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Fighters on the Rise | UFC Fight Night: Kape vs. Almabayev
Identifying Three Emerging Talents To Watch This Weekend At The UFC APEX
Back in the pre-Monday Night Wars era of professional wrestling on television, fans were treated to a host of syndicated weekend programs like WWF Superstars of Wrestling and Wrestling Challenge that served to introduce audiences to new talents arriving in the promotion and help them familiarize themselves with the heels and faces that made up the roster.
There would be a main event matchup featuring established names — The Honky Tonk Man defending the Intercontinental title against Jake “The Snake” Roberts or The Hart Foundation facing off with The British Bulldogs — but you didn’t often see the top names in the company, other than perhaps in a vignette discussing their latest feud or if they dropped in to do an interview with “Mean Gene” or Brother Love.
But those weekly programs served as the introduction point and launch pad for a number of massive future stars, including The Ultimate Warrior, a post-Rockers Shawn Michaels, and the man now at the helm of WWE, “Triple H” Paul Levesque.
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Like those syndicated weekly wrestling shows, these Fight Night events have routinely been a place where emerging talents break out, where prospects hone their craft and gain experience, and where half of the dozen individuals currently carrying UFC gold made their first appearances inside the Octagon, with two others — flyweight rulers Alexandre Pantoja and Valentina Shevchenko — debuted on UFC on FOX events, which would have been like turning up on Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Will any of the ascending talents and promising newcomers set to compete this weekend rise to become world champions and promotional stalwarts? Only time will tell, but history indicates there is a good chance it happens, which makes it all the more important for you to familiarize yourself with these up-and-coming competitors now.
Here’s a closer look at three athletes currently working their way forward in their respective divisions that deserve your attention this weekend.
Hyder Amil
It’s fitting that Amil’s nickname is “The Hurricane” because every time he’s stepped int the Octagon, the 34-year-old has brought the kind of devastation and damage that leaves a lasting impression.
After earning his place on the roster with a grimy win over Emrah Sonmez on Season 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS), the Scrap Pack representative went toe-to-toe with Fernie Garcia for seven minutes and change in his debut, finishing the Fortis MMA product with strikes in the second to maintain his unbeaten record. Five months later, Amil teamed with JeongYeong Lee to deliver one of the most entertaining 65-second fights in UFC history, spending the first 45 seconds feeling each other out before they started slinging hammers, Amil ending the bout with a Tekken-like 97 punch (not really) combo as Lee was trapped along the fence.
Once Amil gets touched, he’s the quintessential “all gas, no brakes” fighter, unleashing heavy hooks and non-stop forward pressure that has, to this point, consistently overwhelmed his opponents. With his professional record now standing at 10-0, Amil steps in this weekend against another surging featherweight, William Gomis, in a bout that has the potential to propel the winner closer to the Top 15.
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Gomis has gone 4-0 to begin his UFC tenure, most recently earning a split decision win over Joanderson Brito, extending his overall winning streak to 12 in the process. He fought quality competition on the way to the Octagon and maintained that strength of schedule since arriving in the UFC, and stands as a stylistic opposite to the aggressive, guns-blazing Amil this weekend.
It feels like there could be major changes afoot in the featherweight division in the coming year, as more and more ascending names make a push towards the rankings and veteran mainstays take a step back. While a win on Saturday won’t necessarily punch Amil’s ticket to the Top 15, it could put the tremendously exciting Bay Area fighter in a position to challenge someone with a number next to their name next time out.
Sam Patterson
Patterson is Exhibit 487 when it comes to the importance of athletes finding and fighting in the proper weight class.
The towering Brit arrived in the UFC as a lightweight, but landed on the wrong side of a rapid finish in his debut against Yanal Ashmouz. While it wasn’t the lone reason for the setback, the fact that the six-foot-three-inch Team Crossface fighter was torturing himself to make the 155-pound limit certainly didn’t help things, and after some time away, Patterson opted to relocate to the welterweight ranks in 2024.
In his divisional debut at UFC 297 in Toronto, he needed just over two minutes to drag Yohan Lainesse to the canvas and submit him, and six months later in London, he did the same to Kiefer Crosbie, securing the victory in a touch under three minutes. Two fights, two wins, two finishes, in less than five minutes combined, make it safe to say that welterweight is a much better fit for the promising British fighter.
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What made Patterson intriguing as a lightweight when he graduated from the Contender Series is still what makes him a person of interest now that he’s at welterweight, as well, as his height and length are still abnormal for the weight class, and he’s shown a great ability to play to those advantages and find success with them, particularly on the ground. In each of his last two fights, all Patterson has needed was one grappling entanglement to get his opponent to the canvas, and once they were there, it was very quickly game over.
This weekend, the David Lee protege faces off with fellow DWCS alum Danny Barlow in a clash of ascending talents that have each earned consecutive victories. An action fighter with a perfect 9-0 mark to begin his professional career, Barlow went the distance last time out against Nikolay Veretennikov, landing on the happy side of a split decision verdict in a bout where he missed weight.
Barlow is a tricky matchup for anyone because he carries power and can often throw from unconventional angles, but if Patterson is able to keep rolling and collect another victory this weekend, another step forward in the division will be merited and there will be even more people paying close attention to his exploits the next time he makes the walk.
Ramazan Temirov
After needing less than three minutes to dispatch divisional mainstay CJ Vergara in his promotional debut, Temirov gets the opportunity to make an expedited rise in the flyweight ranks when he steps in this weekend against ranked veteran Charles Johnson.
The 28-year-old Temirov returns to Las Vegas having won 10 straight overall, with seven of those victories coming inside the distance, and each of his last five failing to make it out of the first round. That kind of power is uncanny in the flyweight division, and while his level of competition prior to reaching the UFC was solid, putting out Vergara was enough of an indication that he has some serious upside.
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A native of Uzbekistan who frequently finishes his North American camps at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, Temirov is built like a fire hydrant, and I mean that in the absolute best way possible. Compact and clearly powerful, he still carries the requisite speed needed to thrive in the high-octane 125-pound weight class, while brandishing that aforementioned rare power that makes him such a fascinating addition to the division.
Saturday’s matchup with Johnson is an outstanding test, as the 34-year-old veteran enters on a four-fight winning streak, having found his footing and really started to put things together last year following a frustrating 2023 campaign. Now training out of Fusion XCel in Orlando, “InnerG” is the type of well-rounded and experienced veteran that can often prove to be the kryptonite of emerging talents like Temirov that have yet to be tested at the highest level, and it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Johnson comes out ahead on Saturday.
That being said, Temirov has all the tools to not only earn a victory here, but also quickly become a contender in the always exciting and constantly entertaining flyweight ranks.
UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Almabayev took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 1, 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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