Fighters on the Rise 2026 | Part 1

Ateba Gautier of Cameroon celebrates his win in a middleweight fight during the UFC 320 event at T-Mobile Arena on October 04, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)In every sport, scouting and projecting how prospects will develop and eventually end up is an inexact science filled with as many swings and misses and solid connections and absolute home runs. There are so many variables at play, and development is never linear, so someone that looks like a blue-chip talent at one point can fizzle without ever coming close to reaching their ceiling while an unheralded athlete can emerge from seemingly out of nowhere and blossom into a star.

The objective of this two-part…