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Spotlighting Three Rising Stars Set To Hit The Octagon On Saturday In Las Vegas

By E. Spencer Kyte • Jun. 16, 2026

This year has already seen a number of standout performance from the emerging set and some of the best young talents on the roster take consider steps forward in their respective divisions.

From the emergence of Josh Hokit and arrival of Lone’er Kavanagh to Brando Pericic, Yaroslav Amosov and Iwo Baraniewski continuing to rain havoc on their individual weight classes, 2026 has been a banner year for prospects, and we’ve yet to reach the halfway point.

This weekend’s return to the Meta APEX offers another chance to check in on a trio of competitors that have already been making waves but feel poised to have an even bigger impact in the future. A combined 10-0 with four finishes inside the Octagon, these three could be the stars of the show on Saturday, so now is as good a time as any to familiarize yourself with them.

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Navajo Stirling

Stirling has been featured in this space before, beginning with his promotional debut on the final fight card of 2024 just a few months after he punched his ticket to the roster on Dana White’s Contender Series. My assessment then was that “with time and additional seasoning, (Stirling) could become another all-action addition to the roster from the talent-rich Auckland outfit,” speaking, of course, about City Kickboxing.

Navajo Stirling Overwhelms Bruno Lopes In The Second | UFC Seattle

The light heavyweight prospect won that fight and three others to arrive in Las Vegas this weekend with a 9-0 overall mark and coming off his first UFC finish, which showed his progression as a fighter is right on track. In his first three outings, the 28-year-old was a little hesitant to sit down on his punches, but against Bruno Lopes in March, Stirling was full of confidence and came out firing in the second, finishing the Brazilian just beyond the four-minute mark.

Saturday’s fight with Ion Cutelaba is a good veteran test for Stirling. Cutelaba is a date with a dangerous and experienced competitor who is going to force the action in every phase, while having the power and wherewithal to make him pay for any glaring mistakes as well. “The Hulk” is a journeyman in the classic sense of the word and coming off a sharp submission win over another prospect, Oumar Sy, earlier this year, so Stirling needs to mind his Ps and Qs in order to maintain his unblemished record.

Andre Lima

Through no fault of his own, Lima has slipped into the background a little in the ultra-competitive flyweight division despite the fact that he has posted four straight wins to begin his UFC tenure and advanced to 11-0 overall. There are simply too many ascending young flyweights at the moment for anyone — even a fighter as gifted as Lima — to be sidelined for over a year and not get forced backwards a little.

Andre Lima of Brazil punches Daniel Barez of Spain in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 15, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

A member of the DWCS Class of ’23, folks will remember Lima’s debut as it ended with his being bitten by Igor Severino, which he has since turned into a commemorative tattoo. Since then, however, the 27-year-old has added three more wins, including his first official finish last time out, to maintain his perfect record and put himself on the growing list of young names to track.

Lima returns to action on Saturday in what should be another quality measuring stick matchup against Kevin Borjas, whose UFC record (1-4) doesn’t do his skills and competitiveness justice. Lima trains with a great up-and-coming squad under former UFC fighter Lucas “Minheiro” Martins and has shown finishing instincts and abilities throughout his journey to the Octagon. He choked out Daniel Barez in his last appearance in March 2025, and if he can dispatch Borjas before the judges get involved, he’ll force his way back into the foreground of the crowded flyweight ranks.

Bia Mesquita

It’s taken just two UFC appearances for Bia Mesquita to crack the top-15 in the women’s bantamweight division, and on Saturday night, the Brazilian jiu jitsu superstar returns for a third time in a clash with tenacious Brit Melissa Mullins that should continue to illustrate why she is already a genuine threat in the 135-pound weight class.

Bia Mesquita Gets The Tap In The First | UFC Fight Night Emmett vs Vallejos

While MMA as a whole has moved beyond the days of specialists, there is a little more space for them still in the women’s ranks. When you’re as skilled on the canvas as Mesquita is, it creates an opportunity for a rapid rise. The 35-year-old holds the record for the most IBJFF World Championship titles at the black belt level, and her prowess has pedigree too much for her first two UFC opponents to handle.

As much as I believe Mesquita can make an expedient run up the ranks, it’s still good that she’s not being hustled into a pairing with a ranked opponent just yet as she is only seven fights into her MMA career. It’s better to deal with some of the struggles that may come at this stage rather than when the stakes are a little higher. Mullins has twice as much UFC experience and the same number of wins, bringing a more rugged and nasty approach than Mesquita’s two previous opponents who were more grapplers and ended up getting bodied.

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Another win will inch the Brazilian standout another step forward in the rankings, and another dominant showing could land her in a meeting with someone else sporting a number next to their name. It feels a little too soon to suggest she could have a Demian Maia-esque run here, but it honestly doesn’t feel out of the question, even this soon in.

We’ll have a better sense after Saturday.