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

#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.