At Uncrowned, it’s our job to cover the big three of combat sports and entertainment: MMA, boxing and professional wrestling. Sports that are mano-y-mano, held in a squared circle, common rings, or cages with geometric dimensions; with referees in between the combatants, walkout music, and ring announcers; with gloves of different sizes, enswells, spit buckets and occasionally folding chairs; those proving grounds where the dream is forever universal, speaking to each and every competitor who makes the walk.
What is the dream? To one day be a champion.
As we get into 2025, the next generation of talent is emerging in each of the big three. And we’ve put together a list to identify tomorrow’s stars, the hungry phenoms and prodigies of their given sport, who are already well on their way to becoming household names.
It’s our 25 under 25 list for 2025 — the brightest young up-and-comers who are on the rise, ready to take over the sports combat fans love.
1. Moses Itauma, boxing
Age: 20 years, 2 months, 15 days (Dec. 28, 2004)
Who: Heavyweight boxer (11-0, 9 KOs); WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight champion; WBA International and Commonwealth Silver heavyweight champion
Why: When they talk about the future of boxing, they are talking about England’s Itauma, an undefeated heavyweight phenom who rose into popular discussion by dispatching Demsey McKean in the first round on the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury 2 undercard. He was 19 at the time, but the poise he showed paired in sadistic harmony with his ferocity and that left hand of his, is a special kind of deal-breaker. Lightning fast. Deadly. Powerful enough to bring the house down. He has scored knockouts within the first two rounds of his past seven fights. Uncrowned’s 2024 Prospect of the Year may not get his opportunity to best Mike Tyson’s 38-year-old record by becoming boxing’s youngest heavyweight world champion (he has until May 19 to do so), but blockbuster fights still lie ahead for the WBO Inter-Continental champion.
2. Roxanne Perez, wrestling
Age: 23 years, 4 months, 7 days (Nov. 5, 2001)
Who: WWE star; former two-time NXT Women’s Champion; former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion
Why: Not since the days of Paige has such a young female talent made such a rapid impact in the WWE as Roxanne Perez, who bagged her first NXT Women’s Championship two years ago at just 21 years old. Trained and mentored by WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, the Texan star has spent her time since then adding more achievements to her name, including a record-breaking stand at this year’s Royal Rumble.
For all the praise heaped upon her, the two-time NXT champion has no time to rest on her laurels. Right now, all signs point towards her playing a big role at this year’s WrestleMania 41 mega-event, most likely in a showdown with her long-term inspiration turned rival Bayley.
3. Abdullah Mason, boxing
Age: 20 years, 11 months, 7 days (April 5, 2004)
Who: Lightweight boxer (17-0, 15 KOs)
Why: Having made his professional debut at just 17 years old, “Sugar” Abdullah Mason at 20 is floating like a butterfly in the ring. He is the babyface of the lightweight division, but there’s a menace at work when that bell rings. To open 2025 he scored a fourth-round knockout of Manuel Jaimes at the Theater at Madison Square Garden that brought New York to its feet. Right now he’s an opening act, but it won’t be long until he’s headlining. Good news is he gets to celebrate his 21st birthday on April 5 out in Las Vegas, when he faces Giovanni Cabrera.
4. Muhammad Mokaev, MMA
Age: 24 years, 7 months, 13 days (July 30, 2000)
Who: Brave FC flyweight (14-0, 1 NC MMA; 7-0 UFC)
Why: Had things gone a little differently, Mokaev might’ve made the history he intended by becoming the youngest ever UFC champion. Jon Jones was 23 years and eight months old when he beat Mauricio Rua to hold the distinction, and Mokaev was on pace, yet a thorny relationship with the UFC brass curtailed the dream. Still, a UFC title is out in the gloaming for the Dagestan-born fighter who calls England home. Another victory in the Brave organization could pave his way back to the UFC, where he went 7-0 before being released in 2024.
5. Gabriela Fundora, boxing
Age: 22 years, 11 months, 14 days (March 29, 2002)
Who: Flyweight boxer (15-0, 1 NC, 7 KOs); undisputed flyweight champion (WBA, WBC, WBO, IBF); No. 5 pound-for-pound in the world
Why: Want to talk about phenoms? Look no further than “Sweet Poison” Fundora, who — after claiming the WBO, WBA and WBC titles against Gabriela Celeste Alaniz in November — became the youngest ever undisputed champion in boxing’s four-belt era at just 22. Under the tutelage of her father, Freddy Fundora, she’s been at home in a boxing ring since she was seven. Her brother, the 27-year-old Sebastian Fundora, is the WBO and WBC light middleweight champion on the men’s side, which solidifies the family as one not to be trifled with. Did we mention she’s nasty? Go watch that fight with Alaniz. She’s mean, mean, mean.
