In the next few years, these are the guys who are going to be crowding the top of the division and attempting to take the title from Pitbull (or Weichel, or whoever has it at the time).
Juan 'Spaniard' Archuleta (17-1) age 30
Juan Archuleta held four King of the Cage titles in the Jr. Welterweight, Lightweight, Bantamweight and Flyweight Divisions. So when it says "King of the Cage Champion" it's quite literal in his case. He went over and f'n took ownership of that whole cage, and now he's looking to do the same in Bellator. Only question is which division does he want to conquer first.
View: https://youtu.be/o4nYNhdsQco
Aaron Pico (2-1) age 21
He's the hottest prospect in MMA for a reason. His wiki page states that 'Pico is versed in wrestling, amateur MMA and boxing'. That is to say he won medals in wrestling and titles in boxing and pankration. He stumbled in his debut, but has rebounded gloriously (you've seen the highlight reel KO's) and doesn't look to slow down anytime soon.
View: https://youtu.be/33jbqzIHIwQ
Daniel Crawford (10-1) age 24
"At the end of the day, I’m gearing myself towards the belt rather than guys like Aaron Pico or James Gallagher. It feels like Bellator really has two divisions; one is the serious title contender’s division and the other is just prospects that they throw bums at.
“As I said, I’m coming for the belt. I’m looking forward to making my debut, but I expect to be closing in on a title shot within 18 months.”
View: https://youtu.be/wgkR5wvoBZE
A.J McKee (10-0) age 22
Technically, he has the Bellator record for most consecutive wins in a row (although quality of competition and things like Ben Askren leaving the company are a huge factor in that). Even still, he's clearly a name to look out for. Training alongside Aaron Pico, Baby Alice under the tutelage of his father Antonio McKee, his future looks bright.
View: https://youtu.be/kcEjR6NezCg
James Gallagher (7-0) age 21
A member of Team SBG Ireland, Gallagher first came to the attention of coach John Kavanagh when he had just entered his teens.
“When I was 13, I was having a fight on a little show, and John was the judge,” Gallagher told MMAjunkie. “The promoter told him to watch out for this kid who was 13 and was fighting a 21-year-old, but John wouldn’t judge the fight and told the guy he was going to ruin the sport of MMA in Ireland.
“But I beat the guy, and John was very impressed, and that’s how we met. I was just fighting in all the local shows and became friends with Conor and Paddy Holohan because we were all fighting on the same local shows.”
View: https://youtu.be/CiRiOMWFhcA
Adam Borics (6-0) age 24
Borics is a curious case. Mixedmartialarts.com has him at 5-0, Sherdog has him at 6-0, and Fightnetwork.com has him at 10-0. The only thing they agree on is that he hasn't taken a loss yet. He hopes to keep that streak alive, heading into the biggest fight of his career headlining against James Gallagher in his hometown of Budapest, Hungary.
View: https://youtu.be/4PJpuHaLRMo
Saul Rogers (12-2) age 28
The uncrowned TUF champion. Rogers, a member of Conor McGregor’s team on the Ultimate Fighter, defeated three opponents to earn a spot in a lightweight tournament, including a majority decision over Ryan Hall, who was called to replace him when he was scratched from the card. A resident of Farnworth, Bolton, England, Rogers had won four straight on the international circuit prior to his stint on “TUF 22.”
View: https://youtu.be/9LvYYFbA1W4
Gaston Bolaños (2-1) age 25
The Peruvian native fights out of CSA (Combat Sports Academy) gym under the tutelage of established striking coach, Kirian Fitzgibbons. Bolaños is primarily a Muay Thai fighter and is transitioning into Kickboxing and MMA. He is a two-time South American Muay Thai Champion, U.S. Muay Thai Champion, and a two-time USA representative at the IFMA World Championships. As an amateur, Bolaños racked up 23 wins with more than a dozen fight finishes. As a professional he remains undefeated.
View: https://youtu.be/NbPQziAt5GA
View: https://youtu.be/5AXeyWmkeaw
Brandon Laroco (3-1) age 22
It wouldn't be right to mention Bolaños and not mention the fighter who gave him the 1 in his loss record. They'll fight again someday, because you know Bolaños wants a chance to get that one back.
View: https://www.instagram.com/p/BZfM8HZld0t/
Tywan 'Speedy' Claxton (1-0) age 25
He was 7-0 as an amateur before making his MMA debut with Bellator, where this happened...
Bellator 186: Tywan Claxton wins by Flying Knee Knockout!
Can't debut any louder than by arriving on the scene with a knockout of the year contender. He had this to say about it-
Tywan "Speedy" Claxton ready to start taking over Bellator's featherweight division
Chris 'Sunshine' Williams (4-0) age 23
“I have been ready for this since the first time I stepped into a cage. This has been my goal since day one and I am not nervous, I’m ready. I’m just taking this fight very seriously because I have a new goal and this fight is the first step. My new goal is to be champion in two years. I will be the Bellator (featherweight) champion in two years! Trust me.”
