As has always been the case, there are hype trains in the UFC that the Las Vegas-based promotion is seemingly pushing behind the scenes. In some cases, it is blatant while in others, it is more subtle with favorable matchups for the fighter that is being pushed. Regardless of the case, MMA fans get excited for any hype train for one of two reasons ā€” they want to see them reach their potential and become global stars like Conor McGregor, or they want to see the hype train derailed which is a lot more common than one would think.

In the UFC today, there are quite a few hype trains and in this article, we'll look at five of them that are not only being pushed by the promotion, but are also undefeated as thing stand.

Bo Nickal

UFC middleweight Bo Nickal seems to be the biggest hype train being pushed by the UFC at the moment. For starters, his first two fights with the promotion have been on pay-per-view main cards. And yet, it's been so far, so good for the accomplished wrestler who is now 5-0 following his recent first-round knockout win over Val Woodburn at UFC 290 this past weekend.

All five of his fights have been finished in the first round, but the Woodburn win was particularly impressive as the latter was not only 7-0, but Nickal finished him by knockout, showing that he can strike as well as grapple. Many believe Nickal is now good enough to take the next step up. For now, UFC president Dana White plans on taking things slow but declared that when Nickal is ready for a top-15 opponent, everyone would know.

Umar Nurmagomedov

Umar Nurmagomedov is the latest Dagestani star to make waves in the UFC. A bantamweight who is the cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, the 27-year-old has gone 4-0 since making his promotional debut with his last win being an impressive knockout victory over Raoni Barcelos in January.

Overall, his record is 16-0 and it will now be at great risk because the UFC is taking the next step with Nurmagomedov ā€” pitting him against former title challenger Cory Sandhagen in a Fight Night headliner on Aug. 5. It's a massive step up, but if Nurmagomedov gets past Sandhagen, he is more than a legitimate threat in the bantamweight division.

Paddy Pimblett

If there's one fighter on this list that most would like to see lose, it's arguably Paddy Pimblett. The brash but entertaining Liverpool native is a lightweight who has gone 3-0 in the UFC so far (he has lost before, but that was before he joined the UFC). However, he has his fair share of haters and critics for a number of reasons from his beef with MMA reporter Ariel Helwani to his less than stellar performances against particularly weak competition.

As a result, many observers are eager to see Pimblett face a ranked opponent and potentially get exposed. For now, they'll have to wait as it seems like the Englishman will continue to face unranked opponents.

Ian Garry

Ian Garry is a unique hype train in that he seems to be following the example of McGregor right to a tee. Ignoring the basic fact that both of them are from Ireland, Garry is also a striker with a left hand, predicts how his fights will go, and even does the McGregor strut. The only real difference at this point is that he competes at welterweight.

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However, unlike McGregor, Garry entered the UFC undefeated and that has stayed that way since as he currently boasts a 12-0 record. He is also making the gradual step up in terms of opponents as his last performance saw him become the first fighter to finish Daniel Rodriguez back in May. It'll only be matter of time before he consistently starts facing top-15 opponents and prove whether he really can be the second coming of McGregor.

Khamzat Chimaev

It feels a bit weird to call Chimaev a hype train because unlike the others on this list, he is by far and wide, the real deal with many in the combat sports world believing he could even go as far as becoming a potential multiple-weight champion. That said, it's very clear the promotion is behind Chimaev. He broke into the scene in 2020 during the Fight Island cards in Abu Dhabi where he not only competed twice in the span of 10 days, but dominated and submitted his opponents in John Phillips and Rhys McKee without absorbing a strike.

He followed that up with impressive first-round finishes over Gerald Meerschaert and Li Jingliang before facing his toughest test yet in Gilbert Burns. This would be a true litmus test of whether ā€œBorzā€ was a hype train or the real deal as he was facing his first ranked opponent. It certainly proved to be major test as Chimaev not only went all three rounds in a back-and-forth war with Burns, but also took major damage as he got rocked and dropped hard in the second. That said, he showed great heart and spirit to come back and eventually win a unanimous decision.

If there were any doubts about Chimaev, they were erased, especially after he most recently submitted Kevin Holland with ease last year. The Swede ā€” who is now 12-0 ā€” is currently slated to fight at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi in October.