Fighters on the Rise | UFC Fight Night: Allen vs Costa

There is a frenetic energy to the way Santos fights. He’s measured until he isn’t, and then it’s “all gas, no breaks” for as long as he can push that pace. Sometimes it results in a finish. Other times, it means he gets clipped and needs to reset. Sometimes, it just keeps going until the round ends and he’s forced to hit pause for a brief minute before starting back up again. Some might not realize the 31-year-old Chute Boxe Diego Lima representative has won four straight because his run began all the way back in October 2022. Between his staccato schedule and the constant activity in the featherweight division, it’s easy for a fighter like Santos to fade into the background, but that’s why this weekend is such a crucial moment for him.

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Paired with DooHo Choi in the co-main event of the evening, Santos has an opportunity to make a statement in his biggest fight to date. Choi isn’t the same fighter he was in his early days in the UFC, but he is coming off back-to-back stoppage wins and still packs a ton of power in his hands, which means Santos must be careful this weekend.

If he can successfully navigate this assignment and emerge with another stoppage win in tow, folks we start talking about “Willycat” as a dark horse to track going forward in the featherweight ranks.

Timmy Cuamba

Context regarding results and records matters more than most want to consider, and a lack of it can lead people to skewed narratives about fighters. Take Cuamba for instance, who returns to action Saturday against Benardo Sopaj. The Las Vegas resident lost his first two fights in the UFC, but looking at things a little closer will show you that is debut came on short notice a weightclass up against Bolaji Oki and landed on the wrong side of a split decision verdict in a highly competitive fight. Not bad for taking it on short notice, right?

His second fight came four months later at featherweight where he landed on the wrong side of the cards opposite Lucas Almeida. That was just a night where Almeida was the better man, but last April, Cuamba collected his first UFC win, stopping Roberto Romero in the second round of a fight where he looked extremely sharp. Cuamba moved down to the bantamweight division a few months later to a unanimous decision win over Road to UFC tournament winner ChangHo Lee to bring his record to 2-2 inside the Octagon.

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As Cuamba heads into this weekend’s main card pairing with Sopaj, it seems like he is still viewed as the fighter who dropped his first two out of the chute, even though both came in different divisions than the one he currently occupies. Another win in his second bantamweight appearance will continue to help change that initial impression and potentially lead to people examining his resume a little closer. Cuamba is an entertaining and technical striker as well as someone that could make a little noise in the next 18-24 months.

Jacqueline Cavalcanti

When Joselyne Edwards turned a short-notice opportunity against Norma Dumont into the biggest win of her career and a place in the top-5 a few weeks ago, she showed how momentum and timing could position a fighter into the thick of contention.

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Cavalcanti heads into her matchup with perennial contender Ketlen Vieira having earned eight wins in a row, including each of her first five UFC assignments. Last time out, she bested former title challenger Mayra Bueno Silva on the scorecards to advance to 10-1 for her career. If there is one thing holding Cavalcanti back, it’s that she’s gone the distance in each of her five appearances and often looks like a fighter that is capable of delivering more. She has a chance this weekend to following in the footsteps of fellow Vegas transplant Edwards by beating a top-5 stalwart and jumping into contention when she takes on Vieira.

Vieira seemed to have done enough to beat Dumont last time out, but at the same time, she never seems to do enough to squash any doubt, which is why she has struggled to get over the final hurdle and become a full-blown title threat. That being said, she’s easily the most accomplished fighter Cavalcanti has faced and huge test for the ascending Portuguese competitor. If she can dial up a dominant effort this weekend, she just might end up sharing the Octagon with Edwards next.