During the past years, Scotland has proven to have several athletes to make them proud to represent the country in many sports, and mixed martial arts aren't the exception.
This sport is becoming more and more popular every year, creating new talents that are inspired by the next people, some of the best Scottish UFC fighters. Perhaps they not enjoyed so much success as American UFC fighters from Colorado or other US states, such as Justin Gaethje and Shane Carwin, but they still have an impressive roster of names.
Aidan Stephen
One of the Cage Warriors members, Aidan Stephen, has two knockouts under his sleeve throughout his 9-4-0 record. Popularly known as "The Phenomenal," Stephen hasn't been in the ring since late 2021 when he defeated Edward Walls in the CW 132 by decision.
Ross Houston
You might remember Ross Houston from his victory during the Fight of the Year for Cage Warriors in 2018, but "The Hitman" has been conquering the ring since he started in the MMA in 2012.
Though he hasn't fought since 2020, he has an 8-1-0 record in welterweight. He has had a winning streak since he started pro; however, when he confronted Michael Page in October 2020 during Bellator 248, Houston lost by decision.
Reece McEwan
Though Reece McEwan ended last year with a loss against Liam Gittins, he's still number 12th in the UK/Ireland Pro Bantamweights ranking. His next fight is set to be in April when he'll fight Cameron Else, who has a record similar to McEwan's 7-2-0.
He's one of the most popular members of the Cage Warriors, and he's expected to be one of the greatest in Scotland as he continues his career, especially with Dean Riley as his coach.
Chris Bungard
"The Bad Guy" has a long, remarkable career; not only does he have a 15-9-0 record, but he's the first Scottish fighter to ever sign with Bellator. Chris Bungard holds 5th place in the UK/Ireland Pro Lightweights with over 236 fighters. He is currently with the Scottish Hit Squad, and his last fight was in November 2023 against Perry Goodwin in the Cage Warriors 164, which he won by submission.
Scott Malone
Scott Malone, also known as "Boom Boom" when he's in the ring, is currently having some stepbacks, as three of his four last bouts were canceled. Still, he's number 143 in the MMA flyweight ranking, and 26 in the UK/Ireland Pro Bantamweights, thanks to his 9-5-0 record. His last fight was in 2022 against Michele Martigoni in Cage Warriors 140, which he lost by decision in the third round.
Stevie Ray
After a 13-year-long career, Stevie Ray decided to retire in June last year when he lost against Clay Collard. Still, Ray was once the Lightweight Champion and the BAMMA British Lightweight Champion while he was part of the Cage Warriors. He was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, and started his career in mixed martial in 2010, mainly competing in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
By 2015, Stevie "Braveheart" Ray joined the UFC, and by the end of his fighting days, he had a 25-11-0 record. He took some time after retiring from the MMA in 2020 but signed with the Professional Fighters League for two years, during which he matched Anthony Pettis.
Jojo Calderwood
Joanne Calderwood has a strong resume, as she started her career in Muay Thai. Still, she also develops in kickboxing and mixed martial arts as part of the Women's Flyweight category of the UFC. However, she participated in the strawweight division until 2017 as well.
Calderwood was born in Irvine, and she's mainly known for being the first pro-female mixed martial artist from Scotland. Her career started in 2012 when she debuted fighting against Noellie Molina, and since then, she's competed at the Invicta Fighting Championships, the Cage Warriors Championship, and The Ultimate Fighter. Over the 24 matches of her career, she's won 16, five of which by knockout.
Paull McBain
"The Locomotive" has shown great potential since his amateur days, when he won all his fights. Paull McBain started his fighter career when he was 20 years old but went pro in 2017 with MMA and has been competing for seven years so far. With a 7-3-0 record, McBain has defeated reining fighters like Steve Amiable and Lloyd Manning.
Chris Duncan
This year marks the ten years since Chris "The Problem" Duncan started his career. The lightweight currently has a winning streak since 2022, as he has defeated Jonathan Carlos, Charlie Campbell, Omar Morales, and more recently, Yanal Ashmouz, which has fans and experts believing that he will continue winning in his upcoming fight in México City against Manuel Torres.
Paul Craig
Paul Craig might be one of the most popular fighters from Scotland since his debut in 2013. Throughout his 25-fight career, he has 17 wins, including a gold medal in the British Pro Championship in 2015 and a bronze medal from the Abu Dhabi World Pro, both for Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
As of today, "BearJew" has a 16-6-1 record and holds the 12th position in the UFC middleweight rankings. He started in the BAMMA in 2014 but quickly signed with the UFC; since then, he has confronted many remarkable fighters, such as Tyson Pedro, Khalil Rountree Jr., Jimmy Crute, Magomed Ankalaev, and others.