Fighters On The Rise | UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Topuria

It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that Allen is still just 27 years old and therefore only now rolling into his athletic prime. The former LFA middleweight champ was always regarded as a top-end prospect, and he’s been showing why for the majority of his UFC run.

Allen won five of his first seven appearances inside the Octagon, posting quality victories over the likes of Kevin Holland, Tom Breese, and Punahele Soriano while faltering in fights with Sean Strickland and Chris Curtis. Since the start of last year, the Louisiana native has posted four straight victories, defeating Sam Alvey, Jacob Malkoun, and Krzysztof Jotko in 2022 before beginning this year with a third-round submission finish of Andre Muniz that catapulted him into the Top 15.

Initially slated to face off with Jack Hermannson in a main event pairing earlier in the month, an injury to “The Joker” prompted a re-shuffling of the decks, with Allen landing in Duval County, doing battle with the Brazilian finisher Silva.

WATCH BRENDAN ALLEN HIGHLIGHTS: Jotko Submission | Alvey Submission | Roberson Submission

After starting his UFC tenure with three straight stoppage wins, Silva dropped back-to-back fights to former champ Alex Pereira and Allen’s long-time teammate, Gerald Meerschaert. But last time out, the 33-year-old veteran reminded everyone of his dangerous ways by dispatching Brad Tavares in the opening round, collecting a Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts.

While not the main event assignment Allen was hoping for, this is still a chance to post another quality win and keep things moving forward heading into the back half of the year. The confident Kill Cliff FC representative has really found his groove over these last few fights, and another impressive performance against Silva should keep him in the main event mix and in line to face a ranked opponent next time out.

Tabatha Ricci

If I weren’t so impressed with Ricci’s performances of late, I’d be mad at the talented “Baby Shark” for that song always getting stuck in my head whenever I watch her compete.

Or write about her.

Or see her name on a fight card.

Ricci debuted up a division against Manon Fiorot and got dominated by the flyweight contender, but since returning to her natural surroundings in the 115-pound weight class, the Brazilian has been dominant, posting three straight victories heading into Saturday’s “grappler’s delight” with Gillian Robertson.

Following unanimous decision wins over countrywomen Maria Oliveira and Polyana Viana, the 28-year-old Ricci rolled into the Octagon at UFC 285 and thoroughly outclassed former title challenger Jessica Penne. After controlling things throughout the opening stanza, Ricci set up and cinched in an armbar early in the second, drawing out the tap midway through the frame to move her record to 8-1 and establish her as someone to pay close attention to in the strawweight ranks.

JACKSONVILLE FREE FIGHTS: Emmett vs Burgos | Topuria vs Mitchell

Robertson has been one of the most active fighters on the roster since arriving as part of the cast on season 26 of The Ultimate Fighter, logging 14 appearances to date and amassing a 9-5 record along the way. She dropped back down to strawweight last time out and looked outstanding, controlling Piera Rodriguez on the canvas and collecting a second-round submission finish to give her the most submission wins of any female fighter in UFC history.

This is an outstanding test for Ricci — a date with a battle-tested competitor that should, in theory, be able to challenge her where she is most comfortable. The Brazilian crept into the rankings following her last win and would set herself up for a date with an even bigger name next time out with a victory, so it’ll be interesting to see how she fares here against Robertson.

Tatsuro Taira

I’ve told you to pay close attention to Taira ahead of each of his first three UFC appearances, and I’m back here doing the same ahead of his fourth outing this weekend because I want to make sure you get a seat on the bandwagon now, as the 23-year-old Japanese flyweight has all the markings of a future title challenger.

Taira is clearly getting increasingly comfortable in the Octagon with each passing appearance as he’s spending less and less time in the UFC cage each time out.

He debuted with a unanimous decision win over Carlos Candelario last spring and followed that up with a second-round submission win over CJ Vergara five months later before returning in February and registering a first-round submission victory over Jesus Aguilar. While he’s surely not going to keep shaving time off his efforts as he continues climbing the ranks, Taira’s dominance to date has come through patient work on the canvas, and his confidence in his abilities there are not going to wane.

WATCH TATSURO TAIRA HIGHLIGHTS: Triangle Armbar Submission Win Over Jesus Aguilar | Armbar Submission Win Over CJ Vergara

There is a poise to this young man that you don’t generally see from fighters who are just 13 bouts into their careers and only a couple years into their 20s. He gets to where he wants to be, doesn’t panic if he gets stuck in a bad spot — as he did early against Aguilar — and works through his progressions until finding the finishing setup he’s after.

It really has been quite breathtaking to watch, if I’m being honest, and this weekend’s clash with Kleydson Rodrigues shouldn’t be any different.

The Brazilian dropped a split decision to Vergara in his debut but took the possibility of a loss off the table in his sophomore showing against Shannon Ross at UFC 284 in February, racing across the cage and dispatching the Australian in just 59 seconds. Now 8-2 overall, the Dana White’s Contender Series grad has things moving in the right direction and will be a dangerous test for Taira on Saturday.

This is the type of step up in competition the unbeaten Japanese prospect needs at this stage of his career — a stern test against an explosive finisher who has already shown an ability to go the distance in tough contests. It’s a good measuring stick opportunity to see where Taira is at in his progression and just how quickly he could ascend into the Top 15 in the flyweight division.