Sara McMann punched her ticket to a title shot with a first-round submission win over Sheila Gaff at Prudential Center, while Neil Magny picked up the first of his record number of welterweight wins at “The Rock” in the opening bout of UFC 169. Max Holloway had his coming out party in Newark, and Ikram Aliskerov and Diego Lopes debuted on the same night at UFC 288 a couple years back.
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Suffice it to say that when the UFC ventures to the New Jersey outpost, there are usually one or two new names or ascending talents on every card that you’re going to want to keep tabs on going forward.
The three that fit the bill ahead of UFC 316 this weekend are spotlighted for you here in the latest edition of Fighters on the Rise.
Patchy Mix
It feels weird to call Mix an ascending talent because he’s unquestionably one of the 10 best bantamweights on the planet, but as he’s poised to make the walk to the Octagon for the first time this weekend in a fascinating matchup with Mario Bautista, he absolutely has to be included here.
The 31-year-old from Buffalo is 20-1 as a professional and carries a seven-fight winning streak into his clash with Bautista on Saturday’s main card. In 2023, Mix won the Bellator World Bantamweight Grand Prix and interim bantamweight title with a first-round knockout win over Raufeon Stots, then unified the belts and claimed the top spot in the division with a second-round submission win over Sergei Pettis, cementing his standing as one of the best bantamweights competing outside of the UFC with a split decision win over Magomed Magomedov last year.
Just so folks don’t have to roll out the Shaquille O’Neal, “I wasn’t really familiar with your game” meme this weekend, let me be clear: Mix is an outstanding talent, and in his last five bouts, he’s beaten Magomedov twice, Pettis, Stots, and Kyoji Horiguchi, who have a combined record of 98-18, good for a winning percentage of 84.48 percent.
I said he’s unquestionably one of the Top 10 bantamweights in the world, and I stand by it, but he also might be the absolute best in the 135-pound ranks, and the process of determining if that is the case begins this weekend in Newark.
Bautista is a perfect initial opponent for the incoming Las Vegas-based contender, as he’s well-established in the UFC, riding a seven-fight winning streak, and the kind of criminally underrated talent that is more than capable of upsetting the apple cart and using this bout as an opportunity to catapult himself to greater acclaim and bigger opportunities. He trains with an outstanding team at The MMA Lab, and while his win over Jose Aldo last October wasn’t that aesthetically pleasing, Bautista had very little trouble with any of the previous six men to stand across from him prior to that contest, and will surely be dialed all the way in for this one on Saturday.
Order UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs O’Malley 2
Mix is arriving in the UFC at a very interesting time, as no one at the top of the division has fully established themselves as the next to challenge for the bantamweight title after the smoke clears following this weekend’s championship rematch. Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen each have a case, but a strong showing for the debuting standout coupled with his tremendous overall resume could propel him into a marquee assignment next time out.
Joshua Van
Van turned pro in 2021 and began his sophomore campaign with a 2-1 record and coming off a loss. Since then, the 23-year-old from Burma, who lives and trains in Houston, Texas, has gone 11-1, posting three wins on either side of his stoppage loss to Charles Johnson while forcing his way into the rankings in the talent-rich flyweight division.
What Van has done in his relatively brief UFC run is quite impressive.
He rattled off three wins in eight months to establish himself as a burgeoning prospect in the 125-pound ranks, was in control of the fight with Johnson before getting caught early in the third round, and then posted three more wins in the eight months following that bout. Now he fights for the second time this year and fourth time in 12 months on Saturday, stepping in against Brazilian veteran Bruno Silva in a clash of ranked combatants.
The 35-year-old Silva put together four stoppage wins with four Performance of the Night bonuses between March 2021 and July 2024 to force his way into the rankings and build some solid momentum, only to have his run of success halted by top contender Manel Kape last December in Tampa. A strong grappler with power in his hands, “Bulldog” is the kind of savvy, experienced veteran that should be a quality test for the promising Van this weekend.
FULL FIGHTS: Dvalishvili vs O’Malley 1 | O’Malley vs Sterling | Dvalishvili vs Nurmagomedov | Peña vs Nunes 1 | Harrison vs Holm
Van is such a fascinating fighter to track because every time you see him compete, he’s flashing something that impresses you, and then you remember that he hasn’t even been a pro for five full years yet and he’s only 23 years old. He’s growing by leaps and bounds between each fight, has an excellent foundation and undeniable athleticism, and is bound to keep improving as he gets more reps in the gym and in the Octagon.
As good as he is now and as much fun as he is to watch, Van is someone that has the opportunity to grow and develop into a legitimate championship threat over the next couple of years, and will likely be a cornerstone of the division in the not too distant future.
Quillan Salkilld
Anyone that tuned in for the first fight of the night at UFC 312 back in February has been waiting ever since to see Salkilld make his sophomore trek into the Octagon, and it finally comes this weekend.
Earlier this year in Sydney, the Luistro Combat Academy product and Dana White’s Contender Series graduate posted a 16-second knockout win over Anshul Jubli in his promotional debut, connecting with a piston-like right hand down the pipe just after the broadcast team was discussing how his Indian counterpart believed he had an advantage in the boxing department.
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As much as that performance established the 25-year-old as someone to track in the lightweight division, his stock has risen in the last couple months without him even having to step into the Octagon, thanks to strong outings by a couple of his previous opponents.
Last month, Gauge Young, the man Salkilld beat to earn his contract last season on the annual talent search series, stepped up on short notice and gave a strong account of himself in a losing effort against Evan Elder, and a couple weeks ago in Shanghai, Dom Mar Fan turned in a dominant effort to advance to the semifinals of the Road to UFC lightweight tournament; Salkilld submitted “The Street Buddha” twice under the Eternal MMA banner.
Now the Aussie with the sweet ‘stache and fluffy lettuce is set to make the walk for the second time, stepping in against Yanal Ashmouz in his second consecutive opening bout assignment.
The 30-year-old Ashmouz has alternated wins and losses through his first three UFC appearances, felling Sam Patterson and out-lasting Trevor Peek with a decision loss to Chris Duncan sandwiched in between. He’s 8-1 overall and has flashed knockout power throughout his career, but will be giving up several inches in height and reach to Salkilld on Saturday.
While the established names from the ANZAC region remain at the fore, Salkilld is part of a growing contingent of ascending talents from Australia and New Zealand looking to make waves going forward, along with his teammate and fellow DWCS grad Cody Haddon, Navajo Stirling, Jonathan Micallef, Tom Nolan, and Colby Thicknesse.
This weekend’s pairing with Ashmouz is a great opportunity to build off his brilliant debut performance and further establish himself at the vanguard of the next wave of athletes from the Oceanic region. And if it looks anything like his first effort, you could see Salkilld get an express pass up the divisional ladder in the back half of the year.
