Matthew Lowrimore
Show Bio
UFC 250 will likely take over the sports world on Saturday night as most other active sports will have concluded their games for the day by the time the Preliminary Card starts at 6 p.m. Eastern Time. This week’s card includes a title fight (Amanda Nunes vs. Felicia Spencer), two fights involving the top 10 fighters in their respective divisions, and several fights involving veteran guys looking to maybe make a title run before they call it a career.
Additionally, there are three guys who have yet to lose a fight in their careers and should be considered rising stars in their divisions. We have free expert UFC 250 predictions for every fight but these are guys you need to keep an eye on, not only this weekend but going forward.
1.) Alonzo Menifield
Starting with Alonzo Menifield, he comes into this event with a perfect record of 9-0 in the MMA. Having only fought in 2 UFC events, Menifield is not yet ranked but will be pushing for a ranking if he can defeat Devin Clark this weekend. Menifield competes in the Light Heavyweight division, stands at 6 feet tall, and weighs in at 205 pounds. Most notably, he has finished all 9 of his career fights inside the distance. 8 of these wins have come by KO/TKO with the other 1 being a submission win. Another huge positive is the fact that he has 7 1st round wins with the other 2 ending in the 2nd round.
Menifield has also shown he has elite striking ability. He averages 8.39 significant strikes per minute at an accuracy of 55%. Comparatively, he absorbs 4.83 strikes per minute with a defense of 50%. The only issue for Menifield is that he is 32 years of age. I know what you are thinking, “How can a 32-year-old be a rising star?” Well, this mainly comes from how he has dominated every opponent put in front of him. If he, in fact, does win at UFC 250, expect him to call out a bigger name in hopes of getting closer to a title shot.
2.) Sean O’Malley
Second up is Sean “Sugar” O’Malley, who sits at 11-0 in the MMA entering this fight. He competes in the Bantamweight division but does not yet have a ranking. Of his 11 wins, 7 have come by KO/TKO. He has shown superb striking ability thus far, landing 6.8 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy of 56%. In turn, he absorbs 4.63 strikes per minute and has a defense of 66%. O’Malley is also just 25 years old, so he has plenty of time to make small improvements. He is a massive favorite at UFC 250, meaning this is a fight he cannot afford to lose. Winning against a veteran like Eddie Wineland could actually move him into a top 15 spot, and hopefully, a fight against a ranked opponent a few months from now. View our Sean O’Malley vs. Eddie Wineland picks now to find the real value for this fight.
3.) Chase Hooper
Last up is Chase “The Teenage Dream” Hooper. Like the rest of this list, Hooper has yet to lose a fight in the MMA. He does have one draw, but still, to start your career 9-0-1 at age 20 is extremely impressive. Unlike some of the other guys mentioned above, Hooper has a variety of wins instead of being best at just one method. This includes 3 KO/TKO wins, 4 submission wins and 2 wins by decision. In his UFC debut, he won by TKO against Daniel Teymur in the first round. Hooper is excellent at striking too, landing 5.16 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy of 63%. A win against veteran Alex Caceras would definitely put Hooper on the map as one of the up and coming Featherweight fighters.
If you’re betting on UFC 250 this weekend, check out our online MMA betting guide for hints, tips, and pointers.
