23 fighters set to take 2023 by storm after bursting onto the scene in recent years

Sport: Boxing.

Age: 23.

Record: 13 wins (13 knockouts) and no losses.

Bio: Jared Anderson, a 6-foot-4 heavyweight from Ohio, is a fast-rising boxer with good skill and heavy hands, having clubbed his way to knockout wins over everyone he's faced in the pro ranks so far. Though he's been a blue-chip prospect for years, he added two stoppage wins to his resume in 2022, and is well-poised to become a bona fide contender in the months and years to come.

Considering the advancing ages of today's elite heavyweights like Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Joe Joyce, and Deontay Wilder, Anderson is the probable guy to win upcoming passing-of-the-torch type bouts — and could fly the flag for America as one of boxing's biggest names.

See footage of his latest win right here:

Sport: Boxing.

Age: 28.

Record: 13 wins (seven knockouts) and one loss.

Bio: Alycia Baumgardner broke through in boxing late last year when she stopped Terri Harper in brilliant fashion in her opponent's backyard in England, winning the WBC and IBO female super featherweight titles. This year, though, she added decision wins over Edith Soledad Matthysse and Mikaela Mayer — the latter of which was a true grudge match, which Baumgardner won to elevate her star appeal even further.

As women's boxing continues to rise, Baumgardner is capable of flying that flag — and, as she's only 28 years old, she can fly it for quite some time.

Sport: Boxing.

Age: 31.

Record: 21 wins (11 knockouts) and no losses.

Bio: Dmitry Bivol had long been an unheralded technician in boxing, but when a marquee match against Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez arrived in May 2022, the light heavyweight finally had his chance to shine on the biggest of stages — and he did not disappoint.

Bivol outclassed Alvarez, who was considered the No. 1 fighter in boxing at the time, with a masterful performance. Later in the year he carried that momentum into his next fight against the bigger Gilberto Ramirez, scoring another comfortable decision win.

The 31-year-old is now the guy to beat at 175 pounds, and one of boxing's top-tier fighters.

Sport: Mixed martial arts.

Age: 23.

Record: 10 wins (two knockouts and three submissions) and one loss.

Bio: Erin Blanchfield joined UFC in September 2021 after impressing in the all-women fight firm Invicta FC. Unbeaten in the big leagues at UFC, Blanchfield has breezed through her opposition and has scored back-to-back submission wins this year over JJ Aldrich and Molly McCann.

The victory over McCann is one of the biggest victories in the UFC through 2022.

Watch that win right here:

Sport: Boxing.

Age: 36.

Record: Nine wins (four knockouts) and one loss.

Bio: Ebanie Bridges proved in her 2021 loss to Shannon Courtenay that she has a tremendous amount of heart as she fought through a horrific injury. This year, she showed that fighter's instinct one more time when she survived an early onslaught from Shannon O'Connell in December, to win by eighth-round knockout.

There will be fighters who have more skill than Bridges; however, she is showing that she can never be counted out as she has the will to fight through troubling times.

Sport: Mixed martial arts.

Age: 28.

Record: 12 wins (six knockouts and five submissions) and no losses.

Bio: Insider has spent a lot of time around Khamzat Chimaev and can comfortably say he is one of the most intimidating fighters to be with, as he has a quiet yet menacing aura.

Though he broke through into the UFC in 2020 and became a star of "Fight Island," he has arguably had his greatest year to date because he prevailed in a Fight of the Year against Gilbert Burns in April, before submitting Kevin Holland five months later.

The official Chimaev vs. Burns replay on YouTube has been viewed 11 million times as of December.

Sport: Boxing.

Age: 23.

Record: Seven wins (five knockouts) against no losses.

Bio: An Olympic silver medalist, Keyshawn Davis is one of America's top-tier prospects, having won four fights in his debut year in 2021 before adding three more in 2022.

As a lightweight, Davis is breaking through in and around some of the hottest weight classes in boxing, and it might not be long before he's challenging fighters like Teofimo Lopez, Devin Haney, Gervonta Davis, and Ryan Garcia.

Sport: Mixed martial arts.

Age: 34.

Record: Nine wins (one knockout and four submissions) and four losses.

Bio: Vanessa Demopoulos' celebrations — in which she jumps into the arms of a commentator like Joe Rogan or Michael Bisping — have gone as viral as her punctuating performances in 2022.

This year has been the best of "Lil Monster's" career as she's scored a submission via armbar against Silvana Gomez Juarez, before outpointing Jinh Yu Frey and Maria Oliveira in separate matches later in the year.

