By James Lynch

Once called "The Mecca of MMA" by UFC President Dana White, Canada has become somewhat of an afterthought in the MMA scene outside fight fans who live "The Great White North." However, there is no shortage on talent, especially in the Western Canadian market where the MMA scene is booming.

Here's a look at five Canadian fighters outside the UFC you should keep an eye on in 2017.

Miles Anstead (9-1) Middleweight

29 years old. Edmonton, Alberta (Complete Martial Arts & Fitness)

Anstead earned back-to- back victories in 2016 including a second round submission victory over The Ultimate Fighter season 19 competitor Adrian Miles in his last outing. Part of the reason for his success is his move up to middleweight where he's remained undefeated in his career. The 29-year old trains at one of the top camps in Canada at Complete Martial Arts and Fitness with the likes of UFC fighters Mitch Clarke and Sheldon Westtcott.

Having gone the distance just twice in his 10-fight career, Anstead is exactly the type of fighter the UFC could be scouting on their next Canadian card, especially with the lack of prospects in their middleweight division.

Smealinho Rama (10-2) Light heavyweight

24 years old. Calgary, Alberta (Jackson / Winklejohn)

After losing his WSOF heavyweight title to Blagoi Ivanov back at WSOF 21 in June 2015, Rama became inactive and somewhat of an afterthought on many MMA prospects lists. Last year he re-emerged in the light heavyweight division, and earned an impressive second round knockout victory over ATT product Jake Heun at WSOF 34 last month. Now training full time at Jackson Winlkejohn in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Rama is one of the main training partners for UFC light heavyweight Devin Clark and has also spent time training with former champion Jon Jones.

At 24-years old and boasting nine of his ten career wins by stoppage, Rama remains one of the top prospects in MMA. He recently re-signed with WSOF, so fight fans likely won't see him compete north of the border anytime soon. Expect the Greek fighter to do big things in 2017 especially with the lack of light heavyweight depth on the WSOF roster.

Jesse Arnett (11-4) Bantamweight

32 years old. Calgary, Alberta (Tilt MMA)

Arnett kept his momentum going last year earning two-straight submission victories over RFA vet Darrick Minner and Michigan Top Team product Mike Hernandez. He was slated to fight UFC veteran Johnny Bedford at Fight Night Medicine Hat 2 back in October, however the Texas native suffered an injury 24-hours before the fight. Eight straight wins, seven stoppage victories and an outgoing personality on the microphone, Arnett appears to be an ideal candidate for a UFC contract.

In those eight career victories he boasts wins over UFC veteran Roland Delorme and Team Alpha Male standout Vince Murdock. Although his last name carries weight, it was somewhat surprising to see the UFC sign bantamweight Aiemann Zahabi - who competes next month at UFC Fight Night Halifax - over someone like Arnett simply because of a contrast in resumes. Zahabi only fought once last year and only two of his six opponents have winning records. Perhaps the only thing hurting Arnett is his age at 32-years old, but if the UFC aims to host an event in Alberta next year it would be a shame not see him on the card.

Hakeem Dawodu (6-0- 1) Featherweight

25 years old. Calgary, Alberta (Champion's Creed Martial Arts)

Dawodu might be the most overlooked Canadian prospect on this list which is surprising because he competes for one of the biggest MMA promotions in World Series of Fighting. The 25-year old only fought once last year, earning a second round TKO victory over Marat Magomedov at WSOF 32 -- an opponent he previously earned a draw against at WSOF 26.

Six career wins by knockout and arguably in the prime of his career, it's a head scratcher why WSOF doesn't market this Canadian standout more on their shows. It's uncertain how many more fights "Mean" has on his WSOF contract but expect him to either be competing for a WSOF featherweight championship soon or perhaps get picked up by the UFC if he becomes a free agent.

Tanner Boser (12-2) Heavyweight

24 years old. Bonnyville, Alberta (Hayabusa Training Centre)

Boser recaptured his Unified MMA heavyweight title in early 2016 with a second round TKO victory over UFC veteran Tim Hague. The win was part of a run that saw him go 4-1 in 2016, with his lone blemish being a short notice fight against Kazbek Saidaliev at Akhmat Fight Show 18 in Russia. The 25-year old Hayabusa product has 7 of his 12 career victories by stoppage and has a very unique sense of humor on the microphone. The Bonnyville native will look for his fourth-straight win when he battles with TUF 19 competitor Patrick Walsh at Unified MMA 30 on March 17 th . An impressive performance in that championship fight could land him in the UFC.


Honorable mentions: TJ Laramie, Brad Katona, Alyssa Krahn, Yoni Sherbatov, Alexi Argyriou, Austin Ryan, Brandt Dewsbery