#4 Who says the UFC doesn't push younger fighters?
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One of the bigger criticisms of the UFC lately is that they don't push younger fighters as possible stars, which leads to the void at the top of the card that we've seen recently. Last night that wasn't the case.
When Khabib/Ferguson was called off the UFC could easily have elevated Alistair Overeem vs. Mark Hunt to the co-main event slot as they are big names who’ve topped cards before, or even Evans vs. Kelly, as Rashad is a former champ.
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Instead, they moved Lando Vannata - a raw prospect with star potential - into the slot against former TUFer David Teymur.
While Vannata fought well, it was actually Teymur who made a name for himself, as he outstruck and eventually out grappled Vannata to take the win. He then showed quite a bit of charisma in the post-fight interview, too.
The key now is how they're treated going forward. There's no reason why the UFC can't keep pushing Vannata, but they should also look to showcase Teymur. We've seen too many times in the past - see Bryan Barbarena - where a fighter picks up a big upset win and is then ignored.
Hopefully, they don't do that with Teymur. He could be a solid star for the UFC's European cards and ought to be pushed as such after last night’s showcase.
