5 UFC fighters poised to break out as superstars in 2023

Every year seems to produce a bunch of new stars in the UFC, and 2022 was no different, with the likes of Alex Pereira and Sean O’Malley really coming to the forefront.

With 2023 almost upon us, which UFC fighters are poised to break out as potential superstars in the New Year?

Obviously, it’s always hard to predict which fighters might catch on with the fans – or who might go on a winning run – but the following are already garnering plenty of attention and look very capable of making a mark next year.

Here are five UFC fighters poised to break out as new stars in 2023.

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#5. Adrian Yanez – UFC bantamweight contender

Adrian Yanez is one of the most exciting prospects in the game

One fighter who could definitely break out as a genuine star for the UFC in 2023 is rising bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez. Even if he doesn’t become a true title contender, it feels like becoming a popular action fighter is definitely in his future.

Yanez debuted in the octagon back in October 2020 after a win on Dana White’s Contender Series. Since then, he’s thrilled fans by winning five bouts in the octagon. Four of those victories came via KO/TKO, and each of these fight saw him claim a $50k performance bonus.

Essentially, Yanez has some of the heaviest strikes in the 135lbs division, but more importantly, he’s willing to risk everything by trading with his opponents in wild fashion. Sure, that’s a risky approach, but to this point, his chin has held up incredibly well.

The one thing we haven’t seen the Texan fighter do just yet is face off with an elite-level opponent. None of his five victims, save for Davey Grant, were real veterans of the game, and none of them were ranked in the top fifteen.

Hopefully, the UFC can match him with a ranked foe in the early part of 2023. If he can win, then there’s no disputing the idea that he’s a genuine title contender.

Even if he doesn’t, though, he could well become a star anyway, thanks to his thrilling fighting style.

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#4. Jack Della Maddalena – UFC welterweight contender

Jack Della Maddalena might be the next big thing to come out of Australia

Australia and New Zealand have produced a number of UFC stars in recent years, from Robert Whittaker and Dan Hooker to Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski. Based on what he’s done so far, the next star to come from 'Down Under' might be Jack Della Maddalena.

It seems hard to believe now, but Maddalena only debuted at the beginning of 2022, putting away Pete Rodriguez via TKO.

Since then, he’s finished another two foes in the first round, destroying veterans Ramazan Emeev and Danny Roberts and making it look remarkably easy both of the times. His finish of Roberts, in particular, was impressive, as he essentially had to hurt ‘Hot Chocolate’ only twice to put him away.

There are plenty of questions about Maddalena, most notably over his ground game and his cardio. Still, you simply can’t question either his striking skills or his sheer ferocity inside the octagon. Those two attributes alone should make him a must-see fighter.

It’s likely that we won’t have to wait long to see Maddalena in action in 2023. He seems destined to fight at UFC 284, which is set to take place in his home city of Perth.

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#3. Casey O’Neill – UFC flyweight contender

A healthy Casey O'Neill could bring excitement to the women's flyweight division

At the start of 2022, big things were anticipated for undefeated flyweight contender Casey O’Neill. ‘King’ had reeled off three wins in 2021 to take her record to 8-0, and ended the year by beating Antonina Shevchenko, the sister of reigning UFC champ Valentina.

However, while she impressed in a victory over former title challenger Roxanne Modafferi in February, disaster struck shortly afterwards. The Scottish-born fighter suffered a torn ACL that forced her out of a planned fight with Jessica Eye, and she’s been on the shelf since.

However, with her rehab reportedly going well, ‘King’ looks ready to return to the octagon in 2023, perhaps even as early as March.

Assuming she doesn’t have any lasting effects from her knee surgery, it’s definitely likely that she’ll vault herself right back into title contention with a comeback win.

Given that there aren't many legit title-contenders at flyweight, O’Neill would have to then be considered a title threat. With an exciting fighting style and a charismatic personality, too, she could become the new star who challenges 'The Bullet' for her throne in 2023.

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#2. Shavkat Rakhmonov – UFC welterweight contender

Shavkat Rakhmonov has already proven himself to be a deadly finisher

It’s arguable that Shavkat Rakhmonov has already become a star thanks to his two stellar performances in 2022. However, ‘The Nomad’ is currently ranked at No.10 in the welterweight division, and he has yet to really produce a breakout showing.

That should change when he returns to action at some point in 2023. The native of Kazakhstan is scheduled to fight on the first card of the year, and he hasn’t drawn an easy foe at all.

Geoff Neal is currently ranked above Rakhmonov at No.6, and holds wins over the likes of Vicente Luque, Belal Muhammad, and Santiago Ponzinibbio. However, Neal has been outstruck before, most notably by Stephen Thompson in 2020.

More to the point, he also holds a recent loss to Neil Magny, who was whitewashed by ‘The Nomad’ in June this year. MMA math doesn’t always pan out, but Rakhmonov does appear to have more overall skills, and that should make him the favourite to beat Neal.

If he can do that in his usual style, then it’s almost certain that he’ll become a major star. ‘The Nomad’ is wildly aggressive, and he’s also a deadly finisher, with eight wins via knockout and eight via submission.

Essentially, there’s a reason that some fans were clamoring for Rakhmonov to fight Khamzat Chimaev at some point in the future – and if he can become a star in 2023, that clamor will only get louder.

Like 'Borz', Rakhmonov holds an undefeated pro-MMA record. He's an astounding 16-0 in his MMA career.

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#1. Magomed Ankalaev – UFC light-heavyweight contender

Magomed Ankalaev could become a UFC champion before 2023 begins

Given that he’s now set to fight for the UFC light heavyweight title in the main event of a major pay-per-view next month, there’s every chance that Magomed Ankalaev could explode into stardom before 2023 is upon us.

While the Dagestani should be considered the favorite to defeat Jan Blachowicz for the title recently vacated by Jiri Prochazka, his stoic persona might mean that he takes a while to endear himself to the fans. This is what happened in the case of Anderson Silva and Khabib Nurmagomedov, for instance.

His powerful wrestling is obviously his base, but with a heavy-handed striking style and an apparently strong chin, he doesn’t appear to have any real weaknesses.

And while he’s come under criticism at times for a "dull fighting style," similar criticisms were once raised at Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, only for them to go out of the window once the finishes started coming.

Essentially, then, if Ankalaev can find a way to finish Blachowicz – and can hold onto the title that he’d claim with that win throughout 2023 – then it’s hard to imagine him not being labeled the “205lbs Khabib.”