Tatsuro Taira

At #4 in the flyweight rankings, Tatsuro Taira — "The Best" to fight fans — is past the "prospect" stage. This is contender territory, and every fight from here is a title eliminator in disguise.

The game is built on grappling: 3.6 takedowns per 15 minutes, and opponents spend rounds defending instead of fighting. 8 submission wins say what happens when the defense slips.

He's coming off a loss to Joshua Van. Careers aren't defined by the fall, though; they're defined by the rebound.

And here's the scary part: he's 26. 20 pro fights before most fighters hit their prime — the ceiling is nowhere in sight.