5 fighters who are flying under the radar going into UFC 268

#4. Phil Hawes – UFC middleweight

Phil Hawes might be the UFC middleweight division's best prospect

The UFC middleweight division has plenty of interesting prospects and rising stars, but at the top of the list might be Phil Hawes.

‘Megatron’ made his UFC debut last year after putting together a record of 8-2. He quickly put himself on the map with his violent knockout of Jacob Malkoun.

Since then, he’s also defeated Nassourdine Imavov and Kyle Daukaus, looking impressive in both of those wins. A highly decorated collegiate wrestler, Hawes has the kind of athletic talent that simply can’t be taught and the rest of his MMA game is quickly catching up to his takedowns.

UFC 268 will see Hawes face off with Chris Curtis. The newcomer has been given the opportunity to take on ‘Megatron’ after agreeing to fight him on late notice in October in a fight that was eventually scrapped. With a record of 26-8, Curtis has far more experience than his opponent this weekend, but he’s also a career welterweight who has never really faced an opponent as explosive as Hawes.

That means the 32-year-old should have an opportunity to pick up the second stoppage of his UFC career. With eyeballs almost guaranteed to be on his fight, it’s his chance to really step into the spotlight.

‘Megatron’ might be flying under the radar going into this event, but if he performs as he’s capable of doing, that shouldn’t be the case after UFC 268.

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#3. Edmen Shahbazyan – UFC middleweight

The best may still be yet to come for Edmen Shahbazyan

Just over a year ago, it looked like Edmen Shahbazyan was destined for greatness in the UFC middleweight division. He began 2020 as an undefeated prospect and was coming off the biggest win of his career, a knockout of Brad Tavares at UFC 244.

However, ‘The Golden Boy’ suffered his first defeat when he was beaten by Derek Brunson last August. When he returned to action this May, he fell to another disappointing loss at the hands of Jack Hermansson. Those two losses seem to have shunted Shahbazyan down the ladder in the eyes of the fans and have him flying under the radar. However, to write him off entirely would be foolish.

The Armenian-American is still just 23 years old, meaning he hasn’t even reached his athletic prime yet. He’s already shown that he has the all-round skills to reach the top of the middleweight division with a little more improvement. Even in his losses, he displayed extreme toughness.

This weekend sees ‘The Golden Boy’ attempt to rebound from those losses, but it won’t be easy. His opponent Nassourdine Imavov is a very tough out for any 185lber and his only UFC loss came against Phil Hawes. Unless Shahbazyan is at his best, he could make things very difficult.

However, if ‘The Golden Boy’ has improved as most observers expect him to have, then he should be able to pick up his fifth UFC win, putting him right back on the ladder into contention.