Top 5 December UFC Victories to Watch for Potential Future Fighters

Groundbreaking MMA champions were once aspiring fighters.

Before donning UFC, Bellator, or PFL gloves, modern-era fighters make their mark in the regional ranks, striving for greatness. While many attempt it, only a few will flourish.

This month, five fighters are on the verge of gaining significant promotion recognition, one for the second time. They are returning to the cage for a potential career-defining fight. While many fighters are nearing the next step, these five stand out.

• A promising Oklahoman, training at Factory X in Colorado, is eager to demonstrate his readiness for the UFC through his first five-round fight.

• An Albanian-born fighter has made numerous sacrifices to pursue MMA training in New York, determined to achieve his UFC dreams.

• A former ACA standout with ample high-level experience may secure a layup UFC signing if he claims an LFA title.

• An experienced Canadian aims to sustain consistent performances until the UFC comes calling.

• An experienced Mexican combatant is hopeful that a title defense at Urijah Faber’s promotion will attract attention from the UFC.

Aryion Young

Armando Gjetja

Azamat Bekoev

Tom O’Connor

Alex Sanchez

Fighters worth watching who didn’t crack the list, yet are on the verge of something big:

• John Caldone (6-1) – Friday def. Darius Estell (7-5) – via second-round knockout at Ring of Combat 82 in Atlantic City, N.J.

• Mikey England (7-1) – Friday def. Perry Stargel (9-4) via unanimous decision at FAC 22 in Independence, Mo. (Spectation Sports)

• Nate Richardson (10-4) – Sunday vs. Aryion Young (7-1) at Fury FC 84 in Houston (UFC Fight Pass)

• Raffael Cerqueira (8-0) – Thursday vs. Jhonathan Azevedo (4-1) at Victorious MMA in Fortaleza, Brazil

• Rodrigo Vera (15-1-1) – Dec. 14 vs. Geovane Vargas (11-4) at FFC 70 in Lima, Peru

• Robert Watley (13-3) – Dec. 15 vs. Armando Gjetja (8-3) at CFFC 128 in Atlantic City, N.J. (UFC Fight Pass)

• Shane Campbell (21-8) – Dec. 15 vs. Darrell Horcher (14-6) at Unified MMA 54 in Enoch, Alberta, Canada (UFC Fight Pass)

• Guido Santos (16-3) – Dec. 17 vs. Heilton Dos Santos (22-8-1) at SFT 45 in Sao Paulo

• Heilton Dos Santos (22-8-1) – Dec. 17 vs. Guido Santos (16-3) at SFT 45 in Sao Paulo

• Carlos Petruzzella (11-0) – Dec. 22 vs. Nicolas Martinez (8-4) at Samurai Fight House 14 in Buenos Aires (YouTube)

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie