The Best of UFC’s 2025 Rookie Class
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Every year, a new wave of talent arrives in the UFC, eager to make their mark on the sport’s biggest stage.
Some rookies come in with massive hype, while others fly under the radar. But all have the same goal to prove they belong among the world’s best. As the year unfolded, the 2025 UFC Rookie Class shaped up to be one of the strongest in recent memory.
Several promising fighters geared up for their first year inside the Octagon, and many have already shown championship-level potential. From knockout artists to slick submission specialists, here’s a look at the best of UFC’s 2025 Rookie Class:
Jacobe Smith
Jacobe Smith kicked off 2025 with a statement, scoring a clean first-round TKO against Preston Parsons on the very first card of the year. For being a wrestler, his striking is sharp, accurate, fast, and efficient. And although he’s slightly undersized for welterweight, he makes up for it with great speed.
He followed up with a second-round rear naked choke win over veteran Niko Price at UFC 317 in June. Impressively showing he’s not just a great striker but a finisher in multiple phases. If he keeps this pace, Smith could realistically begin pushing toward the top 15 by late 2026.
Kevin Vallejos
Kevin Vallejos has quietly built one of the more underrated résumés in the 2025 rookie class. After earning a first round TKO over Seung Woo “Sting” Choi, he added a unanimous decision victory over Danny Silva in August. Thus proving he can win both by finish and on the scorecards.
His only career loss came to Jean Silva on the Contender Series. Considering Silva’s rise since, that defeat has aged extremely well.
Vallejos ended his year knocking out top 15 ranked Giga Chikadze on the UFC’s final ESPN card in December. Vallejos landed a spinning backfist in the second round that dropped Giga, and landed another strike before he even hit the canvas. A win like that will put Vallejos in the featherweight rankings to start 2026.
Alexia Thainara
Alexia Thainara introduced herself to UFC fans in emphatic fashion. Doing so by submitting Molly “Meatball” McCann via rear naked choke on just one week’s notice. Her performance was so dominant, and amplified by the fact that McCann retired after the fight.
Thainara followed up with a unanimous decision win over Loma Lookboonmee in September, showcasing poise and consistency. With eight career submission wins, she stands out in a strawweight division where finishes are hard to come by.
Training with the Ribas Family Gym, she’s a legitimate problem for anyone who lets the fight hit the mat.
Ateba Gautier
If we’re talking raw explosiveness, no rookie in 2025 has turned heads like Ateba Gautier. He has finished every opponent he’s faced, all in the first round. His UFC run so far includes:
- A first-round knee TKO against José Medina in his debut in March (Performance of the Night)
- A first-round TKO over Robert Valentin at UFC 318 in July (another Performance bonus)
- A first-round TKO over a late replacement at UFC 320 in October
With how active he is and his impressive finishing ability, he just might be the most impressive rookie of 2025. Gautier is already scheduled to compete again in January on the first card of the new Paramount+ era, keeping his momentum rolling into the new year.
David Martinez
David Martinez has quietly put together one of the most meaningful starts to any UFC rookie’s year. After a first-round TKO against Saimon Oliveira in March, he picked up the biggest win of his career in September. He ended up getting a unanimous decision win over Rob Font.
Font was Martinez’s third scheduled opponent that night, making the victory even more impressive. A win over a seasoned striker of that caliber often launches fighters toward the rankings. Martinez seems just one more strong performance away from knocking on door of the top 15.
Quillan Salkilld
Quillan Salkilld has been must-watch TV since joining the UFC. He opened with a 19-second KO of Anshul Jubli at UFC 312, which was good enough for Performance of the Night. Then earned a unanimous decision over Yanal Ashmouz at UFC 316 in June.
He later took a short notice fight at UFC 321 and produced what many are calling a potential KO of the Year, blasting Nasrat Haqparast with a head kick. The one glaring area for growth, his wrestling.
Salkilld shoots from too far out, making takedowns easy to defend. Regardless, all his UFC fights have been on PPV for a reason… He brings violence every time. He could be off to a fast start in 2026 too, as he is booked to fight Rongzhu on UFC 325 on January 31st.
Baisangur Susurkaev
Baisangur Susurkaev’s 2025 run is one of the wildest stories of the year. We followed his rise from the start during our IG Fight Camp with Khamzat. He accepted his Contender Series fight on just four days’ notice and delivered an emphatic first round knockout.
Another four days later, yes, four, he stepped into the cage again and scored another finish the same week he earned his UFC contract. Delivering a second-round submission via read naked choke at UFC 319 in August.
Two fights in just eight days is a level of activity is unheard of. Susurkaev capped off his rookie campaign with a third-round TKO over Eric McConico at UFC 322, proving he carries real power deep into fights and can stay dangerous for all three rounds.
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