6. Raul Rosas Jr., MMA
Age: 20 years, 5 months, 4 days (Oct. 8, 2004)
Who: UFC lightweight (10-1 MMA; 4-1 UFC); youngest fighter to ever sign a UFC contract
Why: Rosas Jr. became quite the sensation when he broke through on the Contender Series in 2022, a month shy of his 18th birthday. A lot of people wondered if he was simply too young, too green … too inexperienced … to be taking off his shoes and slugging it out with grown men 11 years his senior (as Jay Parrin was when they fought at UFC 282). Baptism by fire, as they say. Rosas Jr., with his jutting chin and his comical war cry (“Chiwiwi!”) has more than held his own. Now on a three-fight UFC win streak, the future is bright for “El Niño Problema.”
7. Diego Pacheco, boxing
Age: 24 years, 0 months, 4 days (March 8, 2001)
Who: Super middleweight boxer (23-0, 18 KOs); WBC USA super middleweight champion; WBO International super middleweight champion
Why: Pacheco was barely 17 years old when he debuted in the pro boxing ring, knocking out Luis Carlos Gonzales in Tijuana. Turns out that was a harbinger of things to come from the next great Mexican warrior. Stretching 168 pounds into a lithe 6-foot-4 frame, Pacheco has the reach advantage over everyone, and he makes the most of it — he is a terrifying sniper from range, and the right hand means business. Already 23-0 and holding a relish tray of international super middleweight belts, the sky is the limit.
8. Je’Von Evans, wrestling
Age: 20 years, 10 months, 13 days (April 29, 2004)
Who: WWE star under the NXT brand; Wrestling Observer Newsletter 2024 Rookie of the Year
Why: Many WWE stars will happily wait their entire career to get the respect of a multi-time world champion like Randy Orton. Plenty would consider themselves fortunate if such a gesture happened at all. For Je’Von Evans that honor came at just 20 years old, when he faced off against “The Viper” in an NXT special episode this past year, which ended with the 10-time WWE Champion holding Evans’ hand aloft in a public display of respect (even though Evans lost the match).
The high-flying talent remains one of the must-see stars on WWE’s developmental brand, and looks destined to take on plenty more legends and champions in the years to come.
9. Brian Norman Jr., boxing
Age: 24 years, 3 months, 19 days (Nov. 23, 2000)
Who: Welterweight boxer (26-0, 2 NC, 20 KOs); WBO welterweight champion
Why: Called “The Assassin II” in homage to his father, Brian Norman Sr. (“The Assassin”), Norman Jr. has held the WBO welterweight title since he was 23. The 26-0 record stands out, but he has flashed his power of late too. His knockout of Giovani Santillan to win the interim WBO title this past May was a showcase. If Jaron “Boots” Ennis gets by Eimantas Stanionis in April and sticks around to try to become undisputed at welterweight, a clash with Decatur’s finest will loom large.
10. Nick Wayne, wrestling
Age: 19 years, 8 months, 2 days (July 10, 2005)
Who: AEW star; former AEW World Trios Champion; youngest champion in AEW history
Why: A third-generation wrestler and son of the late Buddy Wayne, 19-year-old Nick Wayne holds the record as AEW’s youngest-ever champion, having helped The Patriarchy bag the World Trios Championships in the run-up to 2024’s All In event.
At 37 days, it may have been a short run, but you suspect it won’t be the last time the promising young talent ends up with gold around his waist. The only question is whether the next one will be alongside his Patriarchy stablemates or as a singles competitor making a name in his own right.
11. Joshua Van, MMA
Age: 23 years, 5 months, 2 days (Oct. 10, 2001)
Who: UFC flyweight (13-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC)
Why: One of the few emerging intrigues in the UFC’s flyweight division, the 23-year-old Myanmar-born Van has already faced with adversity by losing to Charles Johnson last summer. The good news is that in MMA losses are not only inevitable but things to build off, and so far, Van has showed he’s a good student. Back-to-back victories over Édgar Cháirez and Cody Durden restored the buzz that followed his name, and then he went out an dominated fellow top prospect Rei Tsuruya at UFC 313. With a dearth of contenders at 125 pounds, Van could be closing in on a title sooner rather than later.
12. Julia Hart, wrestling
Age: 23 years, 4 months, 4 days (Nov. 8, 2001)
Who: AEW star; former AEW TBS Champion; Wrestling Observer Newsletter 2023 Most Improved
Why: A former professional cheerleader who was converted to professional wrestling by Ken Anderson, Julia Hart didn’t take long to make an impact in AEW’s nascent women’s division when she debuted in 2021 — despite her first singles match being only the ninth of her career.
