Rankings based off the following....

• North American fighters only. For example, Thiago Moises wouldn't qualify for these rankings despite training in the U.S.

• No fighters who have fought for or who are set to fight for the UFC.

• Fighters competing on Dana White's Contender Series included.

• No long-term Bellator fighters or champions. Exceptions for some preliminary fighters.

• All fighters aged 30 and under.

• Rankings based off age, record, and level of competition.

October Notes

- Factory X standout Derek Brenon enters the rankings in the No. 19 spot. 

RANK	NAME	AGE	RECORD	COUNTRY	NEXT FIGHT	PREVIOUS RANKING
1	Andre Harrison	29	17-0	USA		1
2	Hakeem Dawodu	26	7-0-1	CANADA		2
3	Juan Archuleta	30	16-1	USA		3
4	Kevin Aguilar	28	13-1	USA		4
5	Lance Palmer	29	11-3	USA	Fights Nov. 2 vs. Steven Siler	5
6	Julio Arce	27	13-2	USA		6
7	Bryce Mitchell	22	9-0	USA		7
8	Sam Toomer	29	11-1 NC	USA	Fights Nov. 4 vs. Julian Erosa	8
9	Jon Neal	28	10-0	USA		9
10	Sodiq Yusuff	24	5-0	USA		10
11	Andrés Quintana	26	12-2	USA		11
12	Jamall Emmers	27	11-3	USA		12
13	Kyle Nelson	26	11-1	CANADA		13
14	Tyler Diamond	26	8-0	USA	Fights Nov. 11 vs. Emilio Chavez	14
15	Dan Ige	25	8-1	USA		15
16	Alex Gilpin	25	8-1	USA		16
17	TJ Laramie	19	6-2	CANADA		17
18	Charles Jourdain	21	5-0	CANADA		18
19	Derek Brenon	27	6-0	USA		NR
20	Christian Lee	19	7-1	USA		20

#1 -- Andre Harrison (17-0)

Harrison has one of the most impressive resumes on this list for a fighter who wasn't picked up by the UFC. The 29-year-old fighter boasts wins over Kurt Holobaugh, Desmond Green, and Steve Siler. In March, Harrison captured the WSOF featherweight title by defeating Lance Palmer by unanimous decision at WSOF 35. Harrison is coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Steven Rodriguez on July 29 at PFL: Everett.

#2 -- Hakeem Dawodu (7-0-1)

Dawodu is the biggest free agent on the market right now and with good reason. The 25-year old fighter is coming off a dominant performance against UFC veteran Steven Siler at WSOF 35 in March, which was just the second time Dawodu has gone the distance in his eight-fight career.

If you could point to one blemish on his record, it was the majority draw he had against Marat Magomedov at WSOF 25. However, in the rematch, Dawodu knocked out the Russian in the second round at WSOF 32. It seemed like a no-brainier for the UFC to add Dawodu -- a native of Calgary, Alberta -- to the UFC 215 card in Edmonton last month. Currently "Mean Hakeem" is still a free agent.

#3 -- Juan Archuleta (16-1)

One of the top-ranked featherweights out of California, Archuleta is the current King of the Cage (KOTC) and CFL 145-pound champion. The 29-year-old "Spaniard" was slated to face Team Alpha Male's Vince Murdock at KOTC earlier in July. However, the 26-year-old Murdock missed weight and the fight was called off. Archuleta has six knockout victories on his resume and most recently defeated Adel El-Tamini on Sept. 2 for a 160-pound catchweight title at KOTC: Never Quit. With that title, Archuleta's mantel is filling up. He is the KOTC featherweight, bantamweight, lightweight, and now 160-pound champion. Four titles. Four.

#4 -- Kevin Aguilar (12-1)

Aguilar captured the vacant LFA featherweight title in February when he knocked out UFC veteran Damon Jackson at LFA 4. The win was the 28-year-old's fourth in a row, as he hasn't lost since a 2013 TKO setback to former UFC featherweight Leonard Garcia at Legacy FC 26. Aguilar successfully defended his title Aug. 4 against Justin Rader (7-3) at LFA 18, winning by unanimous decision.

#5 -- Lance Palmer (10-3)

The Team Alpha Male standout has won six of his 10 career fights by submission and boasts wins over UFC featherweight Rick Glenn and WEC veteran Chris Horodecki. The 30-year-old Palmer is coming off a unanimous-decision setback to Andre Harrison at WSOF 35. Palmer has yet to compete since that loss due to injuries.

Stay tuned as we continue to unveil and update our rankings for all major weight classes right here on FloCombat.

More FloCombat Prospect Rankings for October 2017

Heavyweight
Light heavyweight
Middleweight
Welterweight
Lightweight

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