Athletes
Fighters On The Rise | UFC Fight Night: Krylov vs. Spann
Three Can't-Miss Combatants To Watch For On Saturday's Las Vegas Event
While the top two fights on Saturday’s second consecutive event at the UFC APEX feature ranked competitors in critical fights in the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions, there are also a handful of intriguing names scattered throughout the lineup that fans and observers should be keeping close tabs on this weekend.
But there are three that stand out above the pack.
One is a rising star returning from an extended hiatus, looking to resume what was a terrific start to her career inside the Octagon. The second is a Canadian sophomore finally getting the opportunity to capitalize on an outstanding debut showing, and then there is the undefeated newcomer, aiming to show why so many have been eagerly awaiting his debut.
Here’s a closer look at those three athletes in the latest edition of Fighters on the Rise.
Tatiana Suarez
It has been more than three years since Suarez last competed inside the UFC cage, and she returns to action this weekend against Montana De La Rosa in a new division and standing as a massive question mark in the flyweight division.
Prior to her extended hiatus, the former Ultimate Fighter winner was on the cusp of title contention, having pushed her record to 9-0 overall with a unanimous decision win over Nina Nunes at UFC 238. In her two previous fights, the standout grappler, whose Olympic pursuit was cut short by thyroid cancer, had earned stoppage wins over Alexa Grasso and Carla Esparza, establishing herself as a legitimate threat and potential superstar in the strawweight ranks.
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But Suarez has been stuck on the sidelines since that bout with Nunes, and now she returns with plenty to prove once again.
As a life-long competitor, there is no questioning the drive and desire Suarez has to resume her career and to see if she can reach the goals that felt within reach prior to her absence, but a great deal has happened in the 43 months she’s been away and it’ll be interesting to see how she looks after such a prolonged hiatus.
This fight with De La Rosa should be a great barometer for where Suarez stands and what is reasonable to expect from her going forward, providing she remains healthy. The former Ultimate Fighter cast member has been competitive throughout her UFC career, even if her results have been inconsistent, and she’s continued to improve while posting a 5-3-1 record in nine UFC appearances.
It’s difficult to forecast how Suarez will look this weekend, but after several years of wondering if we’d ever see the undefeated Californian back in the Octagon, it’s just great to see the undefeated competitor ready to make the walk again on Saturday night.
Mike Malott
Mike Malott Gets KO In His UFC Debut | UFC 273: Volkanovski vs The Korean Zombie
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Mike Malott Gets KO In His UFC Debut | UFC 273: Volkanovski vs The Korean Zombie
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Malott hasn’t spent a whole lot of time in the cage over the last several years, but he’s made an impression nonetheless.
A submission win of Solomon Renfro in under two minutes brought a call to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series, where a 39-second finish of Shimon Smotrisky resulted in a UFC contract, and a debut pairing with Mickey Gall at UFC 273. A little more than three-and-a-half minutes into the fight, the Canadian welterweight closed things out with a nasty left hook that sent Gall to the canvas and gave Malott a fourth straight victory.
Now 10 months later, the 31-year-old finally makes his return to the Octagon in an all-Canadian pairing with Yohan Lainesse on Saturday.
Though he has just one appearance of his own inside the UFC cage, Malott has been around the biggest stage in the sport for a number of years, having cornered dozens of fights while training and coaching at Team Alpha Male. He showed that comfort and ability to remain calm and focused in his impressive debut win over Gall, and is the kind of dangerous young veteran that could make a quick climb if he’s able to string together a handful of positive results in the next 12-18 months.
He and Lainesse ran parallel with one another during their shared time in CFFC and now cross paths here, with Lainesse looking to pick up a second consecutive victory after dropping is debut to Gabriel Green last April. He was a finisher on the regional circuit and his aggressiveness should pair nicely with Malott’s counterstriking ability and well-rounded game.
Some of the momentum Malott garnered with his first-round win over Gall has been lost during his absence, but he can quickly regain it and more with a comparable effort this weekend. He’s one of those fighters that doesn’t have a ton of fights — he’s 8-1-1 for his career — but is far more experienced and dangerous than his record suggests, and he’ll be looking to show that again on Saturday evening in Las Vegas.
Nurullo Aliev
On every season of Dana White’s Contender Series so far, there have been a couple competitors that look capable of making an immediate and long-term impact in their respective weight classes once they touched down in the UFC Octagon.
Aliev is one of those fighters from Season 6.
The 23-year-old lightweight ran through Josh Wick in mid-September, taking him down with ease after getting poked in the eye and eventually mauling him from top position. It was a patient approach turned into a punishing finish, as Aliev wedged Wick against the fence, softened him up with elbows from inside his guard, and then unleashed a torrent of right hands as he finally postured up in the final minute of the round, forcing referee Jason Herzog to stop the fight.
Wick came in with a 12-5 record, fresh off a first-round stoppage win over former UFC competitor Cain Carrizosa, and Aliev was able to quickly close the distance and impose his will on “The White Mamba,” getting him out of there in under a round.
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Aliev looks a like a young Khabib Nurmagomedov, physically, facially, and he clearly wants to deploy a similar approach to that of the former lightweight champion. He has limited experience thus far in his career, entering his debut against Rafael Alves this weekend with an 8-0 record, but we’re going to find out where he fits in the division very quickly.
The 32-year-old Alves is a bundle of explosive energy and fight-ending skills with nearly four times as much experience as his young foe this weekend. In three UFC appearances, Alves is 1-2, sandwiching a win over Marc Diakiese between losses to Damir Ismagulov and Drew Dober.
Stepping in against Alves is a big first ask of Aliev, but he looked dominant in his last trip to the UFC APEX, and could find his way into the fast track in the lightweight division with a win on Saturday.
UFC Fight Night: Muniz vs Allen took place live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 25, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
