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UFC 287 takes place this weekend in Miami, Florida. Unsurprisingly, most eyes will be on the two headline bouts, Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya and Jorge Masvidal vs. Gilbert Burns.
UFC 287’s two headline bouts are not the only ones worth keeping an eye on this weekend, as the event features a very deep card featuring some of the promotion’s most outstanding fighters.
Could one of these fighters steal the show and be the most talked-about star this time next week? Given their talent, it’s highly possible.
Here are five fighters who could steal the show at UFC 287.
#5. Kevin Holland – UFC welterweight
While he’s coming off two straight losses, welterweight Kevin Holland remains the kind of fighter who is capable of stealing any show that he appears on.
‘Trailblazer’ has become a favorite with both the fans and the UFC brass over the past few years, largely for the same reasons. He seems willing to fight anyone at any time, and inside the octagon, he’s aggressive to a fault.
The back end of 2022 didn’t go so well for him, as he suffered a late-notice loss to Khamzat Chimaev, then suffered a broken hand during his epic brawl with Stephen Thompson, resulting in a corner stoppage.
That means that Holland probably needs to beat Santiago Ponzinibbio this weekend if he wants to keep any traction going in the welterweight division.
Ponzinibbio won’t be an easy out by any means. The Argentine is a hard-hitting fighter who loves to bring the heat to his opponents. However, he is arguably past his best now, which could give Holland an opening to find victory, either on the feet or on the ground.
Either way, with three performance bonuses in his last four fights, it’s likely that ‘Trailblazer’ will produce fireworks of some kind this weekend. If he can do that and win, then he can definitely steal the show.
#4. Michelle Waterson-Gomez – UFC strawweight
Given that she’s headlined three of the last five events she’s featured on, it’s a surprise to see Michelle Waterson-Gomez on this weekend’s preliminary card.
After all, ‘The Karate Hottie’ remains one of the most instantly recognizable faces in the UFC’s strawweight division, even if she’s struggled for form recently.
So could Waterson-Gomez’s bout with Luana Pinheiro steal the show this weekend? It’s definitely possible – and maybe not in the way that some might initially think.
‘The Karate Hottie’ is currently ranked at No.10 in the 115-pound division, and so a win over Pinheiro probably won’t move her up the ladder.
However, the Brazilian is probably the most beatable foe Waterson-Gomez has been matched with in a while, and so if she wins, it could be in entertaining fashion.
If she loses, though – which is very possible given Pinheiro is 10-1 in MMA and is unbeaten in the octagon – then there is the off chance that she could decide to hang up her gloves.
After all, Waterson-Gomez turned 37 years old in January, has a young family, and has reportedly already thought about life after the UFC.
If this hugely popular fighter did decide to call it a day, then it’d instantly become one of the biggest moments of the year thus far, allowing ‘The Karate Hottie’ to steal the show in a different kind of way this weekend.
#3. Chris Curtis – UFC middleweight
A mark of how loaded UFC 287 is can be seen in the fact that the preliminary card has a bout between two ranked middleweights in the form of Chris Curtis and Kelvin Gastelum.
Sure, they’re not ranked all that highly, with Curtis at No.14 and Gastelum at No.15, but the fact that they’re even near the top of a loaded division like 185 pounds is impressive.
Of the two, though, it’s Curtis who is more likely to steal the show this weekend. ‘Action Man’ has made five appearances in the octagon thus far, winning four of them. More importantly, though, three of those wins have come via nasty knockouts.
Curtis isn’t the most naturally talented fighter, but he’s tough, experienced, and at the age of 35, he knows his window of time to reach the very top might be limited. Therefore, he fights like it too, never taking a backward step.
Gastelum is arguably his toughest test to date, but it’s also fair to say that the TUF 17 winner hasn’t been on the best form recently. He’s lost five of his last six bouts, and hasn’t fought since August 2021.
Despite this, his wrestling, striking power and toughness should provide ‘Action Man’ with a difficult fight.
If Curtis can get through this one unscathed, though, then not only could it be time to push him up to the elite level, but he may well steal the show too.
#2. Raul Rosas Jr. – UFC bantamweight
Outside of the two headline bouts, it feels like the fighter competing at UFC 287 with the most hype around them is bantamweight prospect Raul Rosas Jr.
‘El Nino Problema’ isn’t anywhere near the top 15 at 135 pounds yet, and even an impressive win over opponent Christian Rodriguez won’t take him there. However, at the age of just 18, to say he’s got time to develop would be an understatement.
The fact is that Rosas Jr. is one of the hottest and most talented prospects to break into the UFC in years. Despite his tender age, he has seemingly everything needed to reach the top.
Based on the small sample size that we’ve seen thus far, he can wrestle well, has a dangerous grappling game, and has heavy striking on the feet, too. The only big question is probably his toughness and durability.
Will we find out about those things at the weekend? It doesn’t feel likely, as the promotion have probably set him up with a beatable opponent in ‘CeeRod’.
However, if Rosas Jr. can finish Rodriguez in the same kind of way that he took out Jay Perrin last year, then the hype on him will increase dramatically, and he could well steal the show this weekend.
#1. Adrian Yanez – UFC bantamweight
Given the levels of excitement he always seems to produce when he’s in action, it feels like the fighter most likely to steal the show at UFC 287 is Adrian Yanez.
The bantamweight prospect has made five appearances in the octagon thus far, winning all five bouts. More to the point, though, he’s received a performance bonus award for each of his fights, four of which he’s finished by KO or TKO.
Yanez is currently ranked at No. 12 in the bantamweight division, and it’s fair to say that he’s making a big step up in competition against Rob Font this weekend.
Font is not only ranked at No.6, but he’s also got far more experience than Yanez, having made his UFC debut back in 2014. However, he’s also lost his last two fights, and won’t have the kind of reach advantage he’s used to enjoying against Yanez, who is a deceptively rangy fighter.
If Yanez can use his power shots to connect on the Boston-based fighter, then, this is definitely the kind of fight he can win. Given that Font has only ever been finished once, and never by knockout, if Yanez can put him away, it’d be quite the achievement.
Indeed, if he can do that, not only will he likely take another performance bonus award, but he might steal the show, too.
