Athletes
Fighters On The Rise | UFC Abu Dhabi
Highlighting Three Competitors To Keep Close Tabs On This Weekend At Etihad Arena
As the UFC returns to Abu Dhabi for the first time this year, this week’s edition of Fighters on the Rise focuses in on two Brazilians and an emerging flyweight who trains in Brazil with one of the best teams in the sport.
Here’s a closer look at the athletes you need to be paying close attention to this weekend at Etihad Arena.
Carlos Leal
Though he’s making just his third UFC start this weekend, Leal is a 28-fight veteran and has already established a sound baseline for where he fits in the welterweight division as he prepares to face Muslim Salikhov on Saturday.
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He made his debut in this same arena last October, dropping a debated decision to Rinat Fakhretdinov in a bout that snapped his two-fight winning streak, but also established “The Lion” as a person of interest in the 170-pound weight class. He returned to action in March at UFC 313, where he walked down and finished veteran Alex Morono in the first round to collect his first UFC victory and get things moving in the right direction again.
Leal was mostly successful under the PFL banner before transitioning to the UFC, posting a 5-2 record including wins over Ray Cooper III, UFC alum David Zawada, and Dilano Taylor, while both of his losses came on the scorecards against Sadibou Sy. He looked more comfortable and aggressive in his bout with Morono than he did in his debut opposite Fakhretdinov and will need to maintain that approach as he steps in with Salikhov this weekend.
Though he turned 41 last month, “The King of Kung Fu” remains a dangerous presence on the outskirts of the Top 15, entering this contest off a highlight reel finish of Song Kenan last November in Macau. Salikhov is 8-4 in the UFC and has faced solid competition throughout, never backing down from a challenge and never standing as an easy out for anyone.
This is an opportunity for Leal to take another step towards the rankings and perhaps even a date with someone sporting a number next to their name later this year, depending on how this one plays out. He was a marauder against Morono, and a comparable performance this weekend would solidify his standing as a dark horse in the division to track going forward.
Jose Ochoa
There are times when athletes land on the wrong side of the results in the early stages of their UFC careers but still make a positive impression; Ochoa is one of those competitors.
READ: The 10 Fights To Tune-In For In July
Originally scheduled to compete last season on Dana White’s Contender Series, the 24-year-old from Peru was instead drafted to face off with Season 8 grad Lone’er Kavanagh when the promotion ventured to Macau in November. While he landed on the wrong side of the scorecards against the promising Brit, it was clear that Ochoa had promise, and he instantly became one of those fighters you make sure to check in on when they return to action.
His second start came last month in Atlanta against Georgia native Cody Durden, where he stopped the 13-fight UFC veteran just 11 seconds into the second round, validating that instinct to keep tabs on his progress and immediately stamping him as another young, ascending talent of note in the 125-pound weight class. This weekend, he steps in for Ramazan Temirov opposite Asu Almabayev in a bout that has the potential to carry him into the rankings.
Jose Ochoa Lands KO Victory Over Cody Durden | UFC Atlanta
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Jose Ochoa Lands KO Victory Over Cody Durden | UFC Atlanta
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Almabayev won each of his first four UFC appearances to push his overall winning streak to 17 before suffering a loss to Manel Kape last time out in a bout where he felt he was poked in the eye at the outset of what would become the finishing sequence. The 31-year-old from Kazakhstan is 21-3 overall, sits at No. 9 in the rankings, and headlined last time out, making him a massive step up in competition for the ascending Ochoa.
Saturday's Fight By Fight Preview
You have to appreciate the moxie of the Chute Boxe Diego Lima product to make this relatively quick turnaround against a Top 10 opponent; it shows confidence and is an excellent chance for Ochoa to further establish where he stands in the division, while affording fans another chance to gauge how he measures up, as well.
These are the kinds of risks you love to see a young, ambitious fighter take, as there isn’t much downside. He still has plenty of time to bounce back and grow from this outing should things not go his way, and if he’s successful on Saturday, the flyweight division will have a new ascending contender in the mix.
Marcus Buchecha
One of the most accomplished Brazilian jiu jitsu competitors of the last 15 years, Marcus Buchecha arrives in the UFC this weekend and gets an immediate test in the form of Martin Buday.
Between 2011 and 2019, Buchecha won 13 golds and 16 medals overall at the IBJJF World Championship, along with two golds and a silver at the No-Gi Worlds, four golds and six medals at the Pan-Ams, and two golds and six medals at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club World Championship. On the mats, he’s an absolute monster, and he’s shown that since transitioning to MMA, as well, posting five wins in six starts, with four of his victories coming by way of submission.
While we talk all the time about the era of specialists in the sport being over, Buchecha is one of those rare talents that feels like he could be the exception, especially because he competes at heavyweight, where elite grappling skills are in short supply. He’s still a work in progress when it comes to the other facets of his game, but training at American Top Team will surely help expedite the process, and he simply needs to be able to get to a position where he can get his hands on his opponent and get the fight to the canvas in order to potentially find success.
All of that is easier said than done, as we’ve seen from the countless BJJ standouts that have made the transition into the sport, but given his credentials, Buchecha should get ample opportunities to find a rhythm in the UFC.
Saturday’s pairing with Buday is an excellent initial test for the debuting Brazilian — a matchup with a DWCS grad who has posted a 6-1 record inside the Octagon. A mountain of a man at six-foot-four who has to cut weight to make the heavyweight limit, Buday is a grinder through and through and has never met a clinch battle he didn’t like, which should suit Buchecha fine.
It’s always interesting to see truly world-class competitors from different sports make their way to the UFC, and this is no different. If Buchecha can successfully navigate his first foray into the Octagon this weekend, he could get an expedited opportunity to climb the rankings in the heavyweight division.
UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs De Ridder took place live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 26, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!