Fighters on the Rise | UFC 302

First discovered on the Lookin’ For A Fight series, the 33-year-old from Queens is one of the more successful competitors from an era focused on attempting to unearth potential stars.

Entering his bout with Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos on Saturday, “Rude Boy” is 12-5 in the UFC, having gone 8-2 over his last 10 and won each of his last two starts. For the most part, he’s only lost to strong competition, and while he’s thus far failed to fight his way into the Top 15, Brown has been an absolute workhorse in the “Second 15,” posting victories over fellow residents Bryan Barberena, Alex Oliveira, Khaos Williams, and Muslim Salikhov.

His most recent win over Salikhov in February felt like a moment long in the making, featuring the kind of finish that highlighted the sharp, technical skills pundits have always acknowledged as a key part of Brown’s arsenal, while also featuring the kind of emotional outburst afterwards that showed how hard the nine-year UFC veteran has been working to achieve that kind of result.

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There are finishes that are going to best it in the Knockout of the Year race, but in terms of technique and just how pretty it was, there have been few better this year, or in recent years, for that matter. Midway through the opening round, Brown put together a lovely one-one-two combination, sliding off to his left just a little with each shot, until the swift right hand found Salikhov’s chin and put the welterweight stalwart on the deck.

Brown is 6-1 over his last seven, with his only loss in that stretch coming in Perth against Jack Della Maddalena, and if he adds another win to his resume on Saturday, he could very well make a case for having a number next to his name. His opponent, dos Santos, is a comparable figure in a comparable position, and if Brown can post another strong outing against another “Second 15” inhabitant in the main card opener this weekend, there will be a few more folks recognizing how good he’s been over these last several years on Sunday morning.

Cesar Almeida

We go from a tenured talent to a man making his second UFC start in shifting from Brown to Almeida, though the Brazilian is not your typical sophomore.

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Almeida turned 36 at the end of March and won his promotional debut 10 days later, dispatching Dylan Budka two minutes and change into the second round of their clash at the UFC APEX. It was the fifth consecutive win in as many starts for the MMA neophyte, who only made a couple sporadic appearances in the cage between kickboxing appearances before rolling into the Contender Series last season and impressing the UFC CEO.

He earned 47 wins in 57 appearances as a kickboxer, including a win over current light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira, and has looked good through his audition and debut, setting up this weekend’s step up in competition against Roman Kopylov.

You have to appreciate the moxie of someone like Almeida registering a dominant victory over a fellow freshman and then hustling right back into a clash with a fighter like Kopylov, who was on a four-fight finishing streak and knocking on the door of the rankings before losing his 2024 debut to Anthony Hernandez in February. It’s a clear “let’s see where I stand” situation, which is the right direction for Almeida to take, given his age and the depth of the division at the moment, and while the risk is high, so too are the potential rewards.

Things are very fluid in the middleweight division at the moment, especially in 11-25 range, where a couple good wins can do big things for your standing in the rankings. This is Almeida’s opportunity to expedite his rise and try to catch opponents before there is too much tape available on him, and it feels like a sound gamble for the intriguing first-year UFC fighter.

Andre Lima

Lima was part of the strangest fight of 2024 back in March, winning his bout with Igor da Silva by disqualification after he was bitten by his compatriot midway through the second round. While he commemorated the moment by getting the bite mark tattooed on his arm, the unimaginable ending actually does a bit of a disservice to the DWCS grad because it reduces his win down to that infraction, and that shouldn’t be the case.

The 25-year-old showcased pieces of his grappling game and dynamic striking offense, attacking both a guillotine and an omoplata in the opening round, as well as planting a tomahawk elbow on Severino’s forehead that left him with a knot. His durability and activity, especially off his back, clearly frustrated his opponent, and while we didn’t get to see more of Lima’s game because of the early stoppage, the glimpses we did see were encouraging.

“Mascote” is now 8-0 overall and has crafted that mark facing solid competition, with only one of his early foes having a sub .500 record. He earned stoppages in five of his six wins on the regional circuit before going the distance last October in his contract-winning turn, and now makes a relatively quick turnaround for his sophomore appearance in the Octagon this weekend against Mitch Raposo.

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Still just 25 years old, Raposo got a look on Season 29 of The Ultimate Fighter, losing to Liudvik Sholinian in the opening round, and than ran into Jake Hadley on Season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series. He’s won four straight since that contest, collecting finishes in each bout, and has long been considered a prospect to watch in the 125-pound ranks.

While Raposo is tagging in on short notice, this is still a quality test for Lima in his second UFC start, as he gets paired off with a respected regional standout looking to make the most of his call-up. A victory isn’t necessarily going to hustle him into the rankings, but it’s an opportunity for the Lucas Martins trainee to log more time in the Octagon, show more of his game, and keep building experience as he continues to work forward in the talent-rich 125-pound weight class.