Yakhyaev seems to possess all the tools necessary to blossom
into a full-bloom star in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division.
The aptly named “Hunter” will put his perfect professional record
on the line when he confronts Brendson
Ribeiro in a featured
UFC Fight Night 272 attraction on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. Yakhyaev, 25, has finished seven of his first eight
opponents, six of them inside one round. The former
Ares Fighting Championship and Khan Fight titleholder made his
Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 265, where he needed just 33
seconds to dispatch Raffael
Cerqueira with a rear-naked choke on Nov. 22. It was his third
sub-minute stoppage victory. Yakhyaev, who punched his ticket to
the UFC via
Dana White’s Contender Series some seven months ago, holds the
prestigious Master of Sports designation in combat sambo and mixed
martial arts.
The 13-fight lineup at UFC Fight Night 272 features several
fighters on the rise, with Yakhyaev at or near the top of the list.
Four others to monitor:
Rafael
Estevam
Bantamweight | 14-0 (3-0 UFC)
Estevam finds himself in the middle of a slow but steady ascent in
the 135-pound weight class. The unbeaten
Nova Uniao export toes the line against Ethyn Ewing
in a compelling three-round bantamweight showcase. Estevam, 29, was
a Shooto
Brazil champion before he arrived in the UFC three-plus years
ago. He last fought at UFC on ESPN 71, where he outpointed Felipe
Bunes to a unanimous decision on Aug. 2. Estevam has recorded
16 takedowns in his three appearances inside the Octagon—victories
over Bunes, Jesus
Santos Aguilar and Charles
Johnson.
Alice
Pereira
Women’s Bantamweight | 6-1 (0-1 UFC)
Pereira’s talents as a high-ceiling prospect are undeniable, but
she remains unpolished as someone who linked arms with the
promotion as a teenager. The Brazilian, now 20, returns to the cage
to face Hailey
Cowan in a three-round women’s bantamweight prelim. Pereira
made her promotional debut to mixed reviews at UFC Fight Night 259,
where she wound up on the wrong side of split scorecards against
Montserrat
Rendon on Sept. 13. She had won her first six bouts as a pro,
five of them via finish and four of them inside one round. Young
fighters are known to make significant strides from fight to
fight—a tendency the UFC hopes Pereira follows in her latest test
at the sport’s highest level.
Tommy
McMillen
Featherweight | 9-0 (0-0 UFC)
McMillen provides some welcomed depth to the featherweight midcard.
The 28-year-old Red Hawk Academy product makes his organizational
debut opposite Manolo
Zecchini in a featured clash at 145 pounds. McMillen has
delivered eight of his nine wins by knockout, technical knockout or
submission. The Great Falls, Montana, native secured his spot on
the roster via DWCS on Sept. 2, when he posted a majority decision
over David
Mgoyan. McMillen marches into his first UFC assignment with a
championship pedigree, as he captured a Fusion Fight League title
during his rise through the regional ranks.
Dakota
Hope
Lightweight | 11-1 (0-0 UFC)
Hope answers the UFC’s call to arms for the first time under
less-than-ideal circumstances. The once-beaten Texan jumps up a
division when he locks horns with Kai Kamaka
III in an impromptu lightweight prelim between two men who
typically compete at 145 pounds. Hope trains alongside current UFC
flyweight champion Joshua Van
at the 4oz. Fight Club in Houston. The Peak Fighting titleholder
last saw action under the
Fury Fighting Championship banner on Feb. 20, when he punched
out Mauricio
Gomez less than two minutes into their confrontation. Hope now
boasts five first-round finishes on his resume.