Things gathered pace some months later when she was recruited to the dastardly House of Black (now the Hounds of Hell) by its then-leader Malakai Black. In her new role as a malevolent sorceress, she battled the likes of Kris Statlander, Skye Blue and Jamie Hayter, proving she is more than ready for the big leagues.
13. Yoenis Tellez, boxing
Age: 24 years, 9 months, 1 days (June 11, 2000)
Who: Super welterweight boxer (10-0, 7 KOs); interim WBA super welterweight title
Why: In boxing, the Cuban roots runs strong, and Tellez is ushering in a new era of hot-blooded contenders. Already 10-0 after a solid amateur career, the “Tsunami,” as he’s called, opened some eyes by beating Sergio Garcia on the big Terence Crawford vs. Errol Spence undercard back in 2023, and he just won his first major title in Brooklyn by beating Philly’s Julian Williams for the interim WBA light middleweight title. How hungry is Tellez? His two-and-a-half-week migration from Cuba to the U.S. in 2022 is a harrowing tale on its own. He essentially made his way across Mexico on foot and by hitching rides on motorcycles.
14. Xander Zayas, boxing
Age: 22 years, 6 months, 7 days (Sept. 5, 2002)
Who: Super welterweight boxer (21-0, 13 KOs); WBO–NABO super welterweight champion; WBC–NABF super welterweight champion
Why: Stand up, Puerto Rico, and let ’em know there’s a prodigy coming for it all at super welterweight. Zayas, who hails from San Juan, has skyrocketed to a 21-0 record, capped off by a rousing ninth-round knockout of Slawa Spomer in New York that brought the many assembled boricuas to their feet. This isn’t a professional pursuit by Zayas, but a way of life. He has been competing in the ring since he was five years old, and everything about his style — the head movement, the hands, the footwork — is second nature.
15. Kade Ruotolo, MMA
Age: 22 years, 1 months, 21 days (Jan. 22, 2003)
Who: ONE Championship welterweight (3-0 MMA); ONE Championship lightweight submission grappling champion; 2022 ADCC World Champion
Why: He’s barely old enough to drink legally, but Ruotolo has been hitting the taps for a long, long time. A highly decorated black belt under André Galvão, Ruotolo distinguished himself in major jiu-jitsu tournaments for years, with the biggest feather in his cap coming by way of winning the 2022 ADCC World Championship at just 19 (the youngest ever to do it). Now he has transitioned to MMA, where he submitted his first three opponents in ONE Championship in the first round. Keep an eye on Ruotolo, who is young enough — and smart enough — to sharpen all the other disciplines in rounding out his MMA game.
16. Caroline Dubois, boxing
Age: 24 years, 2 months, 1 days (Jan. 11, 2001)
Who: Lightweight boxer (10-0-1, 5 KOs); WBC lightweight champion
Why: The kid sister of Daniel Dubois, “Sweet” Caroline Dubois is a chip off the old block. Her perfect record remains intact even after an unfortunate clash of heads rendered her January fight with Jessica Camara a draw. And let’s face it: Dubois was unleashing a fair amount of hell before the fight was halted. Back in the day, England’s Caroline would pretend to be a boy so that she could train in a boxing club. Now 24 and holding world titles, it’s crazy to think she’s still a few years from her prime.
17. Iasmin Lucindo, MMA
Age: 23 years, 2 months, 4 days (Jan. 8, 2002)
Who: UFC strawweight (17-6 MMA; 4-2 UFC)
Why: It’s actually mind-boggling that Lucindo has a small patch of early losses deep into her rearview mirror, dating back to her teenage years. How can somebody who is just 22 already have so much traceable biography? After dropping her UFC debut to Yazmin Jauregui, Lucindo became one of the hottest strawweights on the roster, scoring four straight wins with a dramatic sense of escalation. Beating Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Marina Rodriguez in consecutive fights was eye-opening, and though she felt short in her UFC 313 fight with one-time title challenger Amanda Lemos, Lucindo isn’t far off from another chance to step into the ranks of contention.
18. Leon Slater, wrestling
Age: 20 years, 5 months, 15 days (Sept. 27, 2004)
Who: TNA star
Why: One of the most praised names to emerge from the independent British wrestling scene since the pandemic, the former RevPro star made the jump stateside when he signed with Impact (now TNA) at the tail end of 2023. Within a year, he had been designated One to Watch at TNA’s annual internal awards — a testimony to his hard work.
Now Slater is being tipped by wrestling aficionados as one of the names best placed to benefit from the expanded WWE/TNA partnership, which has seen the smaller promotion’s more promising performers given an outing in NXT. You can’t say he wouldn’t deserve it.
