Fighters On The Rise | 2023, Part 1

Blanchfield followed up her impressive rookie campaign in 2021 with an even more scintillating second year inside the Octagon.

In June, the New Jersey native collected her third UFC victory with an opportunistic guillotine choke submission win over veteran JJ Aldrich, and in November, she strolled into Madison Square Garden against Molly McCann and made quick work of the popular Scouser. Despite being the hometown fighter, Blanchfield was booed at the ceremonial weigh-ins and during the introductions, but it didn’t bother her even a little, as she strolled into the Octagon, put McCann on the canvas, and forced her to tap to a first-round kimura before brushing off her shoulder to signify it was light work.

Now 4-0 in the UFC and 10-1 as a professional, with her lone loss coming by debated split decision to fellow emerging flyweight Tracy Cortez several years ago, Blanchfield might be the best overall prospect on the roster… and she’s only 23.

She’s already cracked the Top 10 and her upside is astronomical. A big fight should be in order to start her 2023 campaign, and no one should be surprised if “Cold Blooded” challenges for championship gold in the next couple years.

Sergei Pavlovich

In the span of seven months, Dolidze went from being an intriguing fighter returning following a one-year hiatus to being ranked in the Top 10 in the middleweight division.

His 2022 campaign started on June 18 in Austin, Texas, where the 34-year-old needed just 73 seconds to stop Kyle Daukaus. Four months later, he knocked out Phil Hawes, earning a second straight Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts.

Then in December, Dolidze jumped at the chance to replace Derek Brunson opposite veteran Jack Hermansson on the first card of the month, quickly returning to the Octagon for a high upside pairing with “The Joker.” That evening in Orlando, the burly Georgian catapulted himself into the Top 10 by collecting a second-round stoppage win over Hermansson, transitioning from a nasty calf slicer setup to heavy ground-and-pound to secure the finish… and another Performance of the Night bonus.

FLASHBACK: Griffin, Bonnar & The Night That Changed Everything

Dolidze may be a little older than the rest of the names on this list at 34, but he’s still just 13 fights into his MMA career and hasn’t logged a ton of miles in that time. He’s an excellent grappler with clear power, and it feels like he’s really starting to come into his own.

If you’re looking for a dark horse contender in the 185-pound weight class in 2023, Dolidze is your guy.

Shavkat Rakhmonov

Two fights, two wins, two finishes, and two bonuses — that was how things went for Rakhmonov in 2022.

Entering the year as one of the most intriguing emerging talents on the roster, the undefeated welterweight kicked off his campaign with a spinning hook kick finish of Carlston Harris in February. Four months later, he took a step up in competition and stopped Neil Magny, collecting a second-round submission win over the Top 15 stalwart in June.

Now 16-0 for his career (with 16 finishes) and four-for-four in the UFC, Rakhmonov closed out the year at No. 10 in the rankings, with an assignment against Fortis MMA standout Geoff Neal, who sits at No. 7, on tap for the first card of next year on January 14.

It’s a pivotal matchup to kick off his 2023 campaign, and if Rakhmonov continues his winning and finishing ways, “Nomad” will be ready to take up permanent residence in the upper echelon of the UFC welterweight division.

Jalin Turner

Turner’s emergence as a Top 15 fighter in the lightweight division has been several years in the making, but he only broke through in 2022.

The 27-year-old was talked about in hardcore circles when he first entered the sport, and impressed in his appearance on Season 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS), despite not getting a contract. But he stumbled out of the gate to start his UFC career and slipped into the background in the talent-rich 155-pound weight class.

Order UFC 283: Teixeira vs Hill

Two finishes in 2020 got him moving in the right direction again and a first-round submission win over DWCS grad Uros Medic at UFC 266 made plenty of folks sit up and take notice. This year, Turner posted back-to-back finishes over Jamie Mullarkey and Brad Riddell to break into the rankings and force everyone else to recognize him as a rising threat in the lightweight ranks.

While he’s already 18 fights deep into his career, you can see that Turner is only now starting to get completely comfortable inside the Octagon and learning how to use his tremendous size and length. His finishing instincts are sharp, his power is nasty for the lightweight division, and as he continues to figure out how to work behind long-range weapons, he’s only going to develop into even more of a nightmare matchup for those looking to hold onto their places in the rankings and anyone looking to climb the ladder at his expense.

Turner may have gotten over his adolescent fear of spiders, but everyone in the lightweight division should be afraid of “The Tarantula.”

Natalia Silva

It admittedly feels a little strange including a Top 5 fighter with a 10-0 record inside the Octagon on a list of emerging talents heading into next year, but hopefully 2023 will be the year when Allen finally — finally — gets the recognition he deserves as one of the top featherweights in the world.

The British standout started his 2022 campaign with a first-round stoppage win over Dan Hooker in London, and was having success through the opening five minutes of his main event clash with Calvin Kattar at the end of October before the New England Cartel member suffered a knee injury, bringing the fight to an unsatisfying end.

Allen starts 2023 as the odd man out in the title picture at featherweight, with champion Alexander Volkanovski venturing to lightweight in search of “Double Champ” status and Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett poised to battle for interim gold. But the engaging standout from Trimley St. Martin is next in line and brimming with talent — he simply hasn’t gotten a chance to show it on the absolute biggest stage just yet.

That opportunity should come next year, and no one should be surprised if it results in Allen emerging with championship gold wrapped around his waist.

Yes, he’s that good.

Raul Rosas Jr.

Rosas Jr. enters next year as one of the most intriguing fighters on the roster.

After earning a contract at age 17, “El Niño Problema” made his promotional debut at UFC 282, becoming the youngest fighter to ever compete and earn a victory inside the Octagon.

He didn’t look like an 18-year-old in that bout with Jay Perrin — he looked like someone that already knows who he is as a fighter, the benefits of playing to his strengths, and someone that is probably going to have to move up a division or two over time because he’s already got good size for a bantamweight and he’s only going to keep filling out and growing.

Like many aspiring youngsters, Rosas Jr. has designs on breaking Jon Jones’ record for being the youngest fighter to win UFC gold, and he’s got plenty of time to do it, which is why he’s such a fascinating fighter to watch heading into 2023.

He’s bound to stumble at some point — nearly everyone does — but Rosas Jr. made an excellent first impression and watching him attempt to chase down Jones’ record will be one of the more compelling stories to track not only next year, but through June 6, 2028, which is the day he’ll match Jones’ age when he won the light heavyweight title.

Tatsuro Taira