#4. Brendan Allen – UFC middleweight
One of the more underrated fighters set to compete at UFC 275 this weekend is middleweight Brendan Allen. ‘All In’ is set to headline the preliminary portion of the card, facing off with Australia’s Jacob Malkoun in what could be an intriguing bout.
It doesn’t feel like Allen has been around all that long, but 2022 is actually his third year inside the octagon. He debuted way back in October 2019 with a rear-naked choke victory over Kevin Holland.
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Since then, Allen has picked up a further five victories in the promotion, most recently submitting veteran Sam Alvey. However, his losses to Sean Strickland and, in particular, Chris Curtis have kept him from really breaking through into the upper echelon at 185 pounds.
Despite those losses, Allen does have the potential to become an elite-level fighter. He’s got finishing skills in all areas, with five of his career wins coming via knockout and 10 via submission. At the age of 26, he’s probably just about reaching his athletic prime.
A win over Malkoun won’t move ‘All In’ into the middleweight top 15, but it would definitely put him in line for a bigger fight that could move him into the rankings in the future, meaning he’s a man to watch this weekend.
#3. Danaa Batgerel – UFC bantamweight
Okay, so after three years inside the octagon, it’s probably safe to say that Danaa Batgerel is probably not going to develop into a contender for the UFC bantamweight title any time soon. However, he’s still an under-the-radar fighter to keep an eye on this weekend.
Why is this? Simply put, ‘Storm’ is one of the more exciting fighters on the current roster, with his aggressive striking style tending to lead to plenty of finishes inside the octagon.
Last time we saw Batgerel in action, he came out on the wrong end of a bad knockout as Chris Gutierrez leveled him with one of the best spinning backfists in UFC history. Prior to that, though, the Mongolian had reeled off three victories via KO or TKO.
This weekend will see ‘Storm’ face off with Korea’s Kang Hyo Kung, an aggressive and dangerous fighter in his own right, although he’s more of a grappler than a striker. In fact, 11 of his 17 career wins have come via tapout.
With that considered, it’s likely that this fight will produce a finish of some kind, making it hugely watchable. If Batgerel can land his trademark heavy hands, then all eyes will be on him after all is said and done.