Ciryl Gane stopped hard-hitting Derrick Lewis with strikes in the third round of their interim title fight main event at UFC 265. Moving his sparkling record to 10-0. The championship victory now sets up a clash with lineal titleholder Francis Ngannou. A former teammate of Gane. Just 10 fights into a career that just started in 2018, he has become one of the best heavyweights in the promotion and one of the bigget MMA breakout stars of 2021.
He signed with the UFC in 2019 as a 3-0 professional and continued his winning ways, notching victories over the likes of former UFC champion Junior dos Santos and one-time Bellator titlist Alexander Volkov.
The Frenchman’s remarkable rise was precipitated by a Muay Thai career that saw him amass a 13-0 record as a heavyweight competitor. His story is unique, but not unheard of, as there are a variety of world-class athletes primed for a transition to MMA and ascent up the rankings that could parallel Gane’s. Here are three talents in and outside of the sport that have the potential to be a breakout star like Gane.
The next big 3 UFC breakout stars
Jaqueline Amorim
Strawweight prospect Jaqueline Amorim is one of the sport’s brightest up-and-coming talents at 115-pounds At just 26 years old, the Brazilian is a perfect 4-0 in her professional career and is already two fights into her promotional run with the Legacy Fighting Alliance. One of the top developmental promotions in sport.
Prior to taping on her MMA gloves, Amorim was a Brazilian jiu jitsu prodigy. At the age of 6 she enrolled in Associação Sensei de Lutas Esportivas (ASLE), a prominent jiu-jitsu academy in Manaus run by the legendary Henrique Machado. The academy has produced notable names such as Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.
Amorim was a two-time IBJJF World champion at purple belt, and she scored the gold medal in the absolute division of the IBJJF No-Gi World Championships at brown belt. She kept her momentum going at black belt, taking bronze medals at the 2017 IBJJF Pan-American and World Championships before taking silver at the 2018 IBJJF World No-Gi Championships.
As an MMA fighter, Amorim has seen similar success. Since her first fight in 2020, Amorim’s flawless record includes four stoppage victories, three of which came by submission. However, Amorim’s most recent performance was a 10-second technical knockout victory at LFA 110 in July.
For the Brazilian to add a dangerous striking arsenal and knockout power to her renowned jiu-jitsu abilities is a scary thought for the division.
Amorim is in the perfect place to take the MMA world by storm. She trains out of Checkmat Charleston alongside her husband, fellow BJJ and MMA competitor Windson Ramos (4-1). If she can keep winning – in exciting fashion – look for Amorim to be a breakout star in the second half of 2021.
Gable Steveson
Gable Steveson might be one of the most prodigious talents in any sport, after becoming a brand new Olympic gold medalist in the 125 kg (275.6 lbs) men’s freestyle division at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Games. Steveson has accomplished more at just 21 years of age than most wrestlers will in a lifetime. His buzzer-beating 9-8 victory in the gold medal match capped off a run that saw him outscore previous opponents at a 23-0 clip.
Steveson, named after legendary wrestler Dan Gable, went 17-0 as a junior at the University of Minnesota this past season. He won the NCAA Divison-I tournament championship and was a co-recipient of the Hodge Trophy. Which is awarded to the best collegiate wrestler annually.
His college record of 67-2 is bolstered by a 34-match winning streak. A career mark that has earned him the distinction of being Minnesota’s top wrestler by win percentage (.971) in the program’s history. Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar is always UM alum and a one-time national champion.
Following his Olympic win, the wrestling star took to social media to court UFC President Dana White, simply sending a waving emoji the UFC boss’s way. He told Fansided afterward, “I would love to jump in and learn everything, get everything balanced, have an open mind and go out there and put on a good performance and to be the baddest man in the UFC.”
https://twitter.com/GableSteveson/status/1424970022812856332
Steveson — who at a svelte 285 pounds backflipped in celebration of his gold medal Olympic victory — would be a terrifying addition to the UFC heavyweight division provided he can add striking and defensive grappling components to his dominant wrestling game. While Steveson has yet to transition to MMA, he ought to be in consideration for MMA fans given his youth, phenomenal talent, and willingness to entertain signing with the UFC following such a decorated collegiate and international wrestling career.
Rodtang Jitmuangnon
One of Muay Thai’s biggest and most successful stars, Rodtang Jitmuangnon has dazzled fans across the globe with his high-octane striking attacks and “Fight of the Year” quality matches for years.
Now competing in ONE Championship, the Thai talent holds an eye-popping record of 267-42 despite being just 23 years old. He has competed against some of the best in kickboxing and Muay Thai at his weight, including Japanese kickboxing sensation Tenshin Nasukawa. Who is familiar to MMA fans thanks to his contests with RIZIN Fighting Federation and his exhibition against Floyd Mayweather.
Jitmuangnon holds ONE’s flyweight Muay Thai championship and has suggested that a move to MMA is possible down the line. “I kind of like it, too. If I have [the] chance, I will try,” he told Asian MMA in May 2020.
For a fighter who has earned two Rajadamnern Stadium Fight of the Year awards to seriously entertain a transition to MMA is remarkable, and “The Iron Man’s” exciting style is tailor made for MMA fans.
While it remains to be seen if he will make the jump to MMA, he could experience an ascent to divisional relevancy akin to Gane’s in the UFC on the strength of his world-class striking and remarkable experience.
–Field Level Media
