

Carlos Ulberg was one of the surprise signings of the recent season Dana White’s Contender Series. The City Kickboxing standout has the tools to be successful in the UFC, but lacks MMA experience. However, very similar was said about his City Kickboxing teammate Israel Adesanya and he proved doubters wrong. Regardless, he becomes the seventh City kickboxing representative in the UFC. Ulberg’s no stranger to combat and has won several kickboxing tournaments throughout Oceania. In fact, he has faced three men to win a tournament on the same night on two separate occasions. On a side note, Ulberg is a part-time model who actually rejected a spot on the ‘Bachelor’ to focus on fighting. Ulberg most recently picked up a devastating KO win over Bruno Oliveira in the first round of their Conteder Series clash back in March. He will collide with Kennedy Nzechukwu on March 6. Also on that card is his teammate and good friend, Israel Adesanya.

Notable Victories: Bruno Oliveira