Not yet in the UFC's top-15 rankings at strawweight, she will surely break through in 2023.

Sport: Boxing.

Age: 19.

Record: Eight wins (three knockouts) and no losses.

Bio: Floyd Diaz is a remarkable technician, as he proved with a knockout win via bodyshot against Pedro Salome in the summer.

Diaz has notched five wins this year alone, and Insider was left impressed after watching him spar behind the scenes at Top Rank's private gym in Las Vegas.

The fighter, who is nicknamed Cashflow, is one to watch in 2023.

Sport: Mixed martial arts.

Age: 32.

Record: 10 wins (six knockouts) and one loss.

Bio: Manon Fiorot is a shining example of not letting an early loss perturb one's rise to the top. Though she suffered defeat in her very first fight, against Leah McCourt in 2018, Fiorot has since rebounded with a remarkable 10-fight winning streak.

This year has been the best of her career: Though she's only competed twice, she has scalped two big names — Jennifer Maia and Katlyn Chookagian — to earn the No. 1 contender spot in UFC's flyweight division.

A title shot against Valentina Shevchenko now beckons.

Sport: Boxing.

Age: 24.

Record: 20 wins (13 knockouts) and one draw with no losses.

Bio: Sebastian Fundora is a freak of nature.

The fighter is 6-foot-6, yet fights at light middleweight, and therefore towers over all of his opponents.

Rather than rely on his physical advantages to pot shot from a distance, Fundora likes to trade blows from a near point-blank range, which makes for extraordinarily gripping contests.

Fundora won one of boxing's best fights early in the year, when he got up from the canvas after taking a knee, to thump Erickson Lubin into oblivion.

It is only a matter of time before he challenges undisputed light middleweight champion Jermell Charlo in one of the best match-ups that combat sports can offer.

Re-live the highlights of his win over Lubin right here:

Sport: Boxing.

Age: 24.

Record: Seven wins (five knockouts) and no losses.

Bio: All but one of "Tiger" Johnson's fights came in 2022, and so he's thumped his way into prominence while still a mere prospect in boxing.

As one of the numerous Top Rank fighters on this list, Johnson is in expert hands and is well-placed to become a star in boxing as the promoter knows how to make the right matches at the right times for its young fighters, while developing them as household names.

Sport: Mixed martial arts.

Age: 26.

Record: Three wins (one knockout and two submissions) and no losses.

Bio: Bo Nickal, as a three-time NCAA wrestling champ from Penn State, is one of the best wrestlers to ever join the UFC.

He was arguably one of the biggest and most exciting names to join Dana White's Contender Series — a separate entity to the UFC designed to funnel promising talent to the market-leading promotion. And with two submission wins, Nickal fully earned his full-time contract.

Nickal was supposed to make his highly anticipated UFC debut in December, but his first fight in the big league will now not take place into 2023.

Regardless, he is one of the best talents to keep an eye on in the coming year, as he has all the necessary ingredients to become one of America's most prominent fighters.

Sport: Boxing.

Age: 27.

Record: Five wins all by decision and no losses.

Bio: Skye Nicolson only made her pro boxing debut in March 2022 but has tallied five wins already, while fighting twice in the US, twice in the UK, and once in her home country, Australia.

She is building a name for herself in multiple territories competing under the Matchroom banner and could soon challenge for a world title.

Sport: Boxing for Jake Paul and WWE for Logan Paul.

Age: Jake is 25 and Logan is 27.

Record: Jake's pro boxing record is six wins (four knockouts) and no losses.

Bio: The Paul brothers have set multiple combat sports ablaze in recent years and are already amongst the biggest names in boxing, MMA, and WWE.

Their entrance into the industry was initially considered a marketing stunt, but they have — through hard work and talent — begun to turn even their most ardent critics.

For Jake, he's determined to challenge legitimate boxers, having urged Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr. to the negotiating table, only to be left disappointed when those fights fell through from no fault of his own.

Logan, meanwhile, appears to be a natural in WWE, headlined a prominent PPV against Roman Reigns, and has a skill level that belies his relative inexperience.

It would not be a surprise to see Logan Paul feature at Wrestlemania or SummerSlam, while Jake Paul will no doubt compete in one of boxing's biggest pay-per-view events of 2023.

Sport: Mixed martial arts.

Age: 35.

Record: Seven wins (six knockouts) and one loss.

Bio: Alex Pereira only made his UFC debut in November 2021, but one year later he became UFC middleweight champion with a come-from-behind knockout win over Israel Adesanya.

