5 high-level prospects to keep an eye on at UFC Fight Night: Calvin Kattar vs. Josh Emmett

#4. Julian Marquez – UFC middleweight prospect

Julian Marquez is a dangerous finisher in all areas

Although he’s now 32 years old and has been with the UFC for a while, it’s probably still fair to call Julian Marquez a prospect as he’s still got the potential to make it to the top of the middleweight division.

In fact, realistically, the only thing that has held ‘The Cuban Missile Crisis’ back thus far has been the fact that he hasn’t fought all that much in recent years, as he was out of action between 2018 and 2021.

Since then, though, he’s come back to form in a big way, submitting both Maki Pitolo and Sam Alvey in impressive fashion last year, although you’ve got to go back to last April to find the last time he entered the octagon.

How good can Marquez be? It’s probably fair to say that the sky is the limit for him. He’s got knockout power in his hands and feet, as we saw when he knocked out Phil Hawes on Dana White’s Contender Series, and he’s also more than capable of submitting foes, too.

The one question mark hanging over ‘The Cuban Missile Crisis’ is probably his gas tank, as he tired in his loss to Alessio Di Chirico in 2018, but even that fight was close and could’ve gone either way.

If Marquez can beat striker Gregory Rodrigues this weekend, which he should be favored to do so, then the UFC should probably consider moving him up against a ranked opponent to see how he does. Overall, he’s definitely a fighter to keep an eye on.

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#3. Kyle Daukaus – UFC middleweight prospect

Kyle Daukaus' grappling skills could take him to the top of the middleweight division

The third middleweight prospect on this weekend’s card is Kyle Daukaus, who is set to face off against Roman Dolidze in the opening bout of the night. To be frank, quite why Daukaus has been relegated to the opening fight is a mystery.

Sure, his overall octagon record isn’t actually that great – he’s 2-2-1 – but his two losses came against a pair of legitimate fighters in Phil Hawes and Brendan Allen, and he looked excellent in his wins over Dustin Stoltzfus and Jamie Pickett.

More to the point, Daukaus had already made a step up of sorts when he fought Kevin Holland in October 2021. While the fight was declared a no contest when ‘Trailblazer’ was knocked out by an accidental headbutt, Daukaus was looking excellent until that point.

A well-rounded fighter with finishing skills in all areas, Daukaus’ submissions are clearly his best weapon as he’s scored nine victories via tapout throughout his career. Can he submit Dolidze this weekend? The Georgian is a dangerous grappler in his own right, but this does look like a winnable fight for Daukaus on paper.

If he can pull off the win, then Daukaus should definitely be a fighter worth watching as he’s still only 29 and may not have reached his athletic prime yet. In conclusion, this is a fight that shouldn't be as low on the card as it is, and it’s definitely worth catching.