Thomas Lopez vs. Cris Williams
Juan 'Spaniard' Archuleta (17-1) age 30
Juan Archuleta held four King of the Cage titles in the Jr. Welterweight, Lightweight, Bantamweight and Flyweight Divisions. So when it says "King of the Cage Champion" it's quite literal in his case. He went over and f'n took ownership of that whole cage, and now he's looking to do the same in Bellator. Only question is which division does he want to conquer first.
View: https://youtu.be/o4nYNhdsQco
Aaron Pico (2-1) age 21
He's the hottest prospect in MMA for a reason. His wiki page states that 'Pico is versed in wrestling, amateur MMA and boxing'. That is to say he won medals in wrestling and titles in boxing and pankration. He stumbled in his debut, but has rebounded gloriously (you've seen the highlight reel KO's) and doesn't look to slow down anytime soon.
View: https://youtu.be/33jbqzIHIwQ
Daniel Crawford (10-1) age 24
"At the end of the day, I’m gearing myself towards the belt rather than guys like Aaron Pico or James Gallagher. It feels like Bellator really has two divisions; one is the serious title contender’s division and the other is just prospects that they throw bums at.
“As I said, I’m coming for the belt. I’m looking forward to making my debut, but I expect to be closing in on a title shot within 18 months.”
View: https://youtu.be/wgkR5wvoBZE
A.J McKee (10-0) age 22
Technically, he has the Bellator record for most consecutive wins in a row (although quality of competition and things like Ben Askren leaving the company are a huge factor in that). Even still, he's clearly a name to look out for. Training alongside Aaron Pico, Baby Alice under the tutelage of his father Antonio McKee, his future looks bright.
View: https://youtu.be/kcEjR6NezCg
James Gallagher (7-0) age 21
A member of Team SBG Ireland, Gallagher first came to the attention of coach John Kavanagh when he had just entered his teens.
“When I was 13, I was having a fight on a little show, and John was the judge,” Gallagher told MMAjunkie. “The promoter told him to watch out for this kid who was 13 and was fighting a 21-year-old, but John wouldn’t judge the fight and told the guy he was going to ruin the sport of MMA in Ireland.
“But I beat the guy, and John was very impressed, and that’s how we met. I was just fighting in all the local shows and became friends with Conor and Paddy Holohan because we were all fighting on the same local shows.”
View: https://youtu.be/CiRiOMWFhcA
Adam Borics (6-0) age 24
Borics is a curious case. Mixedmartialarts.com has him at 5-0, Sherdog has him at 6-0, and Fightnetwork.com has him at 10-0. The only thing they agree on is that he hasn't taken a loss yet. He hopes to keep that streak alive, heading into the biggest fight of his career headlining against James Gallagher in his hometown of Budapest, Hungary.
View: https://youtu.be/4PJpuHaLRMo
Saul Rogers (12-2) age 28
The uncrowned TUF champion. Rogers, a member of Conor McGregor’s team on the Ultimate Fighter, defeated three opponents to earn a spot in a lightweight tournament, including a majority decision over Ryan Hall, who was called to replace him when he was scratched from the card. A resident of Farnworth, Bolton, England, Rogers had won four straight on the international circuit prior to his stint on “TUF 22.”
View: https://youtu.be/9LvYYFbA1W4
Gaston Bolaños (2-1) age 25
The Peruvian native fights out of CSA (Combat Sports Academy) gym under the tutelage of established striking coach, Kirian Fitzgibbons. Bolaños is primarily a Muay Thai fighter and is transitioning into Kickboxing and MMA. He is a two-time South American Muay Thai Champion, U.S. Muay Thai Champion, and a two-time USA representative at the IFMA World Championships. As an amateur, Bolaños racked up 23 wins with more than a dozen fight finishes. As a professional he remains undefeated.
View: https://youtu.be/NbPQziAt5GA
View: https://youtu.be/5AXeyWmkeaw
Brandon Laroco (3-1) age 22
It wouldn't be right to mention Bolaños and not mention the fighter who gave him the 1 in his loss record. They'll fight again someday, because you know Bolaños wants a chance to get that one back.
View: https://www.instagram.com/p/BZfM8HZld0t/
Tywan 'Speedy' Claxton (1-0) age 25
He was 7-0 as an amateur before making his MMA debut with Bellator, where this happened...
Bellator 186: Tywan Claxton wins by Flying Knee Knockout!
Can't debut any louder than by arriving on the scene with a knockout of the year contender. He had this to say about it-
Tywan "Speedy" Claxton ready to start taking over Bellator's featherweight division
Chris 'Sunshine' Williams (4-0) age 23
“I have been ready for this since the first time I stepped into a cage. This has been my goal since day one and I am not nervous, I’m ready. I’m just taking this fight very seriously because I have a new goal and this fight is the first step. My new goal is to be champion in two years. I will be the Bellator (featherweight) champion in two years! Trust me.”
Thomas Lopez vs. Cris Williams
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