Pereira's rise is one of the sharpest the UFC has ever seen.

It is unclear how long he will be able to keep the title, but the victory is monumental as it has really shaken up the landscape at 185 pounds.

Adesanya had been a long-reigning middleweight champion, but the belt could now be up for grabs, with fresh title matches involving Robert Whittaker, Marvin Vettori, and even newcomer Dricus du Plessis all potential options for the UFC in the coming year.

Sport: Mixed martial arts.

Age: 27.

Record: 20 wins (six knockouts and nine decisions) with three losses.

Bio: Paddy Pimblett made his UFC debut in 2021 after years of winning titles on the regional scene in Europe.

This year alone he has won three times in a variety of ways while his star continues to rise.

It is unclear how far up the rankings Pimblett will be able to climb, but the ride will be a well-televised one for arguably the most polarizing fighter the UFC has on its roster currently.

Sport: Boxing.

Age: 28.

Record: 11 wins (seven knockouts) and one loss.

Bio: As a two-time Olympic champion from the 2012 and 2016 Games, Robeisy Ramirez was always going to be regarded as a hot commodity if he ever turned pro.

Though he suffered a setback in his first ever pro fight, a split-decision loss to Adan Gonzales in 2019, he has since built a 10-fight winning run and scored three knockout wins in 2022.

Sport: Boxing.

Age: 22.

Record: 17 wins (11 knockouts) and no losses.

Bio: Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez has been fighting for almost six years but enjoyed his greatest year to date with three victories in 2022.

After outpointing Carlos Cuadras in February to win the WBC super flyweight title, he got matched against Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in June. It was considered a tough challenge but he finished Sor Rungvisaia in the eighth round in a win so big it may well define his legacy.

Three months later, Rodriguez defended his title for the second time and decisioned Israel Gonzalez.

Considering "Bam" is only 22 years old, combined with his considerable talents already, he is well-poised to be one of the biggest names in boxing in the coming years.

Sport: Mixed martial arts.

Age: 19.

Record: Seven wins (one knockout and five decisions) against no losses.

Bio: Raul Rosas Jr. is still a teenager but is already battering fully grown men in the big leagues of the UFC.

A Contender Series graduate from the class of 2022, Rosas went on to make his UFC debut in December, when he scored a first-round submission win via rear-naked choke against Jay Perrin.

He then told Insider and other reporters that he is gunning for the UFC bantamweight championship.

Dana White told Insider that Rosas will be matched in the same way older fighters get matched, and if he keeps winning, he may well become the youngest fighter to challenge for a UFC title.

Watch Rosas win on his UFC debut right here:

Sport: Mixed martial arts.

Age: 21.

Record: Seven wins (five knockouts and one submission) and no losses.

Bio: Like Raul Rosas Jr., Cameron Saaiman is another Contender Series graduate to have caught UFC boss Dana White's eye during the summer.

White was so impressed with what he saw from Saaiman that he told Insider and other reporters that Saaiman's nickname should be: "The Future."

Saaiman made his UFC debut in December and though he was deducted a point for an illegal shot, he remained composed enough to stick to his gameplan and force a third-round stoppage win thanks to knee strikes and punches.

Saaiman, like Rosas, could enjoy a sharp rise through the UFC's rankings in the coming years.

Sport: Boxing.

Age: 25.

Record: 19 wins (nine knockouts) and no losses.

Bio: Shakur Stevenson won his first legitimate world title in boxing in October 2021, and it became the first of many as he picked up another in his very next fight, beating Oscar Valdez by decision in a super featherweight championship unification.

Later in 2022, Stevenson defended those titles against Robson Conceicao.

Regardless of whether Stevenson campaigns at super featherweight, or lightweight, it is hard to see who can actually beat him as his skill level is so high few — if any — opponents could actually out-box him.

Sport: Boxing.

Age: 21.

Record: Five wins (four knockouts) and no losses.

Bio: All but one of Callum Walsh's fights have taken place in 2022, and he has shone in every single one of them.

Walsh may not be a name many people know right now, but considering his power, he looks set to continue to break through in the months and years ahead.

Trained by Freddie Roach, promoted by Tom Loeffler, and backed by Dana White, Walsh has got three of the best-known figures in combat sports appreciating what he offers at age 21.

Walsh even told Insider earlier in 2022 that he intends to follow in the footsteps of Irish fighters Katie Taylor and Conor McGregor to become Ireland's next superstar athlete.