UFC Vegas 30: 5 names to look out for

#2 Ciryl Gane - UFC heavyweight

UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik v Gane

On Saturday, third-ranked UFC heavyweight Ciryl Gane will compete in his second consecutive main event. The Frenchman's rise has been equally rapid and impressive.

'Bon Gamin' debuted in the UFC as a 3-0 heavyweight in 2019. Despite lacking MMA experience, Gane's unbeaten Muay Thai background was enough to convince the UFC to sign him. Five fights later and Gane has maintained the undefeated start to his career and racked up wins against the likes of Tanner Boser, former champion Junior dos Santos and, most recently, knockout machine Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

Having entered the heavyweight top three, Gane will be looking to make his case for a title shot against the dangerous Alexander Volkov. 'Drago has been one of the top names in the division for a while now and has an abundance of main event experience. If Gane can defeat the Russian, it'll send a message to the likes of Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis.

Gane is France's best hope for a UFC champion and he'll hope to move a step closer to gold this weekend.

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#1 Shavkat Rakhmonov - UFC welterweight

UFC 254: Oliveira v Rakhmonov

Not many fights fulfill the veteran vs. prospect criteria to the extent of this UFC Vegas 30 matchup. The fight between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Michel Prazeres will see an unbeaten 26-year-old make his second walk to the octagon to face a 13-fight UFC veteran who's a month away from turning 40.

Shavkat Rakhmonov is about as promising as any prospect in the UFC right now. Prior to his UFC debut last year, the Kazkhstani welterweight had built a perfect 12-0 record that included 12 finishes, six of which came in the very first round. That's some way to build your name in MMA.

Not much says a promotion recognizes your potential like matching you up with Alex Oliveira for your debut. 'Cowboy' boasts wins over Carlos Condit and Tim Means, and he's faced the likes of Donald Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson and Gilbert Burns. Rakhmonov arrived in style, submitting the Brazilian in under five minutes.

Namağlup Kazak dövüşçü Shavkat Rakhmonov, ilk UFC maçında Alex Oliveira'yı birinci rauntta guillotine choke ile pes ettirdi. #UFC254 pic.twitter.com/qDtnAGzoLV

— Ara Sahne (@AraSahne) October 24, 2020

Rakhmonov will look to maintain his 100% finishing rate at UFC Vegas 30. However, his opponent, Michel Prazeres, hasn't been finished in his 29-fight career so far. Three decision losses to Paulo Thiago, Kevin Lee and Ismail Naurdiev are his only MMA defeats.

Across the Atlantic, 'Nomad' established his name with his performances under the promotional banner of M-1 Global. It's been clear to those of us from Europe that Rakhmonov has the potential to make waves in the UFC. If he can follow up his debut win with a victory over Prazeres this weekend, he'll have well and truly made his name known in the UFC.