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HyunSung Park of South Korea poses for a portrait after his victory during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on December 09, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Fighters on the Rise | UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2

Identifying Three Preliminary Card Talents To Watch This Weekend At UFC 312

The UFC’s last three trips to Australia have produced some serious breakout performances, catapulting unheralded talents onto the radar and launching ascending prospects to rising star status.

In early 2023 at UFC 284, Elves Brener announced his presence in a sharp short-notice effort,and Jack Della Maddalena continued his march up the welterweight ranks with a first-round submission win over Randy Brown. In the fall of that year, the UFC ventured to Sydney, where Kevin Jousset turned in an impressive debut performance, Carlos Ulberg added another victory to his extended run of success, and Felipe dos Santos opened a ton of eyes in his hard-fought loss to Manel Kape.

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And last year at UFC 305 in Perth, Jesus Aguilar continued to impress, Valter Walker scored a heavyweight win by heel hook, and “The Nightmare” Carlos Prates really broke out with his blistering knockout win over Li Jingliang. 

This weekend, as the Octagon returns to Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, there are several athletes with the opportunity to add their names to the roll call of talents to have standout moments down under. Here’s a deeper look at three of them in the latest edition of Fighters on the Rise.

Fighters On The Rise | UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2
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Fighters On The Rise | UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2
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Jack Jenkins

Jack Jenkins punches Don Shainis in featherweight fight during the UFC 284 event at RAC Arena on February 12, 2023 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Jack Jenkins punches Don Shainis in featherweight fight during the UFC 284 event at RAC Arena on February 12, 2023 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Jenkins makes his third straight start at home and fifth UFC appearance overall this weekend, facing off with Gabriel Santos in a featherweight matchup on Saturday’s preliminary card.

A member of the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) Class of ’22, “Phar Jack” opened his run inside the Octagon with a dominant decision win over Don Shainis at UFC 284 and a debated split decision victory over Jamall Emmers four months later before an arm injury during his UFC 293 bout with Chepe Mariscal halted his momentum and forced him to the sidelines for a stretch. 

He made his return to action last year in Perth, using pressure, clean, technical striking, and repeated digs to the body to wear down and ultimately finish Herbert Burns in the opening minute of the third round. The 31-year-old lobbied for the opportunity to compete in Edmonton last November, but it never materialized, and now he lands back in Sydney for an intriguing clash with Santos on Saturday.

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Jenkins is a meat-and-potatoes fighter, but a quality steakhouse version. He’s fundamentally sound and technically sharp, working behind a good job and heavy leg kicks while leaning on exceptional cardio to push a torrid pace that often causes opponents to wilt. Santos dropped his first two appearances in the UFC — the first to Lerone Murphy by split decision, the second against David Onama — before rebounding with a unanimous decision victory over Yizha last time out. 

This is a sound opportunity for Jenkins to build on his excellent outing in Perth and gather a little more momentum heading into the thick of the 2025 campaign. He’s always profiled as an intriguing addition to the 145-pound ranks, and we could very well be at the start of a real push towards the rankings by the Absolute MMA man.

Tom Nolan

Tom Nolan Knees His Way To Victory | UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs Murphy
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Tom Nolan Knees His Way To Victory | UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs Murphy
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“Big Train” had a little trouble getting out of the station at the start of last year, opening his UFC run with a first-round knockout loss to Nikolas Motta that bounced him from the ranks of the unbeaten. But the DWCS grad scored a first-round stoppage win over Victor Martinez in May to get things moving in the right direction, and closed out his rookie campaign in the Octagon with a unanimous decision win over Alex Reyes at UFC 305 to move to 8-1 overall.

Now the Queensland man and Compton Training Centre product kicks off his sophomore season on the roster with a matchup against fellow Contender Series grad Viacheslav Borshchev this weekend in Sydney.

Nolan was one of the more intriguing contract winners from Season 6 of the annual talent-search series; a towering lightweight with go-go-gadget length and proven knockout power. His loss to Motta highlighted his inexperience, as his defensive recognition and movements weren’t where they needed to be against the dangerous Brazilian veteran, but he showed that he’s made some inroads in that regard in his next two successful trips into the cage.

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Saturday’s fight with Borshchev should be an excellent litmus test at the start of Year 2 for Nolan, as “Slava Claus” has already made several appearances under the UFC banner and turned in strong efforts and competitive performances against Dakota Bush, Marc Diakiese, Maheshate, Nazim Sadykhov, and James Llontop.

Still only 24, Nolan is a long-range prospect to track, with a lot of his upside tethered to his continued improvements on the defensive side of things and getting even better at utilizing his 73-inch reach and long-range attacks. Getting by a seasoned striker like Borshchev would be a good indication that he’s headed in the right direction, and will establish him as someone to keep tabs on over the next 18 months.

HyunSung Park

 HyunSung Park of South Korea and SeungGuk Choi of South Korea react after the conclusion of their flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 04, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Park defeated Choi by submission in the third round
HyunSung Park reacts after defeating SeungGuk Choi at UFC Fight Night, February 04, 2023 in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Road to UFC Season 1 flyweight tournament winner HyunSung Park makes his return to action following a year on the sidelines dealing with a knee injury to face off with Season 2 non-tournament standout Nyamjargal Tumendemberel early in this weekend’s slate.

Unbeaten in nine pro bouts, the 29-year-old Park cruised to the finals of the 125-pound competition in Season 1, finishing Jeremia Siregar with strikes in the opening round and submitting Topnoi Kiwram in the semifinals before rallying to submit SeungGuk Choi in the third to claim the tournament victory. In his first post-RTU appearance, “Peace of Mind” finished Shannon Ross with a nasty piece of business, hurting him to the body and putting him down with a hook to the liver before pounding out the finish to maintain his unblemished record.

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He’s earned each of his last eight wins inside the distance, showing an equal propensity for finishing with strikes and submissions, and profiles as someone that could make a run in the flyweight ranks.

Tumendemberel turned in a pair of solid efforts on the second season of Road to UFC, landing on the happy side of the cards in a spirited bout with Top Noi Niwram before putting Peter Danesoe to sleep three months later to advance to 8-0. He faced off with Carlos Hernandez in his official UFC debut in November, dropping a split decision to the Valle Flow Striking representative while giving a good account of himself over the course of the three-round fight,

Flyweight is primed to be full of action and excitement this year, with a ton of promising names working forward in the division and ranked competitors being forced to battle hard to hold onto their place in the pecking order. Park is poised and methodical, but clearly has keen finishing instincts which could serve him well as he looks to carve a path for himself in the division this year and beyond.

Order UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2 Now

UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2 took place live from Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales, Australia on February 8, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!