Fighters on the Rise | UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3

There is no other way to put this: Gautier looks the part. 

While looks can be deceiving and physical appearance or attributes guarantee you nothing in this sport, there is no denying that the 23-year-old middleweight has the size, physique, and all-around appearance of someone that you don’t necessarily want to be standing across the cage from on a random summer Saturday night. Standing six-foot-four with a long reach and the kind of muscle definition you generally only see in sketches of all the muscles in the human body, the promising UFC rookie is the kind of competitor that brings top-end athleticism into the Octagon as part of his foundation, which automatically gives him a leg up in these early days of his career.

WATCH: UFC 318 Embedded

Training under Carl Prince at Manchester Top Team adds to that, as does the fact that through his first eight fights, Gautier has put together a 7-1 record that includes a six-fight winning streak and finishes in six of his seven career wins. He impressed in his DWCS appearance last summer, stopping Yura Naito in the second, and then upped the ante in his promotional debut earlier this year, prompting more and more people to race for seats on the bandwagon.

Paired off with Jose Medina, who earned his place on the roster based on his ridiculous durability and gumption, Gautier was patient and selective out of the gates, flashing speed and crispness while picking his spots before stinging Medina and forcing him back to the fence. With his game, but touched up, foe calling him forward, Gautier quickly grabbed Medina in a Thai clinch and blasted him with a knee, sending him crashing to the canvas, ending the fight.

It was the kind of statement win that makes you eager to see a fighter return to action, and fans get their wish on Saturday as “The Silent Assassin” makes his sophomore voyage into the UFC cage to square off with recent TUF finalist Robert Valentin. It’s an interesting test for the relatively inexperienced native of Cameroon, and one that could provide a few insights about the rest of his game and where he’s at in his development.

Regardless of how things go this weekend, there is tremendous reason for optimism when looking at Gautier as a long-range prospect. He’s 23, competing in a division where he’ll have a chance to gain experience and slowly work his way forward while continuing to build his skills, and we’ve already seen his teammate Lerone Murphy touch down in the UFC with limited experience and develop into a contender out of the same gym.

Saturday is a good second test for the Season 8 alum, and if he once again passes with flying colors, another slight step up in competition and a bigger bandwagon will be in order.

Vinicius Oliveira

In a year flush with promising first-year talents, Oliveira still stood out as one of the best rookies in the UFC last year.

A Season 7 grad, “Lok Dog” debuted with a vicious third-round flying knee knockout win over Bernardo Sopaj that would have garnered Knockout of the Year honors most years, but only managed to earn him a bronze in 2024 thanks to Max Holloway and Ilia Topuria. He followed that win up by taking a major step up in competition in the summer, jumping into the fray against divisional mainstay Ricky Simon, racing out to an early lead before holding on down the stretch to defeat the veteran on the scorecards.

UFC 318 FULL FIGHTS: Poirier vs Holloway 2 | Holloway vs Korean Zombie | Poirier vs Saint Denis | Ige vs Woodson

The Brazilian ventured to Saudi Arabia to kick of his sophomore campaign, facing off with Said Nurmagomedov on February 1 and besting the dangerous Russian on the scorecards to move to 3-0 in the UFC and 22-3 overall. Because the bantamweight division is so flush with talent and there are high quality fights happening at 135 pounds seemingly every week, those last two victories feel like they flew under the radar a little and haven’t been given the recognition they truly merit, but allow me to change that here.

Beating Simon and Nurmagomedov in your second and third UFC bouts shows that Oliveira is a legitimate emerging threat in the division, as the two men have only ever lost to quality competition and remain fixtures in the Second 15 in the talent-stacked weight class.

Saturday night, the 29-year-old up-and-comer steps in with Kyler Phillips, a DWCS and TUF alum who has amassed a 6-2 record through his first eight UFC appearances, including wins over Song Yadong, Raoni Barcelos, and Pedro Munhoz. One of the collection of outstanding bantamweights representing the MMA Lab, Phillips is creative and dangerous, which makes him an ideal dance partner for the aggressive second-year man here.

Breaking into the rankings after just three fights is a major achievement regardless of division, but doing it at bantamweight is even more impressive. A win over Phillips would catapult Oliveira a couple spots forward in the divisional hierarchy and put him in a position for another possible clash with someone sporting a single digit next to their name later this year.

Islam Dulatov

Even in a season where there were a ton of standout efforts and impressive prospects that earned victories, Dulatov’s effort last season in Las Vegas still stood out.

The resident of Düsseldorf, Germany, came out of the chute firing against Vanilto Antunes, battering the Brazilian and trying to chase down a finish in the opening minute of the fight. He punched himself out a little and Antunes showed good resiliency in surviving the initial barrage, but Dulatov was undeterred, remaining in his face until the opportunity to close things out presented itself once more.

Canelo vs Crawford Presale Begins July 17. Sign Up Now!

A flush right hand to the side of the head caused Antunes to stagger into the fence, where Dulatov followed up with a heavy, sweeping elbow that connected clean and instantly switched off his opponent’s lights. It was an 11th consecutive win since dropping his pro debut for the intriguing 26-year-old, who carries a 100 percent finishing rate into his UFC debut this weekend against Adam Fugitt.

Dulatov, who rounded out his camp at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, is huge for the division, standing six-foot-three with a solid reach and the kind of proven, established power that immediately commands attention. Though he’s yet to face any real significant opponents of note — Will Chope is the most recognizable name on his resume — you can only beat the person in front of you, and over his last 11 outings, that’s exactly what he’s done, usually in less than five minutes.

Fugitt is the kind of solid all-around talent that should serve a great litmus test for the debuting DWCS grad; a 14-fight vet that has gone 2-2 through his first four UFC starts and fought quality competition on the regional circuit, as well. If Dulatov isn’t dialed in or ends up dealing with any Octagon jitters, Fugitt has the ability to exploit that and spoil his debut.

Much like Gautier, Dulatov is one of those new additions to the roster that should be considered a long-term prospect and someone to keep tabs on, regardless of how things go this weekend. The foundations are there for him to possibly become a person of interest in the 170-pound ranks, but he still needs time and a chance to build his skills by facing stiffer competition. 

The good thing is that the depth of the welterweight division should afford him that opportunity to come along slowly.