Athletes
Fighters on the Rise | UFC Fight Night: Oliveira vs Gamrot
Shining A Spotlight On Three Ascending Talents Set To Compete This Weekend
The last time there was a UFC Fight Night event in Rio de Janeiro, the card featured Amanda Nunes getting back into the win column with a first-round stoppage win over Shayna Baszler that kicked off her run to the top of the bantamweight division and MMA immortality.
Will this year’s return to Farmasi Arena serve as the starting point or another step in an historic march to championship gold and a place in the pantheon of all-time greats? The odds are low, but few would have tabbed Merab Dvalishvili to emerge as arguably the greatest bantamweight in UFC history after he lost his first two fights either, so you never know.
As we head into this weekend’s return to Rio, here’s three athletes we think have the chance to make some noise in their respective weight classes on Saturday and beyond. This is the UFC Fight Night: Oliveira vs Gamrot edition of Fighters on the Rise.
Montel Jackson
Because his winning streak has been spread out over four years and he tends to say as little as possible whenever a microphone is in front of him, fans haven’t fully recognized just how talented and dangerous Montel Jackson is just yet. All of that could change on Saturday as “Quik” squares off with Deiveson Figueiredo.
A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series Class of ’18, the 33-year-old Milwaukee native lost his debut to Ricky Simon but has gone 9-1 since, including wins in his last six. He earned back-to-back Performance of the Night bonuses for first-round knockouts of Rani Yahya and Da’Mon Blackshear, and bounced Daniel Marcos from the ranks of the unbeaten last time out, advancing to 15-2 overall in the process.
Full UFC Rio Fight Card Preview
Jackson is the kind of guy that fans and forecasters would be salivating over if he were a few years younger or had more of a social media presence because his foundational skills are outstanding and his measurables are off the charts. In addition to having giant hands and a tremendous frame for the division, Jackson was on an Olympic wrestling path before shifting to MMA, and that strong base has allowed him to slowly, but steadily, round out the rest of his game to where he is a bit of a “pick your poison” risk for anyone standing opposite him inside the Octagon.
Saturday’s clash with Figueiredo is certainly a step up in competition and the toughest assignment he has faced on paper, but it also feels like a matchup with favorable elements. Jackson will have a 5-inch height advantage and 7.5-inch reach advantage on the former flyweight champion, who enters on a two-fight slide and coming off a bout where he suffered a knee injury.
Jackson spent the last couple years of the doorstep of the rankings, creeping in momentarily here and there but falling out as others log wins and his time between appearances extends. Bantamweight is ultra-competitive at all times, but extending his winning streak to seven and turning aside Figueiredo feels like the kind of victory that could earn the DWCS grad a permanent place in the Top 15 and an even bigger challenge next time out.
Bia Mesquita
Mesquita might be making her UFC debut this weekend when she steps in with Irina Alekseeva in her hometown of Rio de Janeiro, but anyone that has paid attention to the jiu jitsu world in the last decade-plus is very aware of the Brazilian standout.
The 34-year-old is a 10-time IBJJF world champion and owns a host of other achievements in elite grappling competitions. She began her transition to mixed martial arts last June with a win in Brazil before earning four more wins under the LFA banner and earning the call to compete inside the Octagon. She’s won four of her five bouts by stoppage — the other was a disqualification win after she was hit with an illegal kick — and flashed some nasty ground-and-pound in her LFA title win over Sierra Dinwiddie in June.
RELATED: Mesquita A Different Kind Of Newcomer
We’ve seen scores of decorated grapplers transition into MMA with varying degrees of success, but Mesquita has given herself the best shot possibly be doing all of her training at American Top Team where she is surrounded by elite coaches and a cavalcade of accomplished and experienced teammates that can help steer her in the right direction.
Alekseeva is a perfect introductory opponent for the skilled but still inexperienced Brazilian, as she has much more experience and a considerable size advantage against the diminutive bantamweight debutant. Though she’s coming in off consecutive decision losses, “Russian Ronda” does have a UFC victory under her belt and is the kind of gritty and grimy battler that could make the newcomer work this weekend.
It's going to be fascinating to see how Mesquita looks in her debut as her credentials on the mat are unparalleled in the women’s ranks, and bantamweight could certainly use an exciting new face making a push towards the Top 15.
Valter Walker
Valter Walker Earns Round 1 Submission Win Against Kennedy Nzechukwu | UFC Nashville
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Valter Walker Earns Round 1 Submission Win Against Kennedy Nzechukwu | UFC Nashville
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I’ve joked in the recap of each of his last two fights that Walker is the first UFC fighter to have a legitimate finisher as if he were a professional wrestler, but that’s honestly how it feels watching “The Clean Monster” drop for heel hooks and snatch up submissions every time out.
It started with a verbal submission win over Junior Tafa in last summer in Australia and continued with a different variant against Don’Tale Mayes in February of this year. He followed with a third different entry and execution in a bout with Kennedy Nzechukwu in Nashville this summer and collected a bonus for the finish. While it’s certainly fun to kid about him having a finisher, the reality of the situation is that being able to attack such an instantly dangerous hold from a variety of positions makes Walker extremely dangerous, especially in a division where there isn’t exactly an abundance of grapplers.
The 27-year-old noted that he tried to fight more conservatively in his debut loss to Lukasz Brzeski, and has since reverted to his more aggressive, attacking style, which seems to run in the family, as that is when his older brother Johnny is at his best as well.
UFC JOURNEY: Oliveira vs Gamrot
Saturday night in Rio, Walker steps in with Mohammed Usman, the younger brother of former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman, in what is both another solid test and a chance for The Walkers to further assert their dominance as the best brother tandem in the UFC at the moment. Usman is coming off a unanimous decision win over Hamdby Abdelwahab in Baku, Azerbaijan and has gone 3-2 since winning the heavyweight tournament on Season 30 of The Ultimate Fighter.
Walker’s third consecutive win was enough to earn him the final spot in the Top 15, and another dominant showing against Usman this weekend in Brazil could put the ascending heavyweight in a position to fight forward in the division next time out. While there are some new names starting to emerge and climb the ranks, Walker is definitely someone to keep close tabs on going forward, especially if he hits his finisher for a fourth straight time on Saturday night.
UFC Fight Night: Oliveira vs Gamrot took place live from Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on October 11, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!