Fighters On The Rise | UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Imavov

The 37-year-old has done well since touching down inside the Octagon at UFC 237, posting a 6-4 record that doesn’t fully reflect her talents or the level of competition she’s faced. While the results haven’t always been positive, Araujo has established herself as a “Neil Magny type” in the 125-pound weight class — a well-rounded, well-prepared veteran that is a tough out for all ascending hopefuls and good test for those ranked ahead of her.

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Silva has methodically worked her way up the divisional ladder, and this is absolutely the type of fight she needs at this moment.

She has all the skills to thrive on Saturday and continue working forward in the weight class, but there is a reason every competitor has to step into the Octagon and actually pass a test like this before diving into the deep waters at the top of the division.

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Aliaskhab Khizriev

Khizriev has been out of action since then, withdrawing from a September bout with Jacob Malkoun, but is scheduled to make his return this weekend opposite Makhmud Muradov in the type of matchup that will instantly tell us a lot about where he stands in the 185-pound ranks.

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It’s impossible to fully know what Khizriev brings to the table, given that he’s had one appearance in the last three years, and that came against a late replacement, but you don’t get to 14-0 with nine finishes without having at least a solid foundation of skills, regardless of who you’re fighting.

But that’s what makes this weekend’s matchup with Muradov so perfect: we know how good “Mach” is — what it takes and what it means to beat him — and if Khizriev can resurface and keep rolling, there will be a lot more people than just me curious to see what comes next for the DWCS mystery man.

Gilbert Urbina

At six-foot-three, he has excellent height and a great frame for the 170-pound weight class, and it works well with his striking attack, as he is able to counter effectively while moving backwards, and land long, heavy shots from range without taking too much heavy fire in return.  He’s still clearly a work in progress with just nine professional appearances under his belt, but he comes from a fighting family and his only loss prior to facing Battle on short notice came against Sean Brady under the LFA banner, which tells you how well-regarded Urbina has been at different points in his career.

Saturday’s matchup with Charles Radtke is a quality follow-up pairing — a date with someone else that is still just getting their feet wet in the UFC but coming off a win. “Chuck Buffalo” managed to out-work Blood Diamond in his promotional debut at UFC 293 and posted four straight wins inside the CFFC cage before that, including claiming the welterweight title, so he’s not someone Urbina can take lightly by any stretch.

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Urbina looked great against Cosce, but now comes the hard part: following up on that performance after another eight months and change on the sidelines, against someone with a little more experience and a little more success under their belt than his last opponent.

The upside is there and easy to spot; it’s just a question of whether he can continue to perform to the best of his abilities when he crosses the threshold into the UFC Octagon and stands under the brightest lights in the sport.