5 championship caliber prospects to keep an eye on at UFC 276

UFC 276 will likely go down as one of the most memorable events of the year when it's all said and done. The stacked fight card will be underway this weekend at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It features two championship bouts atop the bill, in addition to numerous rising contenders on the undercard.

Middleweight and featherweight kingpins Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski will look to defend their titles at the upcoming pay-per-view. The card also features legends like Robbie Lawler, Donald Cerrone and Jim Miller.

UFC 276 concept poster [Image via @needingart on Instagram]

Apart from the title fights atop the card, a number of up-and-coming contenders will be eager to make the most of the opportunity and emerge victorious in their respective bouts. A ton of attention tends to encompass pay-per-views that cap off International Fight Week and it remains to be seen which fighters will steal the show.

Here are five championship caliber prospects to keep an eye on at UFC 276.

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#5. Dricus du Plessis – UFC middleweight

South Africa's Dricus du Plessis is among the most exciting prospects in the middleweight division. The highly credentialled 185-pounder is a devastating finisher and possesses a 100% finish rate. During his gold-laden run outside the UFC, du Plessis accrued five knockouts and nine submission victories.

He was a two-division champion in the South African regional MMA scene and even won a belt in top European promotion KSW before signing with the UFC.

In his octagon debut last year, Dricus du Plessis picked up a first-round TKO victory over Markus Perez, before adding to his tally of finishes with his scorching performance against Trevin Giles.

With two finishes in his first two outings, the South African was matched up with ranked contender and former title challenger Kelvin Gastelum.

Unfortunately, the fight fell through, which is a shame as Gastelum is a notable figure in the division.

Nevertheless, du Plessis will look to further extend his win streak and uphold his impeccable finish rate when he takes on No.12-ranked Brad Tavares at UFC 276. A win over Tavares will likely see du Plessis break into the top 15 at 185 pounds.

#4. Jalin Turner – UFC lightweight

Jalin Turner is arguably the best-unranked lightweight in the UFC right now. The American is currently riding a four-fight win streak, with all four bouts ending via either knockout or submission.

Like the previous entry on this list, Turner also boasts a 100% finish rate. Out of his 12 career wins thus far, 'The Tarantula' has picked up nine KO/TKO wins and three submissions. At 6'3", he is also the tallest 155-pounder on the roster and his opponents have struggled against his range management and striking accuracy.

In his last two appearances inside the octagon, Jalin Turner choked out Uros Medic before knocking out Jamie Mullarkey. Still just 27-years-old, it's scary to imagine just how good this budding lightweight will become if he continues to improve.

At UFC 276, Turner will have a chance to break into the top 15 of the lightweight division when he squares off against No.14-ranked Brad Riddell. Both fighters are tough as nails and possess the finishing ability to end one another's night prematurely, which should make for a fun fight.

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#3. Andre Muniz – UFC middleweight

Andre Muniz is one of the most interesting contenders in the middleweight division. The Brazilian is quite far off a shot at Israel Adesanya's throne at the moment. Nonetheless, he remains an ominous presence at 185 pounds.

Muniz secured a UFC contract following a submission win on Dana White's Contender Series in 2019. He put together a four-fight win streak upon joining the promotion's 185-pound weight class, of which three came via submission.

The grappling phenom's fight against MMA veteran Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza served as a real statement of intent.

'Jacare' was the resident submission specialist in the division at the time. Muniz not only secured an armbar against the multi-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion, he managed to break Souza's arm as well. In his last outing, he submitted Eryk Anders to advance into the rankings.

Andre Muniz will have a chance to potentially break into the top ten of the middleweight division at UFC 276, where he is slated to take on TUF alum Uriah Hall. 'Prime Time' occupies the No.9 spot on the 185-pound ladder, while Muniz sits at No.13.

With middleweight king Israel Adesanya having lapped the top tier of the division, the new wave of contenders will make the weight class a whole lot more interesting. Muniz is certainly an intriguing stylistic matchup for the champion, but before we can fantasize about that, he'll have to get through Hall.

#2. Sean O'Malley – UFC bantamweight

Sean O'Malley adopted a unique approach to mapping out his career early on and it seems to be paying dividends.

O'Malley signed with the promotion following a jaw-dropping knockout victory on Dana White's Contender Series, going viral as a result. Up until his last outing against Raulian Paiva, 'Sugar' drew criticism for fighting unranked bantamweights, rather than high-level opposition, and he claimed that he would welcome the step-up in competition if his pay improves.

Having recently signed a new contract, O'Malley is now set to make a run up the bantamweight rankings.

Sean O'Malley holds the No.13 berth in the 135-pound rankings. This weekend, he will look to break into the upper echelons of the division when he locks horns with perennial contender Pedro Munhoz, who occupies the No.9 spot.

Munhoz has never been finished in his professional career, despite having shared the octagon with multiple former champions. If O'Malley can come away with a statement-making win against the durable Brazilian, expect his stardom to reach new heights as he moves closer to a shot at gold.

Munhoz vs. O'Malley fan-made poster [Image via @sugaseanmma on Instagram]

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#1. Alex Pereira – UFC middleweight

The third middleweight on this list, Alex Pereira, is one of the most decorated and accomplished kickboxers on the planet.

'Poatan' has gained a reputation for possessing an astonishing amount of power and has produced some brutal knockouts in the kickboxing ring. Furthermore, the hard-hitting Brazilian remains the only fighter to have knocked out the reigning UFC middleweight kingpin, Israel Adesanya.

Alex Pereira started competing in MMA in 2015 and put together a 3-1 record before being signed by the UFC. He made his octagon debut at Madison Square Garden in New York City last year, where he took on Andreas Michailidis.

‘Poatan’ displayed his defensive grappling abilities on the mat in the first round and knocked Michailidis out with a spectacular flying knee in the second.

In his second appearance in the octagon, Pereira earned a unanimous decision win over Bruno Silva, further establishing himself as one of the most dangerous middleweights around.

Somewhat surprisingly, Pereira was subsequently booked to take on No.4-ranked contender Sean Strickland at UFC 276, despite not having a number next to his name. A win over Strickland would likely see 'Poatan' take a massive leap forward in his goal to run it back with former foe Israel Adesanya.