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Fighters on the Rise | UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Ribas 2
Casting A Spotlight On Three Emerging Talents To Track As 2025 Begins In Las Vegas
Welcome to the first instalment of Fighters on the Rise for 2025. If this is your first time joining us, welcome. If you’re a regular, welcome back.
Every Fight Week, this series will highlight three athletes set to make the walk that are, as the name suggests, working their way forward in their respective divisions or have the potential to do so in the not too distant future. It’s equal parts newcomer spotlight and ascending talent showcase, designed to let you know which competitors you should be keeping close tabs on heading into the weekend and going forward.
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Over the last three years, the fighters showcased in this series have gone a combined 245-113 with three no contests. That works out to a .679 winning percentage, which is the equivalent of 110 wins (in 162 games) in Major League Baseball or 55 wins (out of 82) in the NBA, each of which are the kind of seasons that get you into the playoffs and, in many cases, make you a championship contender.
Now not everyone that passes through here is going to reach those heights — we did have 113 losses during that stretch and forecasting how a fight will play out, never mind a career, is an inexact science — but rather than just focus on the names you might already know, we’re here to introduce you to a couple more each week that are definitely worth knowing.
And these are the first three for this year.
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Austin Bashi
One of several members of last year’s Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) graduating class making their promotional debuts this weekend, Bashi is the lone representative slated to compete on the main card, where he faces Christian Rodriguez in what profiles as an immediate litmus test for the unbeaten featherweight prospect.
Sporting a sparkling 13-0 record with eight finishes, including five straight heading into this one, Bashi is one of the most highly regarded new talents to emerge from the annual talent-search series both this past season and throughout the show’s eight-year run so far. The Michigan native turned 23 in September, comes from a wrestling background, and has navigated his regional career without any hiccups, making his pro debut shortly after turning 19 and piling up a dozen wins over the last four years.
This pairing with Rodriguez right out of the chute is an indication of the buzz Bashi carries as he competes on the biggest stage in the sport for the first time. Most debuting competitors start on the prelims, against either fellow newcomers or less seasoned talents, with their opening bout either serving as a showcase opportunity or simply a competitive fight that will help provide a clearer picture of where they stand in the division and their development.
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Bashi, however, is getting dropped in with a 27-year-old UFC veteran who has thrived in this position in the past, as each of Rodriguez’ last three wins have come against unbeaten prospects, including a pair of highly touted DWCS alums.
This is a chance for Bashi to dive right into the thick of the division and announce his presence as a genuine person of interest going forward in his first fight, as Rodriguez is himself a standout prospect and someone that is very much capable of spoiling his debut. A strong effort here would be an incredible way for the new arrival to begin his UFC journey and potentially position himself for another matchup with an established name whenever he’s ready to make his sophomore appearance.
Nicolle Caliari
Caliari is another of the 42 fighters to garner a contract last season on Dana White’s Contender Series set to make the walk for the first time this weekend, as the 8-2 Brazilian heads into the Octagon to face off with Season 7 grad Ernesta Kareckaite.
A teammate and training partner of tenured UFC strawweight Marina Rodriguez, Caliari punched her ticket with a first-round submission win over Corinne Laframboise, attacking an armbar off her back and collecting the finish after going belly-down in the waning moments of the frame. It was her fourth straight victory and fourth consecutive finish, which maintained a 100-percent finishing rate for her career.
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In addition to her current strong form and working with a respected, established camp, the other piece that makes Caliari stand out as someone to watch going forward is that her two career setbacks came against known, well-regarded competitors — Japanese veteran (and current pro wrestling superstar) Syuri Kondo and Kay Hansen, both of whom went on to earn wins in the UFC.
Like many athletes competing on the regional circuit, COVID slowed her progression a little, but the 28-year-old got rolling again with a pair of wins in 2023 before tapping out the Canadian veteran Laframboise to earn her contract.
Her matchup with Kareckaite is intriguing on several fronts, including that she will be giving up considerable height and reach to her Lithuanian opponent; Caliari is five-foot-three with a 62-inch reach, while Kareckaite stands five-foot-nine and brandishes a 71-inch reach. The 26-year-old Season 7 alum got behind early and couldn’t rally all the way back in her promotional debut at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro last year, but gave a solid account of herself nonetheless, and should be more comfortable and settled having gotten the first one out of the way.
Flyweight is brimming with talent and could be one of the most fascinating divisions to watch this year, and a big performance on Saturday will add Caliari’s name to the growing list of exciting, young fighters looking to climb the ranks in the coming years.
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Fatima Kline
Just a couple days after accepting an invitation to compete on Season 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series last year, Kline’s phone buzzed with a different offer: a chance to sign with the promotion and fill in on short notice opposite Jasmine Jasudavicius in Denver.
The 24-year-old jumped at the chance, ventured into the Rocky Mountains and competed up a division, landing on the wrong side of the scorecards in a scrappy fight with the streaking Canadian, who has since pushed her winning streak to three to climb into the Top 15. While it was Kline’s first professional loss, it was one of those efforts where keen observers were quick to take notice and circle her name as one to follow for when she drops back down to her more natural 115-pound surroundings.
That moment comes this weekend, as the former two-division CFFC titleholder returns to strawweight for a showdown with Viktoriia Dudakova early on Saturday’s fight card.
Kline is one of the best prospects in the sport, carrying a similar profile to her teammate and close friend, flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield. Like “Cold Blooded,” she is an excellent grappler who is stronger in the clinch and top position than you might suspect, while her striking and the fluidity with which she moves inside the cage is a little ahead of where Blanchfield was when she first touched down in the UFC a couple years back.
Dudakova is a good measuring stick opponent for Kline as she returns to strawweight — a once-beaten 25-year-old that dominated overmatched foes on the regional circuit, earned a roster spot through the Contender Series, and registered victories in each of her first two trips into the Octagon. She started well, but faded down the stretch while dropping a split decision to Sam Hughes last time out, and should head into this one looking to bounce back quickly.
We’ve seen plenty of competitors falter at the outset of their UFC journeys and go on to have outstanding careers, and that is what most anticipate happening with Kline. This weekend, she gets the opportunity to start down that road and show why so many believe she could one day be a title contender in the strawweight division.
UFC Fight Night: Dern vs Ribas 2 took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 11, 2025. 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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