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Fighters on the Rise | UFC London
Providing An In-Depth Look At Three Ascending Talents Competing Saturday Night At UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs Murphy
Heading into last year’s UFC appearance in London, one of the fighters featured in this space was flyweight prospect Lone’er Kavanagh, who ended up beating Jose Ochoa and presently finds himself stationed at No. 6 in the divisional ranks.
Ahead of UFC 283 in March 2023, we spotlighted Roman Dolidze and Christian Leroy Duncan, who face off this weekend. When the promotion returned later that summer, this space featured, among others, Lerone Murphy, who headlines on Saturday against Movsar Evloev. And in 2022, we highlighted Ilia Topuria ahead of the first event and Paddy Pimblett ahead of the second in July.
There were certainly some misses in there, but for the most part, the athletes profiled in this space ahead of these UFC events at The O2 have consistently become contenders and rankings fixtures. With that in mind, here’s a closer look at three competitors set to make the walk on Saturday with the opportunity to join those ranks.
Luke Riley
The UFC is making a point of showcasing local ascending talents in big spots on these Fight Night events and this weekend is no different as Riley gets a co-main event placement in just his second appearance with the promotion.
A longtime teammate of the aforementioned “Baddy” from Liverpool, Riley made each of his 11 starts with Cage Warriors, running the table, with eight of those wins coming inside the distance. He got called up alongside training partner Shem Rock ahead of the UFC’s debut in Qatar last November, and after dropping the opening round to Bogdan Grad on all three scorecards, the Next Generation MMA representative dropped the Contender Series alum with a counter left in tight before putting him away with precision rights on the canvas to push his winning streak to an even dozen.
Full London Fight Card Preview
Like many of the top names to come out of Cage Warriors over the years, Riley didn’t have an easy road through the promotion, facing good competition the whole way and going the distance a couple of times, which has surely better prepared him for what he could encounter at this level. His hands are his calling card, and while he was a little tight in the first round against Grad, it was his first round in the UFC, so it makes sense to give him some grace, especially after how swiftly and deftly he handled things in the second.
Luke Riley Lands KO Victory At UFC Debut | UFC Qatar
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Luke Riley Lands KO Victory At UFC Debut | UFC Qatar
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This weekend is a great opportunity to get a further read on where Riley stands in his development and the division as he takes on Michael Aswell Jr., a talented American who trains alongside flyweight champ Joshua Van and looked sharp as can be in his divisional debut last October. MMA Mathematicians will point to his split decision loss to Grad on the Contender Series as all the more reason to favor Riley, but “The Texas Kid” is a tough out who will be happy to oblige the Scouser in the standout, and it could very well be very competitive.
LONDON FULL FIGHTS: Evloev vs Sterling | Murphy vs Pico
All eyes will be on Riley in this one, and if he can navigate the high-profile opportunity with aplomb, don’t be surprised if he gets a jetpack strapped to his back going forward. England is a routine stop for the UFC, and having another ascending talent from across the pond to showcase at home would be a huge win for the organization.
Brando Pericic
“The Balkan Bear” may be short on experience, having made just six starts in his professional career, but he’s long on upside, having earned five first-round stoppage wins thus far, including his UFC debut last September in Perth.
The 31-year-old heavyweight trains at City Kickboxing in Auckland, New Zealand, which is one of the best outfits in the sport, and means that Pericic is surrounded by standout talents and elite coaches every day he’s on the mats. Some people dismiss those things, but when you’re young in your career and competing in a division where one shot is all it takes to end a fight, working with that kind of established team accelerates the development process, and puts the UFC sophomore in a position where he could grow by leaps and bounds between each appearance.
Pericic moves with impressive fluidity for a man his size, opening his debut bout with a good assortment of quick kicks and solid all-around skills in wiping out Elisha Ellison. The usual caveats about getting hustled along quickly because of how shallow the talent pool is at heavyweight compared to other divisions obviously apply, but while he’s still in the early days of his UFC run, Pericic has a chance to establish himself as a person of interest in the big boy division.
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Saturday night, he takes Louie Sutherland, a former professional rugby player who trains at Fightzone London, and blasted Valter Walker with a couple of thudding low kicks before succumbing to the Brazilian’s finisher at UFC 321. It’s a good second assignment for each man and gives Pericic a chance to provide a follow-up to his impressive debut showing.
Heavyweight has a few new names making some headway, which should buy the Australian some time to sharpen his game and gain some more experience before he’s dropped in against ranked competition. That is, unless he continues to maul the competition.
Mario Pinto
One of the most intriguing members of the stellar graduating class from Season 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series, Pinto validated people’s excitement with a 2-0 showing in his first year on the roster, earning second-round stoppage wins over both Austen Lane and Jhonata Diniz.
Mario Pinto Knocks Out Austen Lane | UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Almabayev
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Mario Pinto Knocks Out Austen Lane | UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Almabayev
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Included in this year’s two-part look at the top ascending talents on the roster, Pinto makes the first appearance of his sophomore campaign on Saturday against promotional newcomer Felipe Franco, who steps in for Briton Mick Parkin, who was forced to withdraw for undisclosed reasons.
Pinto, who trains alongside Sutherland under the watchful eye of Stuart Austin, the first man to defeat current UFC heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall, is poised beyond his years inside the Octagon, showing a willingness to take his time, find his range, and make things count when he throws. While the win over Lane was more aesthetically pleasing, his performance against Diniz in Rio de Janeiro last October was the more impressive, as he recognized his advantage on the ground, worked to mount, and finished with a torrent of punches from there.
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He turned 29 on Sunday (HBD Big Fella!), is a perfect 11-0 to start his career, and remains in no hurry to face the division’s elite, understanding that taking the slow and steady approach while improving and gaining more experience is the much more valuable long-term play.
The pairing with Franco is tough to read, honestly, as the Brazilian has primarily been competing at light heavyweight and is taking the fight on short notice after earning a win at the start of last month. He faded hard in his DWCS appearance last fall, which resulted in his first loss, and it will be interesting to see what, if anything, he can bring to Pinto, especially considering he’s giving up four inches in height and three inches in reach to the Portuguese prospect.
All of that being said, that ratchets up the pressure on Pinto here, as many will not only expect him to win, but do so with style points and little push-back. He has all the foundational pieces and fundamental skills to eventually be a contender; it’s just a matter of how quickly that upside turns into a move up the rankings.
Don’t be shocked if he shows that upside here.
UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs Murphy took place live from The O2 in London, England On March 21, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!