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After losing his promotional debut to Paul Craig, the Dallas-based Nigerian had two consecutive five-fight stretches where he won three and then lost two. He’d have outstanding moments like his knockout win over Carlos Ulberg and submission win over Devin Clark but then falter when given the opportunity to take the next step.

Following a split decision loss to veteran Ovince Saint Preux last March, Nzechukwu opted to move up a division, ultimately debuting at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi against Chris Barnett, felling the fan favorite in the final minute of the opening stanza. Six weeks later, he was back in the Octagon at UFC 310, collecting a similar result in a similar time frame against Lukasz Brzeski, showing that he was someone to pay close attention to heading into 2025.

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Some will argue that this is playing the results, but Nzechukwu moving to heavyweight seems like a decision that could have been and maybe should have been made much sooner, as he stands six-foot-five with go-go-gadget arms and getting down to the 205-pound limit was surely an ordeal. He never missed weight, but the fact that he’s been tipping the scales in the 235-to-245-pound window for his first two outings at heavyweight indicates that he was dropping serious pounds to compete at light heavyweight.

Saturday night, the former Fortis MMA man squares off with Martin Buday in what will be his toughest test since relocating to the big boy ranks. Buday is a fellow DWCS graduate, and while it hasn’t always been pretty, the Slovakian has built a 5-1 record inside the Octagon, most recently landing on the happy side of a split decision verdict against Andrei Arlovski at UFC 303 last June.

Based out of Colorado and training under Clay Matza, who was most recently in Alexander Hernandez’ corner for his win over Kurt Holobaugh, Gurule earned his place on the roster with a grimy split decision win over Nick Piccininni in the penultimate bout of the season, jumping in on short notice to get the job done. He earned a third-round stoppage win over New England Cartel member Carlos Lozoya a couple years back and submitted DWCS alum Jacob Silva under the Fury FC banner just prior to making his last trip to Las Vegas.

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Now 10-0, Gurule makes the walk for the first time against Osbourne, who punched his ticket to the UFC with a win on Season 3 of the annual talent search series, and has subsequently posted a 4-6 record in 10 trips into the Octagon. While the results haven’t always been there, Osbourne has routinely served as a litmus test for promising new additions to the division, including both Manel Kape and Asu Almabayev, who headlined opposite one another at the start of the month and, most recently, Mexican up-and-comer Ronaldo Rodriguez.

This is an immediate “know where you stand” fight for Gurule as he begins his foray into the UFC flyweight division. Osbourne is battle-tested and the kind of proud veteran that will surely put his best foot forward on Saturday, giving weight to a win for the newcomer, while providing understanding should he falter.

Loma Lookboonmee

After spending the last 13 months away from the Octagon, Lookboonmee finally returns to action on Saturday, stepping in against Istela Nunes.

The 29-year-old Thai fighter has been limited to one appearance in each of the last three years, resulting in her receding into the background in the strawweight division a little, despite the fact that she’s earned three straight victories and shown considerable growth during that span. Her recent wins continue to age well, as Denise Gomes has gone 4-1 since, most recently besting Karolina Kowalkiewicz, while Bruna Brasil posted a big win over Molly McCann last summer before stumbling last time out.

Lookboonmee has spent some time training north of the border at Diaz Combat Sports in Vancouver, as well as Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas in recent months, which should continue to help round out her skills. She’s 6-2 overall inside the Octagon, turning in more dominant efforts each time out, bringing herself to the brink of the Top 15 with each victory before an extended stay on the sidelines cools her momentum.

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Nunes steps in this weekend on short notice, replacing compatriot Ariane Carnelossi and competing for the first time since suffering a gruesome elbow injury in her loss to Viktoriia Dudakova in July 2023. It was her fourth straight defeat since touching down in the UFC, and while she’s been competitive in each contest, it’ll be interesting to see what she has to offer Lookboonmee after the injury and time on the shelf.

This is a big opportunity for Lookboonmee, who has gone 5-1 since getting dropped into a matchup against Angela Hill in just her second UFC appearance, with that loss coming against Loopy Godinez, when the rankings mainstay tagged in for Cheyanne Vlismas several years ago. The strawweight division feels more wide open and rife for change than it has in some time, and a standout performance for the returning and streaking 29-year-old will serve her well.

Should Lookboonmee return and remind everyone of her development and the quality results she’s amassed in recent outings, a date with someone in the Top 15 could be in the offing, provided we get the chance to see her compete for a second time later this year.