UFC 246 may be a top-heavy card, but it’s not short of potential future stars.
The night will be headlined by former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who takes on Donald Cerrone (36-13 MMA, 23-10 UFC) in a welterweight bout.
In the co-main event, former UFC bantamweight champ Holly Holm (12-5 MMA, 5-5 UFC) will rematch Raquel Pennington (10-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC), a bout that was rescheduled from UFC 243 due to an injury suffered by Holm. Their first meeting took place at UFC 184, where Holm edged out Pennington by split decision to make good on her UFC debut.
The card also features an array of young and bright talent, varying from Dana White’s Contender Series veterans to European talent.
Here are six prospects to look out for Jan. 18:
Maycee Barber
Hailed as “The Future,” Maycee Barber has lived up to her moniker so far. The Dana White’s Contender Series veteran is off to an undefeated start in her pro MMA career, and at only 21 has goals of becoming the youngest champion in UFC history.
Barber (8-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) started her UFC tenure at strawweight, where she picked up a third-round finish over Jamie Colleen to earn a UFC contract. She followed that up with a second-round finish over Hannah Cifers in her official UFC debut in November 2018.
She then decided to make the move up to flyweight since she thought the cut down to 115 pounds was detrimental to her body. Her success continued: She was able to score two more finishes over J.J. Aldrich and Gillian Robertson.
Up next is her stiffest test to date: a matchup against former UFC flyweight title challenger Roxanne Modafferi, 16 years her senior. She may be entering the fight as a heavy favorite, but there’s a lot of upside on the young Barber, who could propel herself one step closer to title contention, with a win on Jan. 18.
Nasrat Haqparast
Hard-hitting German-born Afghani lightweight Nasrat Haqparast is a force to be reckoned with.
His UFC debut came on short notice against Marcin Held in October 2017, and although he didn’t prevail, he impressed with his heavy hands and toughness.
Following his loss to Held, Haqparast (11-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) went on to win his next three in a row, picking up performance bonuses in two of them. His first UFC finish came in his last outing, when he blasted Joaquim Silva with a massive left in August to earn an extra $50,000 for his efforts.
On Jan. 18, Haqparast takes on fellow finisher Drew Dober, who is the far more experienced fighter, which should provide Haqaparast a solid step up in the stacked 155-pound division.
Sodiq Yusuff
Another Dana White’s Contender series standout Sodiq Yusuff has risen to become one of the most exciting prospects in the featherweight division.
Although he went the distance against current UFC fighter Mike Davis in his DWCS appearance, Yusuff (10-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) impressed with his power and technique to earn a UFC contract.
He went on to win his next three in a row over Suman Mokhtarian, Sheymon Moraes and Gabriel Benitez in his most recent outing at UFC 241, a fight in which he had to battle some early adversity before rebounding with a finish.
At UFC 246, he takes on a notable and experienced name in the division, Andre Fili, who’s competed against some of the division’s best. Fili is enjoying his best run in the UFC, having won four of his past five.
A win over the surging and battle-tested Fili would most certainly put the division on notice. Yusuff has the opportunity to hit the featherweight rankings with a win.
Grant Dawson
Training out of Glory MMA and Fitness, Grant Dawson proved why he’s one to watch when he took out “Ultimate Fighter” winner Mike Trizano.
Dawson (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) saw his momentum take a halt when, after securing a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series with a second-round submission over Adrian Diaz in 2017, he was forced to sit on the sidelines due to a USADA violation.
But 14 months later, Dawson was cleared of any wrongdoing and was able to resume his career. He defeated Julian Erosa in his UFC debut in March 2019, followed by the biggest win of his career, a second-round submission over Trizano at UFC on ESPN+ 10 in May.
Having initially calling out Shane Young, Dawson draws the scrappy and durable Chas Skelly instead at UFC 246, which should make for some fun scrambles and grappling exchanges – a solid test for Dawson at this point of his career.
Sabina Mazo
Former LFA women’s flyweight champion Sabina Mazo may have suffered her first pro loss in her UFC debut, but that doesn’t mean she can’t make waves in the division.
“Colombian Queen” Mazo (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) rebounded with a lopsided unanimous decision win over Shana Dobson at UFC 241 and draws a stern test in J.J. Aldrich at UFC 246.
Known for her devastating high kicks, Mazo got to show off some of her ground game in her most recent outing, proving that she’s a well-rounded fighter. In a relatively new division, a win over someone like Aldrich would be a good step in the right direction for the 22-year-old.
Aleksa Camur
The light heavyweight division could always use some new blood and the young and undefeated Aleksa Camur could provide just that.
Bosnian-born Camur (5-0), is a training partner of current UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at the Strong Style gym in Ohio, and scored his ticket to the UFC with a highlight-reel flying knee knockout over Fabio Cherant at Dana White’s Contender Series in July 2019.
Finally set to make his UFC debut at UFC 246, Camur will take on Justin Ledet, who has struggled against the upper echelon of the division, but holds three UFC wins to his name.
Standing at only 6 feet tall, Camur is a fairly small 205-pounder, but has shown no signs of any size disadvantages, notching finishes in all five of his pro wins.
