UFC Fight Pass
2024 FIGHT PASS Fighters To Watch - Part 2
Some Of 2023’s Brightest Rising Stars Made A Name For Themselves Long Before Impressing The Masses In The Octagon. Who Are The Next Hottest Prospects On UFC FIGHT PASS?
UFC FIGHT PASS athletes made for some of the biggest moments in 2023. Whether it was Alex Pereira reaching unprecedented heights, “Raw Dawg” Royval getting a crack at UFC gold or Bo Nickal making the world forget his wrestling background one KO at a time, the future of the sport continues to live on UFC FIGHT PASS.
With so many homegrown names now in the UFC, does UFC FIGHT PASS have any big names left?
Oh yeah. We’re barely scratching the surface. Here are more fighters to watch for in 2024!
UFC FIGHT PASS Fighters To Watch In 2024: Part 1
Geno Morelli – Fury FC
Record: 2-0
Age: 30
Avoid the ground with Geno Morelli at all cost#FCS6 pic.twitter.com/uZumrdF1kU
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) September 2, 2023
What do ya know? Another Penn State wrestler turned “must-see” mixed martial artist. Morelli may not have reached quite the heights that fellow Nittany Lions Bo Nickal and Anthony Cassar hit before transitioning to the cage, but the National qualifier took time away from combat sports at the conclusion of his college wrestling career before reappearing seemingly out of nowhere in the Fury FC cage.
Order UFC 297: Strickland vs Du Plessis
Morelli has all the wrestling chops a guy could ask for and one of the UFC’s most exciting strikers as his coach in Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. After posting a perfect 3-0 amateur record, Morelli jumped straight into the pro ranks with two classic performances to make up his 2-0 record. A broken hand in the first round of his Fury Challenger Series win over Slate Passmore has Morelli currently sidelined, but at 30 years old, Morelli knows 2024 needs to be a big one.
Does this situation create a reserved fighter who secures five safe wins or a 170-pound hurricane? It’s all up to Geno!
An Tuan Ho – LFA
Record: 5-0
Age: 23
An Tuan Ho with a highlight-reel KO! #LFA168 pic.twitter.com/MogDtkjafc
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) September 23, 2023
Nominated for Submission of the Year in 2023, LFA’s An Tuan Ho is one of the youngest fighters on the list and already one of the most established. With his February kneebar, his May war with Edwin de los Santos and his viral knockout in December, “The Highlight” had quite the breakout year in 2023. The phrase “lightning doesn’t strike in the same place twice” may imply to many that Ho can’t continue to have “must-see” moments, but every fight seems to be something we haven’t seen a lot of.
How To Watch UFC 297: Strickland vs Du Plessis
Ho is back in action early in 2024, and with youth on his side, if the fans are lucky, there will be quite a few more memorable cage moments ahead.
Luke Fernandez – CFFC
Record: 3-0
Age: 28
YOUR 205 CHAMPION LUKE FERNANDEZ!!!!!!!!#CFFC128 pic.twitter.com/0BrWc3X1Fz
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) December 16, 2023
After tearing through the CFFC amateur scene, New Jersey’s own Luke Fernandez made his long-awaited professional debut in 2023 and worked all the way up to champion status by year’s end. What’s worse for East Coast light heavyweights everywhere is that in his young career, Fernandez hasn’t appeared to even face danger once.
When he’s not giving 205ers in the region a reason to add on or shed a few pounds, Fernandez has created quite a name for himself in the social media world with a unique ability to turn everybody’s favorite slasher, Michael Myers, into one of the greatest dancers on earth.
There’s no shortage of excitement and there’s no shortage of personality. If there’s a knock on Fernandez, it’s his inability to take the excitement on TikTok and in the cage and transplant it into interviews, but he’ll more than make up for it all if he continues the run he had in 2023.
Aboubakar Younousov – ARES FC
Record: 4-0
Age: 24
Aboubakar Younousov brings @KChimaev to his feet!
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) November 17, 2023
[ #ARES17 🇫🇷 LIVE NOW on #UFCFIGHTPASS ] pic.twitter.com/jtnHFAWYQp
After winning his pro debut in September of 2022 by way of decision, ARES star Aboubakar Younousov decided he’d had enough of the full 15 minutes.
Younousov rattled off two slick submissions before his ARES FC 17 spinning back elbow that landed him UFC FIGHT PASS KO of the Year runner-up, putting himself on the map globally. He looks the part, fights consistently and is already shaking the earth at 24 years old. It’s going to be fun to see what Younousov brings to the bantamweight division in 2024.
UFC 297: Inside The Main Event Numbers
Quang Le
Record: 7-0
Age: 32
Quang Le with a bang!!!#LFA174 pic.twitter.com/E3GP73AXUj
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) January 13, 2024
Only one fighter has Mark Bieri of LFA calling for a UFC Fight Night: Hanoi and that’s Quang Le. Already 1-0 in 2024 with a wild finish, Quang Le, at 32 years old, is fighting like it’s his last chance to make it to the UFC, and he might be on to something because the featherweight flamethrower is either putting opponents away or giving us classic wars show in and show out.
Le was on pace for three fights in 2023 until his April trip to the cage was cancelled. With a fight in already in early January it’s hard to imagine he won’t be on pace for four fights in 2024, with or without the call to the UFC. Keep your eyes on Quang Le because the window is closing on the chance to say you were there before it was cool to be there.
Antonio Gordillo – UWC
Record: 18-5-1
Age: 30
Ya KNEW Gordillo was going to hit the button!! And still!!!!#UWC48 pic.twitter.com/VRVnpftu3s
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) September 30, 2023
Antonio Gordillo may have the most deceptive record in UWC history. The promotion that brought you Raul Rosas Jr., Brandon Moreno and many more has never had a fighter reach champ-champ status until Gordillo pulled in the UWC light heavyweight title to go with his middleweight strap.
The 30-year-old’s deceiving record could convince the UFC that he’s too reckless in the cage, but with his skillset on the ground and on the feet, Gordillo seems to be a step ahead of every opponent in the UWC. With only slight hyperbole, Gordillo is the type of fighter who can walk into the cage and ask where the crowd wants the fight finished and take his opponent to the deepest waters before giving the fans what they paid for.
He called for the UFC following his last fight and he just may get his wish but if he doesn’t, catch Antonio Gordillo while it’ll still only cost $9.99 to do it.
Taye Ghadiali – Campbell University/CFFC Matchday
Age: 22
Taye Ghadiali with the pin!!! Keep your eye on this guy, wrestling fans!!#BattleAtLiberty pic.twitter.com/Z5zkSiIDAl
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) November 1, 2023
From “I’m pretty sure I know who that is” to top 10 in the nation, Campbell University’s Taye Ghadiali has become the dark horse of NCAA’s heavyweight division. The Fighting Camel, scratch that, Ultimate Fighting Camel, hails from Detroit and is now the king of Buies Creek with All-American written all over him.
In 2023, Ghadiali went 5-0 on CFFC Matchday events and even pulled in the Outstanding Wrestler belt en route to a strong first showing of the season against Army West Point. It seems that when Campbell is on, UFC FIGHT PASS smart money is on Taye Ghadiali bonus points.
Ghadiali’s skill speaks for itself with his top ten ranking, and his personality is meant for cameras. The only knock on the heavyweight threat is his big moment freezes. If Ghadiali approached top five matchups the way he approaches top 15 matchups, he’d be the name on everybody’s tongue in the heavyweight division.
Be on the lookout for Ghadiali in March, but with one year of eligibility left, be on the lookout for Taye Diesel to light UFC FIGHT PASS up for one more year in Campbell orange.
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