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Fighters On The Rise | UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje 2
Make Sure You Know Which Athletes Have Momentum On An Action-Packed Card In Salt Lake City.
The second half of the UFC’s now annual July pay-per-view doubleheader touches down at Delta Center in Salt Lake City with a stacked lineup headlined by a battle for the vacant BMF title between lightweight rivals Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.
As soon as it was announced, the rematch between these walking bonus factories instantly rocketed to the top of the “Potential Fight of the Year” charts, as their first meeting earned a podium finish in 2018 and there are similar stakes on the line for each man here. It should be an absolutely electric battle, and while the BMF belt is a nice trophy to add to the mantle, the real stakes of this one come in the form of getting one step closer to potentially challenging for the undisputed lightweight title once more.
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Before Poirier and Gaethje step into the Octagon and tear the house down, a dozen pairs of competitors will make the walk, focused on turning in the kind of performance that allows them to carve out a place for themselves in the post-fight conversations surrounding this event. Amongst that group, three athletes, in particular, really have the opportunity to make some waves this weekend.
Here’s a closer look at that trio of ascending talents in the latest edition of Fighters on the Rise.
Michel Pereira
It feels strange to say a fighter on a five-fight winning streak that was once the talk of the division is now flying under the radar a little, but that appears to be the case with Pereira, who returns to action for the first time in a little over a year this weekend, facing off with Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in the latest in a continual string of “the biggest fight of his career” assignments.
Pereira touched down in the UFC with a ton of buzz from within the hardcore community as a creative, inventive chaos agent, cartwheeling and tumbling his way to a 22-9 record (with two no contests) prior to his UFC debut. When he did cross the threshold into the UFC Octagon, “Demolidor” delivered, sprinting and dashing and racing around before knocking out Danny Roberts.
Consecutive losses followed, in large part due to that explosive, high energy approach, and since then, Pereira has dialed back the frenetic offense in favor of a more measured and technical approach, resulting in five straight wins. But it seems like eschewing his wild man ways have prompted folks to cool on his prospects in the welterweight division, right at the moment when he’s on the cusp of breaking into the Top 10.
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Thompson is no longer a fixture in the championship conversation at 170 pounds, but he showed last December in his bout with Kevin Holland that he’s still a difficult matchup for anyone looking to get ahead at his expense. The 40-year-old moved exceptionally well, remains a dynamic striker, and is more than capable of halting the Brazilian’s current run of success this weekend in Delta Center.
Part of the reason the streaking Pereira has faded to the background a little is that fellow emerging names like Jack Della Maddalena and Ian Machado Garry have continued posting quality performances in the year and change since he last stepped into the Octagon.
But all of that can change with a statement effort against Thompson on Saturday.
Gabriel Bonfim
The younger half of the UFC’s “Battling Bonfim Brothers” makes his second appearance in the Octagon this weekend in Utah, facing off with Trevin Giles.
Bonfim earned a contract with a first-round stoppage win over Trey Waters last summer on Dana White’s Contender Series alongside his older brother Ismael, and then they paired to produce a cool moment at UFC 283 in January when the elder sibling stopped Terrance McKinney in the second round, only to be outdone by little brother a couple fights later when he forced Mounir Lazzez to tap in 49 seconds.
Ismael Bonfim returned to action a couple weeks ago and landed on the wrong side of things in a matchup with Benoit Saint-Denis, and now Gabriel gets his opportunity to make the walk for a second time in Salt Lake City, looking to avoid a similar fate.
UFC 291 COUNTDOWN: Full Episode | Poirier vs Gaethje | Błachowicz vs Pereira
The 27-year-old is a perfect 14-0 to start his professional career, with all of those victories coming inside the distance. His finish of Lazzez was more opportunistic and instinctual than set up and executed precisely, but being able to catch a submission and secure a finish like that is a major plus to see from an ascending fighter at the outset of his athletic prime.
Giles has earned back-to-back wins since starting his time at welterweight with a first-round loss to Michael Morales. The former light heavyweight and middleweight brings good length and size to the division, but has yet to really dial up the explosiveness that carried him to an unbeaten record and consecutive stoppage wins at the outset of his UFC run.
In addition to his impressive debut win, Bonfim’s stock has risen with Waters’ short notice win over Josh Quinlan, and a second straight triumph over a tenured, dangerous opponent like Giles will only serve to elevate his stock even more. As mentioned above with Pereira, there are plenty of emerging names working their way up the welterweight ladder at the moment, but Bonfim is definitely one to pay attention to heading into the weekend, and going forward, regardless of how things shake out on Saturday night.
Uros Medic
“The Doctor” steps in for Yohan Lainesse in a matchup opposite Matthew Semelsberger on Saturday, venturing to welterweight for the first time in his UFC career.
Medic began his career with a win at middleweight before dropping down to 170 pounds and rattling off four additional stoppage victories, earning a call to compete on Season Four of Dana White’s Contender Series as a result. He moved to lightweight for that contest, stopped Mikey Gonzalez in just over two minutes, and earned himself a UFC contract, staying at 155 pounds as he embarked on his career inside the Octagon.
The Serbian fighter went 2-1 in his first three UFC appearances, earning a quick win over Aalon Cruz before getting submitted by Jalin Turner, and then rebounding with a second-round finish of Omar Morales. That bout took place over a year ago, with Medic being forced out of an October bout with Mike Davis due to a hand injury.
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Standing six-foot-one, Medic is physically well-suited for the welterweight division, bringing a strong frame and diverse striking attack into this weekend’s pairing with Semelsberger. He’s a dexterous kicker with proven finishing power and good instincts in that department, having earned each of his eight career wins inside the distance.
This weekend’s contest will be an exceptional measuring stick moment for the 30-year-old Kings MMA representative, as Semelsberger is a plus athlete with devastating power, but still in the developmental phase of things in terms of putting his considerable weapons to best use and making wise decisions inside the Octagon. While he’s registered two finishes in less than 20 seconds, he’s also dropped decisions to more polished, more tactical opponents.
If this was a fully planned move to welterweight, it’ll be interesting to see how Medic performs, as it will be a harbinger of how things may go in the future. But even if this is an impromptu decision, it should still be a firecracker of a matchup with the potential to illustrate the skills the DWCS grad brings to the Octagon and the upside he possesses.
UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje 2 took place live from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on July 29, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
