5 championship caliber prospects to keep an eye on at UFC 276

Sean O'Malley [Image via @espnmma on Instagram]

UFC 276 will likely go down as one of the most memorable events of the year when it's all said and done. The stacked fight card will be underway this weekend at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It features two championship bouts atop the bill, in addition to numerous rising contenders on the undercard.

Middleweight and featherweight kingpins Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski will look to defend their titles at the upcoming pay-per-view. The card also features legends like Robbie Lawler, Donald Cerrone and Jim Miller.

UFC 276 concept poster [Image via @needingart on Instagram]

Apart from the title fights atop the card, a number of up-and-coming contenders will be eager to make the most of the opportunity and emerge victorious in their respective bouts. A ton of attention tends to encompass pay-per-views that cap off International Fight Week and it remains to be seen which fighters will steal the show.

Here are five championship caliber prospects to keep an eye on at UFC 276.

#5. Dricus du Plessis – UFC middleweight

South Africa's Dricus du Plessis is among the most exciting prospects in the middleweight division. The highly credentialled 185-pounder is a devastating finisher and possesses a 100% finish rate. During his gold-laden run outside the UFC, du Plessis accrued five knockouts and nine submission victories.

He was a two-division champion in the South African regional MMA scene and even won a belt in top European promotion KSW before signing with the UFC.

2 DIVISIONS 2 PROMOTIONS: efcww.com/2EOUvg8
South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis captures third championship, this time in Poland.

Set to defend EFC middleweight strap against Brendan Lesar later this year. https://t.co/lNpbLjHrUw

In his octagon debut last year, Dricus du Plessis picked up a first-round TKO victory over Markus Perez, before adding to his tally of finishes with his scorching performance against Trevin Giles.

With two finishes in his first two outings, the South African was matched up with ranked contender and former title challenger Kelvin Gastelum.

Unfortunately, the fight fell through, which is a shame as Gastelum is a notable figure in the division.

Nevertheless, du Plessis will look to further extend his win streak and uphold his impeccable finish rate when he takes on No.12-ranked Brad Tavares at UFC 276. A win over Tavares will likely see du Plessis break into the top 15 at 185 pounds.

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