Getty Israel Adesanya walks from the Octagon.
While featherweight champion Max Holloway is the biggest name at UFC 236, the rest of the card is filled to the brim with UFC fighters who are exciting contenders. With a number of knockout artists highlighting the card, there are a few honorable mentions who just missed the cut worth mentioning.
Kelvin Gastelum has been a staple at the top of the middleweight division for the past few years. His relative stability is what finds him as an honorable mention as opposed to one of the best fighters to watch. Always a bridesmaid and never the bride, Gastelum simply has not been able to break through against the top level competition. In Israel Adesanya, he gets a no-win situation as he is tasked with facing a young, up-and-coming fighter that UFC seems to be fast-tracking for a shot at the belt.
Eryk Anders is an exciting light heavyweight and former Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker. What Anders lacks in experience and skill, he more than makes up for in sheer strength and power. On the heels of back to back losses, Anders is facing a must-win situation heading into his fight at UFC 236.
Nikita Krylov is another fighter worth keeping an eye on. Fighting in the first bout on the main card, Krylov is tasked with facing the veteran Ovince Saint Preux. With a win, Krylov would jump into the top 15 at light heavyweight and put himself in a position to make a run at Jon Jones. However, with such an exciting card, even UFC fighters as exciting as Gastelum, Anders, and Krylov take a backseat to the other exciting fighters at UFC 236.
Here’s our list of the top five contenders you need to see at UFC 236:
1. Israel Adesanya
GettyIsrael Adesanya celebrates victory over Derek Brunson.
Arguably UFC’s most exciting young talent, Israel “Stlyebender” Adesanya has strung together a number of highlight-reel finishes on the back of his creative striking. With a 16-0 career record to go with his 5-0 record in the octagon, Adesanya has dominated anyone UFC has put in front of him. He has impressive big-name wins over Dereck Brunson and Anderson Silva while putting together highlight-reel finishes over Brunson and Rob Wilkinson.
Using an unorthodox mix of punches from odd angles and aggressive spinning back kicks, Adesanya is the epitome of modern MMA as he blends a multitude of different styles — hence his nickname. While he has yet to be tested by an elite ground fighter, he has shown that he can outstrike nearly anyone when given the room to stand and bang.
At UFC 236, Adesanya gets a big test in Kelvin Gastelum. Initially known for his strong wrestling background, over the years Gastelum has become increasingly confident in his heavy hands. While not the best technical striker, Gastelum hits hard and can put a fighter on the ground if he finds himself rocked. Adesanya has shown the ability to scramble out of takedowns but not against someone with the ground game of Gastelum. If Adesanya can pick up another win, he should find himself staring down a shot at the middleweight title in his next fight.
2. Dustin Poirier
Dustin Poirier is announced the winner against Jim Miller.
Holloway’s opponent at UFC 236, Poirier has faced a long and winding road in the UFC to reach this point. Debuting at UFC 125 in 2011, Poirier has a number of quality wins to his name but has never been able to string together enough for a shot at the belt. After starting his UFC career at featherweight, he made the move back to lightweight and has mostly dominated anyone put in front of him – save for Michael Johnson.
While not the best stand-up fighter, Poirier has the technical chops to at least remain competitive on the feet should he be unable to take advantage of his high-level grappling skills. A former high school wrestler with a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Poirier has one of the best ground game pedigrees in the sport. He put that background on full display when he defeated Holloway as he was able to seamlessly move through his guard before forcing a submission with relative ease.
To 20-year-old Holloway’s credit, he did defend Poirier’s first takedown attempt nicely in their first matchup and his ground game has only gotten better during his time in the UFC. The improved ground game of Holloway was on full display against submission specialist Brian Ortega as he was able to keep the fight standing where he would eventually finish the challenger. While Poirier is still a bit bigger and stronger than Ortega, Holloway’s improvements should make this go-round a bit more evenly matched.
3. Khalil Rountree Jr.
GettyKhalil Rountree Jr. punches Gokhan Saki.
