Anthony Wint prepares to face Matt Adams in a heavyweight fight during Dana White's Contender Series Season 10, Week 1 at Meta APEX on August 11, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
The main tenants of the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, the NBA’s Kings, are the perfect professional sports team embodiment of this series because just as the team heads into every season hoping for the best and keen to what could happen if their roster comes together and performs at its highest level all season long, this season is designed to showcase up-and-coming talent who could — if everything shakes out in their favor — continue to make headway in their respective weight classes and have a significant long-term impact in their divisions.
Just as things don’t always work out for the Kings, who are back to struggling after a couple of solid years, last weekend’s trio of ascending talents posted a 1-2 record at UFC 330 in Philadelphia, bringing the series’ lengthy hot streak to an end. But just as the Kings can put the memories of a tough loss behind them the next time they take the court, I get to try to do the same each week by selecting three more fighters set to step into the Octagon on Saturday that I think are in good form and carry some promise.
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Here’s a closer look at those three fighters in the latest edition of Fighters on the Rise.
Mason Jones
Jones deserves a ton of credit for the decision he made after fighting out his first UFC contract in the summer of 2022.
Mason Jones of Wales punches Jeremy Stephens in their lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Wells Fargo Arena on May 03, 2025 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)
Mason Jones of Wales punches Jeremy Stephens in their lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Wells Fargo Arena on May 03, 2025 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)
Mason Jones of Wales punches Jeremy Stephens in their lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Wells Fargo Arena on May 03, 2025 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)
After going 1-2 with one no contest over four fights, the Welsh lightweight opted not to re-sign with the promotion and instead return to Cage Warriors, where he’d logged all but one of his first 10 appearances while earning “Double Champ” status. He was out of action for one year and six days, and then over the next 363 days, Jones posted four wins and three finishes to show he was ready for a return to the Octagon.
It took a little time for the right opportunity to come around, but waiting again paid dividends as Jones made his promotional return on May 3, 2025, with a one-sided decision win over Jeremy Stephens in the veteran’s hometown of Des Moines, Iowa. Since then, “The Dragon” has added a second-round finish of Bolaji Oki and a unanimous decision win over Axel Sola in one of the year’s best fights to date to move to 3-0 heading into the final bout of his contract this weekend, where he takes on MarQuel Mederos.
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This is a cool little moment for Jones as well because the game and tenacious Welsh standout has spent a ton of time training at Team Alpha Male, so if there is a U.S. city that feels like home for Jones, it’s Sacramento.
From a stylistic standpoint, Jones wants to be a pressure fighter who mixes his weapons well, utilizing the full complement of his robust skill set, which comes with black belts in both judo and Brazilian jiu jitsu, but more often than naught, he gets dragged — or throws himself, really — into fun, competitive battles where both he and his opponent get knocked around a little and everyone watching has a great time. What’s interesting about this weekend’s matchup with Mederos is that he’s a largely technical striker who prefers to pick his spots and work clean, so it will be interesting to see if Jones tries to force him into a slugfest or takes a more technical approach himself.
Mason Jones of Wales kicks Jeremy Stephens in their lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Wells Fargo Arena on May 03, 2025 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)
Mason Jones of Wales kicks Jeremy Stephens in their lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Wells Fargo Arena on May 03, 2025 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)
Mason Jones of Wales kicks Jeremy Stephens in their lightweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Wells Fargo Arena on May 03, 2025 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)
Either way, the talented 31-year-old feels like he’s really found his footing and is riding a wave of momentum. Cracking the Top 15 in the lightweight ranks is a difficult task, but a fourth straight UFC win could put Jones in range of either earning a number next to his name or fighting someone that has one already next time out.
Lerryan Douglas
Here’s what I said about Douglas heading into his debut against Julian Erosa in Seattle earlier this year:
“Beating the 36-year-old veteran still means something and never comes easy, so if Douglas is able to accomplish the feat this weekend, it will instantly set a floor for where he stands in the 145-pound weight class.”
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Yeah, Douglas stopped the Tacoma, Washington native with about 90 seconds remaining in the first round, making an immediate impression in his new surroundings while extending his winning streak to six and further showcasing why he’s called “Gunslinger.” This weekend, the 31-year-old Brazilian gets a similar matchup against veteran Jamall Emmers and another chance to show he’s ready to be facing more established and forward-moving opposition.
Douglas, who trains with the Bloodline Combat Sports team, is aggressive, but not wild; attacking, but not reckless, and his power and finishing instincts have resulted in eight knockouts in 14 career wins. He’s one of those athletes who needed to find a home and surround himself with the right people, and he’s done that with Cub Swanson & Co. in Orange, California, and it should make for an entertaining forward push in the featherweight ranks for Douglas.
Emmers is more of a grappler than Erosa but fits the same “better than you give him credit for, not a pushover” mould, which means a win for Douglas will carry some weight for those that pay close attention to the sport. If he does it with style points again, he’ll continue to climb the “Must-See TV” rankings and put himself a place to start lobbying to face someone in the Top 15 as well.
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Anthony Wint
Last season, Baisangur Susurkaev went from winning a contract on the first episode of Season 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series to making his promotional debut four days later at UFC 319 in Chicago, where he beat Eric Nolan to kick off his UFC career. This weekend, Anthony Wint is doing something similar, making a quick turnaround after trouncing Matt Adams to wrap Week 1 of Season 10 to facing Terrance Chatman in their joint promotional debuts on Saturday in Sacramento.
Anthony Wint kicks Matt Adams in a heavyweight fight during Dana White's Contender Series Season 10, Week 1 at Meta APEX on August 11, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Anthony Wint kicks Matt Adams in a heavyweight fight during Dana White's Contender Series Season 10, Week 1 at Meta APEX on August 11, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Anthony Wint kicks Matt Adams in a heavyweight fight during Dana White's Contender Series Season 10, Week 1 at Meta APEX on August 11, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Wint is a bull of a man, standing 5’11” with a barrel chest, long arms, and a scowl that says, “You may want to think twice about coming to speak to me right now.” Undefeated in seven pro fights with six finishes, including three straight in the first round, the 30-year-old is another addition to the football-to-MMA transition crew that includes Matt Mitrione, Eryk Anders, and Josh Hokit.
Wint played one season with the New York Jets, recording one tackle and forcing a fumble before his planned shift to the CFL was scuttled when the 2020 season was cancelled, resulting in his shift to MMA. He’s taken a slow and steady approach since debuting in April 2023, but profiles as someone with the opportunity to possibly make some noise in the big boy ranks going forward.
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Chatman trains with the 4oz. Fight Club in Houston that has produced current flyweight champ Joshua Van, fellow flyweight Alden Coria, and featherweight Michael Aswell Jr., and arrives in the UFC with a 5-1 record and four finishes. As is often the case with regional heavyweight talents, the pickings have been slim in terms of opposition, but he’s largely handled business; his lone loss came by split decision, and he’s coming off a TKO win in July due to leg kicks, which tells you there is some diversity in his game.
Wint doesn’t have the quality wrestling pedigree Hokit brings to the table — he was first-team all-county in Florida as a junior, second team as a senior, but understandably focused on football upon touching down at Florida International University (FIU), where he was second-team All-Conference in his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons — he is unquestionably a plus athlete with real promise.
Time will tell how far he will take it, but I’m eager to see how things start this weekend
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