Ranking the top 10 MMA fighters from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is known for a couple of things: the Declaration of Independence, industrialization, the Philly cheesesteak! But what you may not also know about the state is that it has produced some of the best mixed martial arts fighters of our time. Our top picks are:
l Ryan Cafaro
l Nah-shon Burrell
l Khama Worthy
l Ethan Goss
l Rex Harris
l Blaine Shutt
l Scott Heckman
l Mark Cherico
l Shawn Stefanelli
l James Padmore
Up there with the best of them is Ryan Cafaro, who is currently ranked 6th out of 165 Northeast Pro Featherweights. His most recent fight took place in September at the Valley Forge Casino Resort in Pennsylvania, where he battled it out against Matt Turnbull. It was a huge victory for Cafaro, who climbed to 11-5, whilst Turnbull fell to 6-5. Things are looking bright for the Featherweight fighter, who is currently on a winning streak of four fights whilst playing for LA Boxing New Jersey.
Nah-shon “The Rock-n-Rolla” Burrell is another MMA Pennsylvania star. Currently, he competes in the Middleweight division, and has been competing professionally since 2010. In the past, he’s competed in the UFC, the Bellator MMA, Strikeforce, the Cage Fury Fighting Championships, and more. He is currently ranked 2nd out of 82 Northeast Pro Middleweights, and 6th in the Welterweight division. Out of 32 matches, Burrell has had 19 wins, 12 losses, and 1 no-contest, making his games pretty riveting to watch.
Although retired now, Khama “The Deathstar” Worthy was one of the best MMA fighters from Pennsylvania, and the reigning champion of the Lightweight division. During his early years, Worthy fought for various groups across the Northeast, before making his UFC debut in 2019. He won against Devonte Smith in Round 1 and earned himself the Performance of the Night Award.
Next up is Ethan Goss, one of the best Featherweight and Lightweight MMA fighters. Fights between Goss and his opposition are especially exciting for sports fans in Pennsylvania at the moment, as not only do they get to support one of their own, but they get to bet on the man on a
6-win streak. In his latest match against Solo Hatley Jr., the predictions put Goss in with a 92% chance of winning, and that is exactly what he did!
Also known as “T-Rex”, Rex Harris comes in 5th out of 82 Northeast Pro Middleweights, and 2nd in Pennsylvania. He has won twice as many matches as he has lost, and although he doesn’t have the longest winning streak, he is an incredibly talented MMA fighter. His latest match was against Aaron Jeffery, who is a formidable opponent.
Hailing from Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, Blaine “The Shuttdown” Shutt is one of the most well-known and respected Bantamweight fighters in the state. His most recent fight was against Nikita Mikhailov, and unfortunately did not result in a victory, after he got knocked out in Round 3. However, his fight history shows a lot of big successes, including against the likes of Johnny Lopez and Robert Walker III.
Another exciting Pennsylvania fighter is Scott “The Animal” Heckman, who has also had a journey of ups and downs throughout his career, but always manages to jump back onto his winning streak. He hasn’t taken part in any MMA fights as of late, but we’ll be the first ones watching when his next match gets announced.
Mark Cherico, also known as “The Pride of Bloomfield”, is proudly from (you guessed it!) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During his time as an MMA Featherweight fighter, he had 11 wins and only 2 losses, the most recent of which was against Mike Santiago during the DW’s Contender Series of 2017.
One of the biggest names in Pennsylvania MMA at the moment is Shawn Stefanelli, who fights in the Featherweight division both amateur and professionally. He has had some big matches over the past few months, including against Alexei Pergande. The odds were against Stefanelli, and the title went to Pergande in Round 3, but he still put up an amazing fight.
For MMA enthusiasts who like to place bets on their favorites, allow us to introduce you to James “Goat” Padmore. He’s currently on a 3-win streak and is 4th in the Amateur Light Heavyweight division in Pennsylvania. Padmore is 100% someone to keep your eye on, as he is set to make serious waves in the Mixed Martial Arts world. His latest triumph was against Adam Caldwell this summer, where he came out on top in the second round due to a TKO.
