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At UFC 273, both the featherweight and bantamweight titles will be on the line in a blockbuster event full of big names. Alexander Volkanovski, Chan Sung Jung, Petr Yan, Aljamain Sterling and Khamzat Chimaev will all no doubt draw a lot of attention.
However, as is always the case, there are are a number of extremely talented individuals hidden throughout the prelims. The following list will detail five fighters that UFC fans should keep an eye on at UFC 273. Honorable mentions go to Vinc Pichel, Piera Rodriguez, and Mike Malott.
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#5. Julio Arce - UFC 273 early prelims
At UFC 273, Julio Arce will take on promotional debutant Daniel Santos in a bantamweight bout that promises to produce fireworks. Santos is an exciting prospect, but Arce is a tried and tested UFC fighter, who has proved he can hang with the best in the division.
Arce already has KO finishes over Andre Ewell and Julian Erosa, as well as a decision win against current No.10-ranked featherweight Dan Ige. Arce came up short in his most recent bout against Song Yadong and is looking to get himself back up amongst the top of the division.
The fight takes place in the early prelims and is not to be missed. Expect an all-action brawl with a likely KO finish.
#4. Raquel 'Rocky' Pennington - UFC 273 featured prelims bout
A veteran of the women's bantamweight division, Raquel Pennington steps up on short notice to face off against Aspen Ladd in a featured preliminary bout of UFC 273.
Ladd is the favorite in this fight, but 'Rocky' is not a fighter that can be overlooked. Currently riding a three-fight win streak, Pennington is in the midst of a career resurgence.
'Rocky' outboxed Pannie Kianzad and Marion Reneau to pick up two unanimous decision victories. In her most recent bout, she took on Macy Chiasson. To the shock of many onlookers, Pennington locked up a modified guillotine submission, choking Chiasson out. Another win here for Pennington may well begin to propel her towards the title picture once again.
#3. Mark 'The Olympian' Madsen - UFC 273 early prelims
Undefeated UFC lightweight Mark Madsen will take on fan favorite Vinc 'From Hell' Pichel in yet another high-level fight hidden in the early prelims. Both men are riding impressive win streaks and are on the fringes of the division's top 15.
Madsen signed for the UFC in 2019 and has since picked up wins over Danilo Belluardo, Austin Hubbard, and most recently Clay Guida. Prior to signing with the UFC, Madsen competed on the Cage Warriors circuit, primarily in his home country of Denmark.
Before MMA, Madsen was a Greco-Roman wrestler, having competed at the very top of the sport. As the nickname 'The Olympian' implies, Madsen competed at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, capturing the silver medal in the 75kg weight division.
#2. Dricus 'Stillknocks' Du Plessis - UFC 273 main card
Dricus Du Plessis was initially scheduled to face off against Anthony 'Fluffy' Hernandez in the prelims of UFC 273. However, with less than two weeks from the pay-per-view, Du Plessis volunteered to face Kelvin Gastelum as the former interim title challenger had his opponent drop out due to visa issues.
Du Plessis is considered by many to be one of the top prospects in the division. However, Gastelum has been competing with the very best at middleweight for some time now. He may not be winning all his bouts, but the Mexican-American has been competitive with the likes of Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker and Jared Cannonier.
This is Du Plessis' chance to prove he is of an elite caliber. Gastelum's chin has never let him down in the past, so it is quite likely that in order to win, Du Plessis will have to go the full three rounds. This is a fight that could well introduce 'Stillknocks' to the masses in a big way.
#1. Ian 'The Future' Garry - UFC 273 prelims
Former Cage Warriors welterweight champion Ian Garry made his promotional debut at UFC 268. 'The Future' knocked Jordan Williams out in the first round, instantly putting the welterweight division on watch.
At UFC 273, Garry will face off against Darian Weeks. This is a fight that Garry needs to win if he is to live up to his nickname 'The Future'. Weeks is 0-1 inside the UFC, having stepped in on short notice against Bryan Barberena at UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Aldo.
UFC 273 represents another high-profile spot for Garry to make a name for himself. A spectacular finish would certainly begin to make fans draw comparisons between Garry and another famous Irish fighter.
