This week’s return to “The City of Brotherly Love” could feature only the main event pairing between Edson Barboza and Justin Gaethje and still be worth the price of admission, as the Top 10 lightweights are two of the most consistently entertaining all-action fighters on the planet and there is no conceivable way their fight will not instantly enter the Fight of the Year conversation.
However, there are a dozen other bouts that will hit the cage before that and several of them involve UFC newcomers with a wealth of potential who are making their debuts on Saturday, but will likely be around for a very long time.
Here’s a closer look at three of those competitors.
This is the UFC Philadelphia edition of On the Rise.
Kennedy Nzechukwu
The Contender Series has been a pipeline sending quality prospects to the UFC for two seasons and, this weekend, another member of the graduating class from Season Two will step into the Octagon for the first time.
Nzechukwu actually fought on each of the first two seasons of the prospect-finding series, but after edging out former TUF contestant Anton Berzin in Season One, he was inked to a developmental deal and told to garner a little more experience before coming back to try again in Season Two. The 26-year-old took the instructions to heart, posting a pair of stoppage wins on the regional circuit to push his record to 5-0 and he then put Dennis Bryant down in less than two minutes this past summer to punch his ticket to the UFC.
This weekend, the Fortis MMA representative gets an immediate test as he ventures into the Octagon for the first time when he takes on Scottish veteran Paul Craig. The submission specialist is just 2-3 through his first five UFC outings, but has proven himself to be a tough out with the ability to make opponents pay for the smallest mistakes.
Standing six-foot-five with a ridiculous 82-inch reach, the Nigerian-born Nzechukwu has similar measurements to reigning light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and has already shown a steadily improving understanding of how to maximize those advantages in the cage. As he continues to develop and sharpen his skills, the “African Savage” has the potential to blossom into an impact addition to the 205-pound weight class.
Kyler Phillips
Whenever you speak to MMA Lab leader John Crouch, he’ll often speak glowingly about the men and women who currently aren’t competing at the highest levels in the sport, but are busting their backsides in the gym every day nonetheless. Over the years, many of them have graduated to the UFC and, this weekend, Phillips joins the group.
Having already made appearances on both the Contender Series and The Ultimate Fighter, some UFC fans might already be familiar with what the 23-year-old bantamweight brings to the table, but for those who aren’t, it’s actually quite simple: Phillips is the latest in a long line of polished, talented fighters to emerge from the Glendale, Arizona fight camp and someone with the potential to be a factor in the 135-pound ranks over the next few years.
Phillips earned a sub-one-minute stoppage win over James Gray in his Contender Series appearance in Season One, then joined the cast of The Ultimate Fighter 27, where he competed up in weight and dropped a majority decision to eventual featherweight winner Brad Katona in the opening round.
After suffering the first official loss of his career to Josh Barnett protégé Victor Henry, Phillips rebounded with a first-round stoppage win at LFA 59 last month to push his record to 6-1 overall and secure his opportunity to compete in the Octagon this weekend.
Set to take on Ray Borg, Phillips has the opportunity to make a major splash in his promotional debut by knocking off a former title challenger. Although the bantamweight division is brimming with emerging talent at the moment, Phillips will find himself on the fast track to contention if he can roll into Philly and hand “The Tazmexican Devil” a second straight defeat.
Sabina Mazo
After racking up six wins in as many starts on the regional circuit, Mazo got the call to the Octagon and her debut this weekend offers the “Colombian Queen” a chance to make an immediate impression in her new surroundings.
The 22-year-old striker made waves on the regional circuit with consecutive first-round head-kick knockout wins under the LFA banner before defeating Invicta FC veteran Shannon Sinn to claim the promotion’s vacant flyweight title a little less than a year ago. She successfully defended the belt with a main event win over Carol Yariwaki seven months later and carries a ton of hype and momentum into her promotional debut on Saturday, where she squares off with the “Iron Lady,” Maryna Moroz.
Mazo has an aggressive, attacking style and the success she’s enjoyed at such a young age has many people projecting her to be a potential contender down the line. Working with Master Rafael Cordeiro and the team at Kings MMA will certainly help her in that pursuit, and a victory over the tough, durable, six-fight UFC veteran Moroz would be a great way to start her career inside the Octagon.
There are a number of promising young talents starting to make strides on the women’s side of the sport and Mazo has to be considered amongst the best of the bunch. We’ll see if that holds true after her first foray into the UFC cage.
