UFC Vegas 32: 5 names to look out for

#4. Miranda Maverick - UFC women's flyweight

UFC 260: Mullarkey v Worthy

As well as possessing one of the best alliterate names the UFC has ever seen, Miranda 'Fear The' Maverick has elite MMA skills. At UFC Vegas 32, she'll hope to climb even further up the women's flyweight ladder.

Having dominated fights in the highly regarded Invicta FC promotion, Maverick got the UFC call-up for the second stint on Fight Island last October. Against Liana Jojua on debut, Maverick showed she has more than just submission skills in her locker. Jojua's beaten and bloody face showed Maverick has power. The leading elbow that caused the damage showed Maverick has the striking ability to become a real problem in the flyweight division.

At UFC 260, Maverick dominated UFC veteran Gillian Robertson for three rounds on her way to collecting a unanimous decision victory. With an 11-2 MMA record and an unbeaten start in the UFC, Maverick is one to watch this weekend as she gets her toughest test yet.

At just 24 years old, Maverick's potential is off the charts. This weekend offers the chance to secure a third consecutive UFC win. Her main card opponent is Colorado's Maycee Barber. At the age of just 23, Barber also possesses a promising future in the sport. However, she'll be coming into this bout riding a two-fight losing streak.

After going 3-0 in the UFC, 'The Future' boasted wins over Robertson, JJ Aldrich and Hannah Cifers, and an unbeaten 8-0 MMA record. Back-to-back defeats to Roxanne Modafferi and Alexa Grasso have stalled her rise. With two young guns set to go toe-to-toe, both women are worth looking out for on Saturday night, especially Maverick

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#3. Brendan Allen - UFC middleweight

Brendan Allen (Image Credits: Chris Unger/Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

Enter Punahele Soriano's opponent this weekend. When two fighters from the same bout manage to make this list of five, you know their matchup is set to be a banger.

Since debuting in 2019, Brendan Allen has made his name known. A Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner, 'All In' is not far from securing a number next to his name. A win over Soriano at UFC Vegas 32 will take him a sizable step closer to the rankings.

The 25-year-old suffered his first loss in the UFC last November against Sean Strickland. The loss halted his UFC winning streak at three. But a hat-trick of wins prior had already established his name in the 185-pound division. After a first-round rear-naked choke paved the way for Allen in the promotion, he defeated one half of UFC Vegas 22 and 23's main event, Kevin Holland, in his debut; not a bad way to make an impression. Dominant performances against Tom Breese and Kyle Daukaus made it three wins in just nine months. It doesn’t need to be said how promising wins over those names are for a prospect.

Allen returned to the win column in style at UFC 261 in April. In front of the first sold-out crowd in over a year, the Carolina native secured a memorable first-round submission over Karl Roberson.

With seconds to spare in the first round, Brendan Allen forced Karl Roberson to tap! 👋#UFC261 pic.twitter.com/mYSeL1O16M

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) April 25, 2021

Allen has found a finish in 14 of his 16 wins and he'll be looking to add to that tally at UFC Vegas 32. With his finishing record and entertaining style, Allen is certainly one of the top names to look out for this weekend, especially given his opponent.