Khalil Rountree Jr. is a ferocious puncher. While still possessing a raw overall skill set, the sheer power that lies in his hands has sent waves through the light heavyweight division. While he only has 11 professional fights to his name, seven of those fights have come in the UFC, making him deceptively experienced. Rountree started off his UFC career with a rough start, losing his debut on the Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale before dropping his next bout to the always game Tyson Pedro. However, Rountree has strung together a very respectable 3-1 (1) record on the back of some highlight reel knockouts since stumbling out of the gates.
KHALIL ROUNTREE JR w/ the straight left drops Saki!
A one-dimensional fighter when he entered UFC, Rountree has slowly started to develop a bit more well-rounded ground game – namely his takedown defense. Rountree is coming off a loss to one of the most highly touted prospects in the game, Johnny Walker, and will be looking to get back into the win column in a fight that should be a barnburner. Eryk Anders, the former Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker, is a fighter unafraid to get into the mix and throw his heavy hands.
Anders is the more experienced fighter and Rountree is coming off a big knockout loss so it would make sense that oddsmakers have Rountree pegged as the underdog. However, if one thing can be said about Rountree, it is that you can never count out his punching power. This fight should devolve into a brawl and could go either way. When all is said and done, if Rountree is able to pick up a quality win against Anders, Rountree is without a doubt a name to keep an eye on as he makes his ascent up the Light Heavyweight ladder.
4. Dwight Grant
Big thanks to all my friends, training partners and teammates for all of their love and support but extra special thanks to these guys for making the trip out here with me and being awesome as always. blessed to have ya’ll in my corner. #UFCPrague @BigPrettyMMA @Denis_Kokushi
Dwight Grant is one of the UFC’s most exciting young prospects. Although he is undoubtedly a raw prospect in terms of his skill level, Grant is a high-level athlete who happens to hit like a truck. His only UFC loss was a tough split decision to Zak Ottow and outside of that Grant has shown off his explosive power with both of his other UFC appearances ending in a KO/TKO victory.
Known best for his highlight reel knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series over Tyler Hill, Grant’s raw power make him an extremely appealing draw. After his loss, Grant rebounded nicely with a big TKO win over Carlo Pedersoli Jr. and seems to have gotten himself back on track in the welterweight division.
Although yet to be tested by an elite grappler, Grant won’t have to worry about that yet as he gets a showdown with Alan Jouban in a fight that should produce fireworks. Both Jouban and Grant love to stand and trade and both have a knack for ending fights in the first round. Another big knockout win for Grant would put him in a position to make a move towards the top 15 and a possible title run one day.
5. Alan Jouban
GettyAlan Jouban celebrates his knockout win over Richard Walsh in their welterweight bout during the UFC 184.
Grant’s opponent at UFC 236, Alan Jouban is another top contender to watch. An exciting prospect with incredibly heavy hands, Jouban’s only submission victory came when his opponent simply tapped out due to the sheer power of his punches. Coming off a knockout win over Ben Saunders, Jouban looks primed to make another attempt to crack into the top tier of UFC welterweights.
Jouban previously fought Gunnar Nelson, at the time a fringe top 15 fighter, yet was unable to come away with the win as Nelson caught the striker with a guillotine choke. Jouban would drop another fight to Niko Price before getting back on track against Saunders.
On a three-fight winning streak and looking for more! Get to know @AlanJouban ahead of the co-main at #UFCLondon
Alan Jouban is in an interesting situation regarding his future in the UFC. A solid win over Grant would undoubtedly vault him up towards the top 15 and with back to back wins, his resume would look fairly promising – especially if he can finish the fight. However, if Jouban finds himself on the losing end once again, he will have lost three out of his last four fights and possibly at danger of being released. The drastic difference in career trajectory based on this fight makes for Jouban one of the best fighters to watch at UFC 236.
UFC 236 airs April 13 on ESPN+. You can order it here.