Fighters On The Rise | UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs Duncan

Yakhyaev has all the foundational elements that make you salivate as a talent evaluator, brandishing good size for the division, strong grappling fundamentals and foundations, plus clear and obvious power. All that he’s missing at this point is seasoning, and while blowing through the competition will likely accelerate his ascent, Yakhyaev might just be one of those prospects that can handle an expedited rise through the divisional ranks.

FREE FIGHTS: Moicano vs Turner | Duncan vs Oki

Ribeiro is a solid second dance partner for the unbeaten newcomer; a fellow Contender Series grad who turned a similar assignment last March against Diyar Nurgozhay into a second-round submission win that bounced the Kazakh fighter from the ranks of the unbeaten.

This is a good test for Yakhyaev and if he once again passes with flying colors, don’t be surprised if he lands opposite a much more established name —potentially even one owning a place in the Top 15 —next time out.

Ethyn Ewing

Ewing is a perfect example of how we’re too quick to move on from or forget about standout performance when they’re not highlight reel finishes, as the bantamweight’s return feels like it’s flying too far under the radar given what he did in his promotional debut.

Taking a fight at UFC 322 in New York City on a couple days’ notice, Ewing, who has won a fight the previous Friday, rolled into Madison Square Garden and earned a unanimous decision win over Malcolm Wellmaker, who entered the contest as one of the top freshmen in the promotion at the time. Unbothered by the lack of prep time, the opponent or the size of the stage, Ewing took the fight to Wellmaker straight out of the gates and never really let off the gas, earning a clean sweep of the scorecards and his ninth straight win.

Now he makes his return to action in a clash another talented DWCS grad, unbeaten Brazilian Rafael Estevam, who is moving up to bantamweight for the first time.

Ewing’s poise and coolness under fire are obviously massive feathers in his cap, but it’s the all-around sturdiness of his game that makes him a truly interesting figure in the 135-pound weight class. He’s not necessarily someone that blows you away with one particular skill or discipline; he’s just strong in every phase with enough power and sharp finishing instincts to get you out of there before the final horn.

Estevam has earned wins in each of his first three UFC appearances and 14 straight to begin his career. But he missed weight in two of his three flyweight assignments inside the Octagon, necessitating the more up a weight class, and it will be interesting to see how switching divisions impacts his game and his gas tank, as he’d shown a penchant for slowing down in his last three outings.

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It truly is surprising to me that more people aren’t buzzing about Ewing’s return as his win over Wellmaker was one of the more unexpected performances of 2025. If he delivers a solid encore here, hopefully it will get more people to pay closer attention to “The Professor Finesser” going forward.

Tommy McMillen

McMillen draws a lot of comparisons to “Suga” Sean O’Malley and for good reason, as he’s the protégé of the former bantamweight titleholder, having followed him from their shared home state of Montana to Arizona, where he trains alongside O’Malley under the watchful eye of Tim Welch. Much like his mentor, McMillen also sports a nest of bouncy curls on his head and a wiry, heavily tattooed frame, and earned his place on the roster with a win on Dana White’s Contender Series.

But where O’Malley showed out with a one-hitter quitter that got Snoop Dogg out of his seat, the 28-year-old McMillen had to show his toughness and grit in navigating a back-and-forth battle with David Mgoyan, earning a majority decision win and contract while pushing his record to 9-0 thus far.

He went unbeaten as an amateur, finishing six of his seven opponents, and had finished each of his pro bouts inside the distance before his bout with Mgoyan last September. While the level of competition hasn’t been as stiff as you would like to see from someone with his tools and hype, McMillen gets the chance to really start establishing himself this weekend as he steps into the Octagon for the first time against Manolo Zecchini.

The returning Italian, who hasn’t fought since losing his promotional debut to Morgan Charriere in September 2023, trains with the Jackson-Wink crew, has a touch more experience overall than McMillen, but isn’t so established that this becomes a nightmare matchup for the newcomer.

All eyes will be on McMillen because of his affiliation with O’Malley, who will likely be in his corner, and it’s up to “Gun” to show he merits the attention and a chance to rise through the ranks like his mentor did.