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Fighters on the Rise | UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs Bonfim
Filling You In On Three Fighters You Should Pay Attention To On Saturday
If you are a fan of emerging talents and enjoy being the person in your friend group that’s the first to identify young fighters on the cusp of making noise in their respective divisions, this weekend’s fight card at the Meta APEX is designed for you.
There are a handful of up-and-coming competitors set to compete, and you could even argue that the top prospect on the bill is one of the headliners, as Gabriel Bonfim is 19-1 overall, still south of 30 years old, and positioned outside of the Top 10 heading into his showdown with former welterweight champ Belal Muhammad.
But even without including “Marretinha,” this week’s group of Fighters on the Rise is among the best of the year.
Enjoy!
Farès Ziam
Ziam is one of those fighters who got lost in the shuffle after splitting his first four fights inside the Octagon.
After arriving in the UFC as a 22-year-old and suffering a first-round stoppage loss to Terrance McKinney, Ziam has won six straight, rocketing past his former opponent and into the No. 14 slot in the lightweight division. Even while being ranked, he’s still been overshadowed by more active, more pushed talents like impending headliner Manuel Torres or surging Aussie Quillan Salkilld.
But make no mistake about it: Ziam is a legitimate talent who has a well-rounded game and tremendous size and length for the division. Matchups and fight card placement are serious contributors to a fighter’s hype, and thus far, he hasn’t been done many favors, but that could change with a final three spot opposite fellow rising lightweight Tom Nolan this weekend.
The fact that he’s facing Nolan, who has won four straight, but has just five UFC appearances, underscores Ziam’s standing as an unheralded talent. While the Australian has shown he has upside, the streaking “Smile Killer” has faced far more established talent and has long merited a chance to face forward.
Hopefully, if the mild-mannered 29-year-old extends his winning streak to seven on Saturday, he uses his time on the mic following the victory to call for a date with a Top 10 opponent and lands opposite another ranked competitor at the very least next.
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Iwo Baraniewski
Between his appearance last season on Dana White’s Contender Series and his first two trips into the Octagon, you would have no idea that Iwo Baraniewski is a judo black belt and a grappler by trade.
The Polish prospect earned his contract in just 20 seconds, blowing through Mahamed Aly in Week 6. At UFC 323 in December, he rolled into his debut and paired off with Ibo Aslan for a raucous 89-second slobberknocker that ended with Baraniewski maintaining his unbeaten record. And then earlier this year, “Rudy” returned to action and stopped Austen Lane in just 28 seconds.
Three fights, three wins, 137 seconds of work, and two Performance of the Night bonuses too; not a bad start at all for the promising light heavyweight, who looks to add to his 8-0 record and growing highlight reel in a showdown with Junior Tafa on Saturday, who is also allergic to being in a long, boring fight.
Part of what makes Baraniewski such a fascinating prospect in the always needy 205-pound weight class is that he — in theory — has some grappling chops in his back pocket to go along with the legendary Polish power he’s clearly brandishing, and the combination could make the 8-0 upstart a future threat in the division.
If he survives this explosive pairing with Tafa and collects another thunderous finish, expect to hear more and more people talking about the ascending Polish prospect in the back half of the year.
Santiago Luna
I absolutely love that Santiago Luna raised his hand to fill in for Victor Henry opposite Bryce Mitchell this weekend as it’s a perfect opportunity to get a real measure of his skills and his standing in the 135-pound weight class.
The unbeaten 21-year-old has already registered a pair of wins inside the Octagon, finishing Quang Le in the first round at Noche UFC last September in San Antonio before going the distance for the first time in a February tussle with Angel Pacheco in Mexico City. Those were fights he “should have” won and did, but now, he’s jumping in with an experienced foe coming off a good win over a divisional stalwart, and it will tell us a great deal about his upside and timeline.
Mitchell has the kind of suffocating grappling game that could snuff out Luna’s momentum; a proven threat with wins over the likes of Edson Barboza, Dan Ige, and Said Nurmagomedov who could take the undefeated and largely untested “Borderboy” to the canvas and thoroughly outclass him if Luna isn’t prepared for this level of competition.
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But the flipside is why it makes so much sense.
If Luna strolls into the APEX on Saturday and even has a strong showing in defeat, making Mitchell work hard for a win, it’s a net positive, and if he wins, he’ll have a fast pass for a trip towards the rankings and a date with an opponent sporting a number next to their name later this year.
This is why you stay ready, but it’s also why you wait for the right time to raise your hand and step in on short notice as well.
UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs Bonfim took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 6, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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