5 UFC fighters who will justify the hype behind them and 5 that won't
Like other sports leagues and promotions, the UFC has fighters that emerge and quickly ascend the rankings each year. Sometimes it's a big win in devastating fashion that brings them notoriety, while other times it's their personality and charisma. In recent years, Dana White has used his Tuesday Night Contender Series to find his next potential superstar.
Fans have also seen dominant fighters from other promotions make their octagon debuts, bringing more attention and hype around that particular fighter's trajectory than the average UFC upstart. Fighters like Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler have made an immediate impact. Meanwhile, there have been others like Anthony Pettis, who had a setback or two before living up to the hype.
With that hype comes added pressure to perform and do well inside the octagon — something that holds back many athletes.. This list will look at five UFC fighters who will justify the hype behind them and five that won't.
#5. Will justify: UFC heavyweight Alexander Romanov
Who is excited for the return of Alexander ‘King Kong’ Romanov?!?! #UFCVegas13 #MMA #UFC https://t.co/RDfF1RKcfA
Alexander Romanov has become a fighter to keep an eye on in the UFC heavyweight division. The division doesn't currently have the same level of hype as the bantamweight and lightweight divisions, but there is still potential. Romanov has been a force to be reckoned with throughout his career.
'King Kong' has an unbeaten 16-0 MMA record and is 5-0 since making his octagon debut. Romanov has a unique background: he competed in both freestyle and sumo wrestling. With that in mind, he could pose many problems for other top-10 heavyweights.
Romanov has utilized his ground game to smother his opponents with pressure and constant submission attempts. He is coming off an impressive win over Chase Sherman during which he submitted him with a keylock in the first-round. 'King Kong' is scheduled to fight Marcin Tybura on August 20th, where he will look to extend his unbeaten streak to 17.