Even though the fighting community was greatly entertained by the main event at UFC 312, watching Sean Strickland miss out on wearing the middleweight championship belt for a second time broke many hearts. The fight fans from America were especially disappointed with Strickland’s loss. After all, it was one big miss for an American MMA star. 

But Strickland isn’t the only American fighter who was up for a title shot. Let’s take a look at three American prospects who have the chance to become a UFC champion pretty soon, shall we?

1. Bo Nickal

The MMA realm compels the fighters to be as balanced as they can be with their striking and grappling. And one of the newest additions to the UFC middleweight rankings, Bo Nickal, is one of the most balanced prospects in the division. While he dominates the MMA cage with his elite wrestling, he hasn’t left his striking skills underdeveloped like many other grapplers. And this has made the 3-time NCAA wrestling champion a dangerous fighter to look out for.

Bo Nickal has remained undefeated throughout his professional MMA career with 2 wins via KO/TKO, 4 by submissions, and the other one by a unanimous decision. His bout against Paul Craig at UFC 309 was the fight that put him on the map. Although fans did not appreciate it, he chose to stand and test his striking against a dangerous grappler. And even though he is not going to get a title shot immediately, we can expect him to rise to the top in no time. After all, it took him just 4 bouts in the Octagon to become the #15 middleweight contender. 

The next entry on our list is the former 2-time PFL champion who quickly rose to the top of the women’s bantamweight division. If you guessed it already, congratulations! We are indeed talking about Kayla Harrison. Let’s take a look at why she’s one of the future UFC champions.

2. Kayla Harrison

It hasn’t been a whole year since Harrison debuted in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. She took on Holly Holm and executed a perfect rear naked choke that forced her to tap out in the second round of their fight at UFC 300. As if one fight a year wasn’t enough, the Ohio-born fighter took on Ketlen Vieira at UFC 307. And this bout got her to the spot of #2 in the women’s bantamweight division. 

Harrison is an Olympic-level wrestler with a gold medal in Judo. She was undefeated up until she faced Larissa Pacheco at the PFL 10 2022 Championships. And this was the only defeat that Harrison had faced in her entire career. With Julianna Peña ruling the division, we can certainly expect the duo to fight soon. And if things go right, we might also see Harrison wearing the women’s bantamweight belt. 

Now, let’s see who is the third American UFC contender who has the potential to rise and become a champion. Want a hint to guess? Well, he was the former bantamweight champion before Merab Dvalishvili. Yes, it’s none other than Sean O’Malley, striving to get his title back.

3. Sean O’Malley

‘Suga’ is infamous for his dynamic striking prowess. He is a marksman when it comes to sending powerful fists. He was also the one who broke Aljamain Sterling‘s 9-fight win streak with a counter right fist to ground strikes in the second round of their fight. Next, he defended his belt in a phenomenal fashion against Marlon Vera at UFC 299. However, his bout against ‘The Machine’ at UFC 306 wasn’t that impressive. Although he did seem to have done his best, it wasn’t enough to get a win over Dvalishvili.

However, being the #1 bantamweight contender, we can actually witness a rematch between Dvalishvili and O’Malley sooner than we expect. And with the right adjustments in his fighting style, he can bring the bantamweight championship belt back home in no time. All we got to do as fans, is wait and watch the American pride become champion again.

Is there someone we missed on the list? Who do you think would get the belt the fastest? Drop down to the debate section and let us know what you think.