Athletes
Fighters on the Rise | UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield vs Barber
Highlighting Three Ascending Talents Slated To Hit The Octagon This Weekend In Las Vegas
This week’s installment of Fighters on the Rise spotlights a trio of athletes at three different stages an athlete can reach over the course of their UFC career.
One is on a lengthy winning streak, but finally getting the opportunity to share the Octagon with a ranked opponent for the first time. Another is only a handful of fights into their UFC journey, but already pressing for a place in the Top 15. And the third is a tenured veteran, hovering on the brink of title contention, poised to compete in a critical contest against another Top 5 talent.
Saturday's Full Fight Card Preview
The reason I point this out is because no competitor is a finished product, and there are can be emerging names to track at every checkpoint along the road from debutant to dominant champion, as headliner Maycee Barber could have very well been featured in this space this weekend given that she’s been out of action for over a year, but returns to face Erin Blanchfield while riding a six-fight winning streak, which screams “on the rise.”
Keep that in mind going forward, and pay close attention to the three athletes featured below this weekend as they look to continue making noise in their respective weight classes.
Ľudovit Klein
Ludovit Klein Stops AJ Cunningham | UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Gaziev
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Ludovit Klein Stops AJ Cunningham | UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs Gaziev
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There are only two fighters in the lightweight Top 15 that are currently on a longer winning or unbeaten streak than Klein — champion Islam Makhachev, who has won 15 straight, and Paddy Pimblett, who is 7-0 in the UFC and has won nine straight overall.
Klein touches down in Las Vegas, where he takes on Top 10 mainstay Mateusz Gamrot, on a four-fight winning streak and unbeaten in his last seven. The 30-year-old Slovakian has been a victim of bad circumstances and has unfortunately fallen into the shadows as others around him have garnered marquee wins in big spots to move forward in the division, while he’s remained stuck on the outside of the rankings, desperate for a chance to face someone with a number next to his name.
He was scheduled to face veteran fan favorite Jim Miller two summers back, but was forced out with an illness, and a bout against Spanish finisher Joel Álvarez failed to materialize last year. At the same time, lightweights like Ignacio Bahamondes and Thiago Moises, both of whom Klein has beaten during his current winning streak, found their way into quality pairings and prime spots on fight night, with Bahamondes briefly earning a place in the rankings following his win over Jalin Turner at UFC 313.
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he faces off with Gamrot, a battle-tested divisional stalwart coming off a gutsy split decision loss to Dan Hooker last August in Perth. The Polish veteran is 7-3 inside the Octagon and an impressive 24-3 with one no contest overall, including a win over fellow top contender Arman Tsarukyan.
Jumping from facing Roosevelt Roberts on short notice last September in Paris to sharing the Octagon with “Gamer” on Saturday is a major step up in competition for Klein, but also a chance for the streaking lightweight to catapult himself into the thick of the chase in the talent-rich 155-pound ranks if he can maintain his winning ways.
Jafel Filho
Filho is one of several unranked flyweights that truly help illustrate what a good position the division is in now.
The 32-year-old Brazilian, who earned his place on the roster with a third-round finish of TUF 32 cast member Roybert Echeverria on Season 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series, debuted at UFC 286 in London, suffering a third-round submission loss to Muhammad Mokaev. Anyone that simply looks at the result will likely pass it off as an unsurprising outcome against the undefeated prospect, but those that recall the fight remember that Filho was neck-and-neck with Mokaev through the first two rounds and had the former Top 10 talent in a gnarly kneebar early in the final frame before Mokaev escaped and eventually found a submission of his own.
Since then, “Pastor” has put together consecutive first-round stoppage wins over Daniel Barez and Ode’ Osbourne, two other members of the flyweight “Second 15” that are each coming off wins of their own.
Saturday evening, Filho faces off with fellow Brazilian Allan Nascimento in what could be an outstanding grappling match contested under MMA rules, and will be instructive no matter how things play out. Nascimento is a skilled veteran coming off consecutive victories of his own, and someone that likely would be making a real push for a place in the Top 15 himself if injuries, illnesses, and opponent switches hadn’t limited him to just three UFC appearances to date.
Flyweight is flush with talent and the competition to land a number next to your name is fierce, making a matchup like this critical for Filho if he hopes to force his way into the rankings or even land a date with a ranked opponent later this year.
Macy Chiasson
Slowly, but surely, Chiasson has developed into a contender in the bantamweight division.
Currently stationed at No. 5 in the rankings, the former Ultimate Fighter winner has posted a 7-3 mark over her first 10 UFC starts, with one loss to former champ Raquel Pennington and another to former title challenger Irene Aldana; the third came in her third outing opposite Swedish veteran Lina Lansberg. She holds a split decision victory over Norma Dumont, who is unbeaten since and one spot ahead of her in the rankings, and comes into this one having earned consecutive stoppage wins over Pannie Kianzad and former title challenger Mayra Bueno Silva.
The 33-year-old Fortis MMA product is an imposing figure in the bantamweight ranks, standing five-foot-11 with a long reach and undeniable strength. It has taken her some time to develop her game and figure out how to best deploy her weapons, but she’s patiently done so and looked outstanding over her last two fights.
This weekend, Chiasson steps in with Ketlen Vieira, whom she’s been scheduled to face on two different occasions in the past. The Brazilian has been in the mix at the top of the division for the last several years, but is yet to garner a championship opportunity of her own, coming up short in her biggest assignments.
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With Julianna Pena set to defend the title against Kayla Harrison next weekend at UFC 316 in Newark and former champ Amanda Nunes looming large over that matchup, this is an opportunity for Chiasson to stake her claim to a place in the title conversation and move a couple spots further up the rankings.
This is the precise opportunity she needs to show she’s a bonafide threat in the 135-pound ranks, and it will be interesting to see if she’s able to make the most of it on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
UFC Fight Night: Gamrot vs Klein took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 31, 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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