Athletes
Fighters on the Rise | UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2
Identifying Three Emerging Talents To Watch This Weekend At T-Mobile Arena
Three years ago, the athletes featured as ascending fighters to keep tabs on as they headed into of UFC 282 were Dricus Du Plessis, Ilia Topuria, and Raul Rosas Jr..
Fighters On The Rise | UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2
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Fighters On The Rise | UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2
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Now, the purpose for highlighting that trio isn’t to flex. There are certainly instances where I absolutely miss the mark — the next two December events highlighted two competitors that are no longer on the roster, two more that are scuffling, one coming off a knockout loss, and Ian Machado Garry — but rather to serve as a reminder that while there are always marquee names of today that merit your focus heading into the final pay-per-view event of the year, there are occasionally some exceptional fighters worth tracking a little further down the card as well.
Will the triumvirate discussed below go on to reach the heights achieved by Du Plessis and Topuria, or carry the same buzz and hype as “El Niño Problema” in three years’ time? Check back in December 2028, but for now, check out the up-and-coming standouts looking to shine on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.
Bogdan Guskov
The three non-title fights on this weekend’s main card all feature former champions taking on ascending talents in their respective divisions with the first of those pitting Guskov against ex-light heavyweight titleholder Jan Blachowicz in a bout that has real “changing of the guard” potential.
Bogdan Guskov Knocks Out Pauga | UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer
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Bogdan Guskov Knocks Out Pauga | UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer
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A native of Uzbekistan who now trains at Gor MMA alongside heel hook maven Valter Walker, Guskov made his promotional debut on short notice a little over two years ago, stepping straight into a Top-15 matchup with Volkan Oezdemir. He landed on the wrong side of the results, but the 33-year-old has posted four straight stoppage wins since then, earning Performance of the Night bonuses for 2024 finishes of Zac Pauga and Ryan Spann before following those up with wins over Billy Elekana and Nikita Krylov already this year.
Though he finished Elekana with a guillotine choke, the foundation of Guskov’s game is striking, and he brandishes legitimate power, having earned 15 of his 18 career victories by knockout. There is zero flash to his game whatsoever, but none is needed when you’re fundamentally sound and packing dynamite in your hands.
Blachowicz touches down for this one stationed at No. 5 in the rankings but on a 2-fight skid and without a victory since injury-induced stoppage win over Aleksandar Rakic in May 2022. His last win before that came when he thwarted Israel Adesanya’s attempt to become a 2-division champion all the way back at UFC 259. Although he has struggled to find success of late, the 42-year-old is as seasoned and skilled as they come and represents a solid step up in competition for “Czarevitch” on Saturday.
The light heavyweight division is in an interesting place right now with Alex Pereira having reclaimed the throne while also having already dispatched several top contenders. A win over Blachowicz won’t likely thrust Guskov into a championship opportunity, but it will bring him into the conversation and carry him one step closer, which would be a mighty nice way to round out the year.
Nazim Sadykhov
There is something about the resiliency it shows when a competitor loses their first pro bout and then not only sticks around but goes on to post an extended run of success that really signals they might be something special to me.
Sadykhov is one of those athletes.
“The Black Wolf” was submitted in the first round of his pro debut but has since put together a 12-fight unbeaten streak, earning six wins in quality regional promotions to earn a chance on Season 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS), where he punched his ticket to the UFC with a third-round finish. Since then, the 31-year-old lightweight, who came up through Team Serra-Longo and now fights out of Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas, has gone 4-0-1, posting a pair of stoppage wins on either side of a majority draw with Viacheslav Borshchev at UFC 295.
Injuries and bad timing conspired to keep him out of action in 2024, but Sadykhov returned with a purpose this year. In February, he warmed into the opening round of his fight with Ismael Bonfim in Las Vegas, blasting the Brazilian with a question mark kick that caused his eye to swell shut and bring the fight to a halt. Four months later, he experienced a truly special moment, returning to his hometown of Baku, Azerbaijan, where he and Nikolas Motta engaged in one of the more entertaining 2-round fights you’re going to see, ending with the local standout getting his hand raised and earning both Fight of the Night honors and Performance of the Night bonuses for his efforts.
A striker with a ton of grit and mettle, if there is one knock on the emerging lightweight it’s that he can be a little slow out of the gates, but once he gets into rhythm, Sadykhov has a juggernaut quality to him where he just keeps coming and coming until his opponents wither and break.
Ziam arrives in Las Vegas having won five straight while also having fallen back into the pack a little in the chase for a place in the Top 15. The 28-year-old fighting out Lyon, France hasn’t competed since February when he beat Mike Davis, and despite his clear development since first arriving in the UFC, “Smile Killer” remains an unheralded threat that could very well halt Sadykhov’s momentum this weekend.
Just as a win over Blachowicz won’t catapult Guskov into a championship fight, a victory on Saturday isn’t necessarily going to launch Sadykhov into the Top-15 in the talent-rich 155-pound ranks, it could put him in a position to battle for a ranked spot in 2026.
Mansur Abdul-Malik
If you’ve been paying attention to this space this year then you know how I feel about the DWCS Class of ’24, which has already amassed a combined 46 victories as UFC rookies with a few of the Season 8 graduates looking capable of being long-term contenders somewhere down the line.
Saturday's Full Fight Card Preview
Abdul-Malik was one of the first members of last season’s graduating class to step into the Octagon, and 13 months after making his debut, the middleweight prospect returns to action against Antonio Trocoli on Saturday looking to remain unbeaten and register his third UFC victory.
The 28-year-old is still green, but the shade is changing quickly as he continues to work with Eric Nicksick and the massive collection of talent in his weight division assembled at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. Abdul-Malik is clearly a plus-athlete with good finishing skills for a relatively inexperienced fighter, having earned all eight of his wins inside the distance.
Incredible 2025 Still Has More To Offer
Last time out in Atlanta, he dropped the opening round to veteran middleweight Cody Brundage but rebounded to win the second on all three scorecards and seemed poised to continue running downhill before an accidental clash of heads halted the action prematurely, resulting in the bout being ruled a majority draw.
Saturday’s bout with Trocoli is another opportunity for the ascending middleweight to establish where he stands in the division after a little more than a year on the roster and further showcase where he’s at in his development. The depth in the 185-pound ranks has dramatically improved over the last two years and the competition to make headway is greater than it has been in some time, but Abdul-Malik is certainly one of the top emerging talents in the division and could really drive that home with another statement effort this weekend.
UFC 323: Dvalishvili vs Yan 2 took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 6, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!