19. Abdumalik Khalokov, boxing
Age: 24 years, 11 months, 3 days (April 9, 2000)
Who: Amateur featherweight boxer; 2024 Olympic gold medalist
Why: At the Olympic Summer Games this past summer, Uzbekistan’s Khalokov joined the likes of Vasyl Lomachenko and Meldrick Taylor in bringing gold home to his native country after beating out the featherweight field. Gold is kind of Khalokov’s thing. He was just 18 when he won a gold medal at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. Not a bad little amateur career, and certainly he’s one of the names to watch as he gets his professional run rolling.
20. Floyd Schofield, boxing
Age: 22 years, 6 months, 16 days (Aug. 27, 2002)
Who: Lightweight boxer (18-0, 12 KOs)
Why: It’s a bummer we didn’t get to see the 22-year-old “Kid Austin” fight Shakur Stevenson at the first big Riyadh event of 2025, as some saw the Schofield as a dark horse to not only take the WBC lightweight champ’s belt, but also his 0. Schofield is still undefeated and has handled every challenge thrown his way. Next step will be a marquee matchup that can double as a heat check to see if he’s ready or not, and the sneaking suspicion here is that he is.
21. Billie Starkz, wrestling
Age: 20 years, 3 months, 4 days (Dec. 8, 2004)
Who: AEW star; former and inaugural Ring of Honor Women’s World Television Champion
Why: As is often the case with these breakthrough talents, Billie Starkz first caught the wrestling bug at an astoundingly early age, beginning her training at 13. Her professional breakthrough came in 2023 when she appeared on AEW’s sixth edition of Battle of the Belts, putting on a valiant performance during an inevitable defeat against then-AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill. Despite the loss, her talents caught the eye of AEW founder Tony Khan, who offered her a full-time contract within days.
Her biggest outing to date has been in Ring of Honor, where she became the first Women’s World Television Champion.
22. Ernesto Mercado, boxing
Age: 23 years, 4 months, 14 days (Oct. 29, 2001)
Who: Super lightweight boxer (17-0, 16 KOs)
Why: Hailing from Southern California’s Inland Empire, “Tito” Mercado has feasted on the platter of opponents he’s been served so far, including former IBO super featherweight champion Jose Pedraza, whom he finished in the fourth round in January. Recently he mentioned that he’d love a fight with Keyshawn Davis, which he likened to a Floyd Mayweather vs. Oscar De La Hoya type of thing, only “this time La Hoya wins the fight, I’m gonna put Keyshawn out.” You gotta love the confidence in this young man.
23. Mairon Santos, MMA
Age: 24 years, 9 months, 2 days (June 10, 2000)
Who: UFC featherweight (15-1 MMA; 2-0 UFC); “The Ultimate Fighter 32” winner
Why: “The Ultimate Fighter” vehicle might be a little old and played out, but that doesn’t mean the stars of the UFC’s longtime reality show are. In the 32nd installment of “TUF,” the Brazilian slugger Santos knocked out Kaan Ofli with a vicious left hook to win the season, becoming one of the youngest to ever do so (Kelvin Gastelum still hold the record for youngest at just 21). And Santos has already fit right into a stacked featherweight division — he earned a debatable decision over Francis Marshall at UFC 313 this past Saturday.
24. Rei Tsuruya, MMA
Age: 22 years, 8 months, 20 days (June 22, 2002)
Who: UFC flyweight (10-1 MMA; 1-1 UFC); Road to UFC winner
Why: Not many fighters can boast of having WWE superstar Shinsuke Nakamura in their corner for their first UFC fight. But Japan’s Tsuruya can. At UFC 303, the 22-year-old Tsuruya rolled up to the Octagon like a G, before proceeding to dominate Carlos Hernandez. Want to talk about prodigies? As a Junior Olympian who competed at Worlds as an amateur wrestler, Tsuruya was already a Pancrase champion by the age of 20. Yes, he lost the battle of prospects to Joshua Van at UFC 313, but he is a sponge still putting it all together. Don’t be surprised if he becomes the first ever Japanese UFC champion in a few years.
25. Victoria Yuzuki, wrestling
Age: 20 years, 1 months, 11 days (Feb. 1, 2005)
Who: Marigold star; Marigold Super Fly Champion; Stardom 2023 Rookie of the Year
Why: The past decade has seen something of a joshi revolution in the U.S., with former Tokyo-based champions making their presence felt in WWE, AEW and NXT. Of the numerous performers tipped to follow in their footsteps, the youngest by some margin is Victoria Yuzuki, Marigold’s 20-year-old Super Fly Champion.
The former Stardom Rookie of the Year was announced as one of the first signings for Marigold, Rossy Ogawa’s new joshi venture, back in early 2024, going on to participate in the opening match of its inaugural event. Having since picked up gold in the promotion, she looks set to be one of its big names going forward.
