Fighters On The Rise | UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic

Saturday night in New York City, she ventures into the Octagon against her first Top 10 opponent in a clash with Araujo, a 37-year-old veteran who is becoming the Neil Magny of the women’s flyweight division.

After winning four of her first five fights in the UFC, Araujo enters this weekend’s fracas having gone just 2-4 in her last six starts, with each of those setbacks coming on the scorecards against highly ranked competitors. She was the last person Alexa Grasso beat before challenging for the title last year, and served as a litmus test for another ascending Brazilian, Natalia Silva, back in February, falling to the streaking 27-year-old on the scorecards.

This is the right test for Silva at this time — a date with a tenured competitor who is more than capable of turning her back if she’s not on her A game, and who is also established enough that a potential victory still carries weight and will move her forward in the division. It will be interesting to see if Silva can fully dictate the terms of engagement here, as Araujo is solid on the feet, strong in the clinch, and good on the ground, making this a true coin-flip fight.

UFC 309 COUNTDOWN: Full Episode | Jones vs Miocic | Oliveira vs Chandler 2 

Flyweight is undergoing some changes with a new, but familiar, champion back on the throne and fresh contenders pushing forward en masse. This is Silva’s opportunity to be a part of that advancing pack.

Bo Nickal

As we head towards the close of Nickal’s second year on the UFC roster, it’s still difficult to know exactly where the three-time National champion collegiate wrestler from Penn State stands in both his development and the middleweight division.

In his rookie campaign last year, Nickal made relatively quick work of Jamie Pickett to win his debut, then ousted late replacement Val Woodburn in 38 at UFC 290 in July to move to 5-0 overall. He ended his freshman campaign in the Octagon there, and returned to commence his sophomore season in April, venturing into the second round before submitting Cody Brundage at UFC 300.

Through his first three appearances, Nickal’s opponents have gone a combined 6-14 with one no contest result inside the Octagon. On one hand, you can only beat the guys they put in front of you and thus far, Nickal has handled his assignments with aplomb, but at the same time, it feels fair to question how the former Nittany Lions standout would do against more seasoned, more skilled competition.

We should get that answer this weekend as Nickal is poised to share the cage with Paul Craig, the soon to be 37-year-old Scotsman who thrives on the canvas in grappling interactions and has earned more career wins inside the Octagon (nine) than the men Nickal previously faced combined.

Though Craig has dropped his last two outings (and four of his last five), he’s been plying his trade against ranked competition and tough outs throughout the entirety of his UFC tenure. Losing fights to Brendan Allen and Caio Borralho is nothing to hang your head about, and he looked outstanding winning his divisional debut last summer against Andre Muniz.

Fans and media have been waiting for Nickal to face a test like this from the outset, and after showing he was too skilled, too slick to keep grinding away against opponents in the bottom half of the division, he finally steps up here to test himself against a veteran that has a little bit of stick in his hands and a wealth of skills on the ground.

These are the kinds of fights we crave as observers — serious tests that will provide a great deal of information about a clearly gifted, but unproven, prospect, and once the smoke clears here, we’ll have a much better understanding of where the unbeaten Nickal fits in the 185-pound hierarchy.

Oban Elliott

The third member of this triumvirate of DWCS grads looking to show out on Saturday night in NYC is “The Welsh Gangster,” who enters with a 2-0 mark in his first year on the roster and brandishing a seven-fight winning streak overall heading into his clash with Bassil Hafez this weekend.

Elliott gutted out a majority decision win last season on Dana White’s Contender Series, rallying from getting rocked early in his fight with Kaik Brito to claw his way back and get the nod, impressing the UFC with his resolve and earning a place on the roster. He’s gone the distance in each of his first two outings, besting the aforementioned Woodburn at UFC 298 in Anaheim back in February before venturing to Manchester and out-hustling Preston Parsons in July.

MORE UFC 309: Main Event Preview | Oliveira vs Chandler Fighter Timeline | Jones Career Exposé

The 26-year-old is 11-2 overall, came up facing tough competition under the Cage Warriors banner, and has no shortage of confidence. He carries himself like a younger, UK-based Chael Sonnen, complete with post-fight promos and pro wrestling-style pose-downs following his wins, and thus far, the results have been there to back up the bravado.

Saturday’s matchup with Hafez is a quality test for the streaking talent from Wales.

A durable grinder who went the distance with Jack Della Maddalena on short notice in his promotional debut, the 32-year-old Denver-based welterweight has been working with the likes of Justin Gaethje and Kamaru Usman as he seeks out a second straight win this weekend, having out-pointed Mickey Gall in June to earn his first UFC win.

While a win this weekend won’t necessarily catapult Elliott too far forward in the division, a third straight victory to begin his UFC career and wrap up his rookie campaign would certainly position him for a step up in competition next time out, and give him even more opportunities to flex for the crowd and display his promo skills on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.