Bellator is going to need young talent to continue to step up in order to make waves in the MMA landscape and these are five fighters ready to make that move.

Bellator is a young company compared to the UFC, though in the history of American MMA, it’s had arguably the second-best showing to date. In business for over a decade, Bellator has relied on a unique blend of former stars from other current and bygone companies and hand-picked, homegrown stars. Recently Bellator has lured some high profile big names away from the UFC, but as those deals wind down and others leave, it’s important to make sure that Bellator continues to develop top-quality talent to replace any potential departures.

Developing and curating new stars is the end game and Bellator has a few names who are ready to ascend to that next stage in their career. Before we get to the top five names, two quick honorable mentions.

When the heavyweight god Fedor Emelianenko takes you under his wing as a student, you’re going to be great (hopefully). So keep an eye out for Emelianenko’s prize pupil, Valentin Moldavsky, a heavyweight fighter who’s arguably a top-five heavyweight in Bellator already. Next, Jake Hager. Why? Because if he wins a title, then the MMA will burn itself down in confusion and outrage. Gotta love a little anarchy.

Patrick Mix (bantamweight)

Patrick Mix is 12-0, with his last three wins coming in Bellator. At only 26 years old, he’s yet to hit his prime and is on a shortlist for possible bantamweight title opportunities moving forward. With former champion Kyoji Horiguchi having vacated the championship and Darrion Caldwell involved in the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix, Mix is now the top guy in the division by many accounts. A possible fight for the vacant title or involvement in a possible Bellator Bantamweight Grand Prix might be in his future.

Michael ‘Venom’ Page (welterweight)

Many don’t see Michael ‘Venom’ Page (or MVP) as a top guy due to a lot of his fights being one-sided and against less-known talent. Page, however, has only lost once in his whole MMA career and that was to Douglas Lima, a Bellator/MMA all-time great. Page has a lot of upsides and has shown against Shinsho Anzai and Paul Daley that he’s capable of taking on tougher opponents. A possible rematch with Lima is a possiblity.

Anatoly Tokov (middleweight)

Russain born Anatoly Tokov has been smashing his way through Bellator competition since arriving. At 5-0 in Bellator, Tokov is arguably the number one contender middleweight and with his finish rate, youth, and terrifying blend of size and strength, Tokov is as close to a lock to be champion as you can be in MMA. He should get the winner of the Lima-Gegard Mousasi middleweight championship fight.

Vadim Nemkov (light heavyweight)

To borrow a line from John Casey of Chuck fame, “Russians. So many Russians.” Vadim Nemkov represents what could be a banner year for Russain MMA in Bellator, as anywhere from three to five men could wind up as champion. Arguably the most likely is Nemkov. His only two losses are to fellow Bellator fighter Karl Albrektsson and former Rizin top guy/new UFC signee Jiri Prochazka. Since then he’s strung together six wins, three over some of Bellator’s best at light heavyweight. Nemkov could be the one who dethrones light heavyweight champion, Ryan Bader.

Arlene Blencowe (women’s featherweight)

The Women’s Featherweight division may be all but forgotten in the UFC, but in Bellator, it’s the deepest division for the women. Arlene Blencowe is looking up at the two greatest female featherweights of all time, Julia Budd and Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino. Blencow, however, is a monster. A rare featherweight with genuine knockout power, Blencowe is arguably third in Bellator’s featherweight rankings and is only a snap second from knocking out whoever the would-be titleholder is. Whether it’s current champion Justino, former champion Budd, or someone else. Blencowe has been with Bellator for some time, and a title win would be well deserved.