PREVIEWMODE - Episode #09 - MUST SEE TV - 5 Fighters Worth Stopping Everything to Watch
Updated: Oct 29
The Commando Must See TV Rankings [Top 5]
From The Commando Magazine: Episode #09 - Dirty Sprite Remix [read The Preview]
Some fighters collect victories. Others create moments you can't afford to miss.
In combat sports, time waits for no athlete. Whether entering their prime or fighting beyond it, certain competitors turn every appearance into an event.
Forget the pound-for-pound rankings, championship records, and GOAT debates. This isn't that list.
The Commando Must See TV is our rotating selection of the most electrifying fighters in combat sports. The personalities, the performances, and the unpredictable moments that keep fans watching. These are the athletes who deserve bonus consideration every time they clock in for work.
MANEL "STARBOY" KAPE
#2 Flyweight Division
[UFC Media Panel Rankings]
"Japan helped pioneer modern MMA, and according to Manel Kape, Japanese fans love his "black ass." The Starboy recipe? A heavy dose of swagger, a sprinkle of volatility, a fistful of knockout power, and plenty of defensive sauce." - Mike David
WHY IS "STARBOY" MUST SEE?
Rewind to Japan, 2019 - Before 29,315 fans at RIZIN 20, Kape stopped Kai Asakura just 38 seconds into round two to claim the vacant bantamweight championship. Fast-forward to 2026 - 4 consecutive UFC stoppages, including a first-round knockout of Brandon Royval and a third-round TKO of former RIZIN rival Kyoji Horiguchi. Starboy isn't just entertaining fans. He's making a serious case for a UFC title shot.
CAREER HIGHLIGHT FIGHTS
December 31, 2019 - Defeated Kai Asakura to become RIZIN bantamweight champion.
December 14, 2024 - Stopped Bruno Silva at 1:57 of Round 3.
March 1, 2025 - Defeated Asu Almabayev by third-round TKO at 2:16.
December 13, 2025 - Knocked out Brandon Royval at 3:18 of Round 1.
June 20, 2026 - Defeated Kyoji Horiguchi by third-round TKO at 2:42, avenging their first meeting.
THE X-FACTOR
It's all in the numbers. 23 wins. 20 finishes. An 86.96% finishing rate. With 15 knockouts and 5 submissions, Kape brings heavyweight finishing intentions to the 125-pound division. But don't let the knockout power distract you from the defense. Rewind to 2021. Kape lost his UFC debut to future champion Alexandre Pantoja but denied every takedown attempt. Five years later, his career UFC takedown defense sits around 79%.The hands make him dangerous. The takedown defense helps keep the fight where he wants it.
What's Next for Manel "StarBoy" Kape
Joshua Van will defend his UFC Flyweight Championship against Manel Kape in the main event of UFC 336
Fight Details
Date: January 30, 2027
Time: Main card starts at 6:00 PM PDT (Prelims at 4:00 PM PDT)
Venue: Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Broadcast: Paramount+
What the experts say about Manel "StarBoy" Kape
JIŘÍ "BJP" PROCHÁZKA
#2 Light Heavyweight Division
[UFC Media Panel Rankings]
INTRO
Jiří Procházka doesn't fight like someone aiming for technique. That is precisely why watching him can become fascinating. The former UFC light heavyweight champion entered another championship opportunity against Carlos Ulberg at UFC 327 in April 2026 after consecutive knockout victories over Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree Jr. Ulberg stopped Procházka in the first round to capture the vacant title. The result didn't remove the quality that keeps Procházka on this list. It highlighted it.
PAST
WHY IS "JIRI" MUST SEE?
Procházka owns 28 knockout victories in 32 professional wins, with 23 first-round finishes. His movement can look unusual. His defense can create danger. His attacks can arrive from strange positions. There is often a cost attached to that freedom. But that's also why his fights rarely feel ordinary.
Present
THE X-FACTOR
With Jiří, instability is part of the attraction. You're not simply waiting to see who wins. You're waiting to see what happens. The X-Factor: Violence without conventional structure.
Future
CHARLES "DO BRONXS" OLIVEIRA
UFC - BMF Champion | #3 Lightweight
The X-Factor: Controlled chaos.Charles Oliveira is one of those fighters where the statistics almost explain the experience. Almost. Oliveira owns the UFC records for most finishes and most submission victories. He also captured the BMF championship in March 2026 by defeating Max Holloway by unanimous decision, winning all five rounds on each official scorecard. But numbers still don't fully describe what watching Charles Oliveira feels like.
WHY IS "DO BRONXS" MUST SEE?
Watch how quickly danger changes direction. Oliveira can be attacking, defending, scrambling, taking someone's back or throwing knees in what feels like the same sequence. His fights often produce the sensation that both fighters are inches away from either winning or losing. That's the masterpiece.
THE X-FACTOR
Oliveira has been in the UFC since 2010 and still feels like required viewing.
That is rare. There are younger fighters. There are newer contenders. There are cleaner paths toward championships. But very few fighters have built a career where chaos itself became part of the brand.
Rank #2 [Must See TV Rankings]
ILIA "EL MATADOR" TOPURIA
UFC #1 Lightweight
The X-Factor: Precision with genuine finishing danger everywhere. Ilia Topuria entered UFC Freedom 250 undefeated and carrying one of MMA's most remarkable championship runs. Justin Gaethje changed that story. Gaethje stopped Topuria after the fourth round to take the lightweight championship, handing Topuria the first defeat of his professional career. Now comes something potentially even more interesting: What does El Matador look like after losing?
WHY IS "EL MATADOR" MUST SEE?
Topuria's danger is not limited to his boxing. Seven professional wins have come by knockout and eight by submission, giving him multiple ways to end a fight. His ability to operate confidently in the pocket gets most of the attention, but the complete skill set underneath the punching power is part of what made his rise so compelling.
THE X-FACTOR
An undefeated fighter becoming champion is one story. A championship-level fighter responding to his first defeat is another. The next chapter may tell us as much about Topuria as everything that came before it.
ALEX "POATAN" PEREIRA
Power, pressure and legacy chasing. Alex Pereira has reached the point where the question is rarely whether his next fight matters. The question is what piece of history is he chasing this time? The former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight champion stepped into heavyweight territory in June 2026 against Ciryl Gane with an opportunity to add another extraordinary chapter to his career. Gane stopped Pereira in the second round, but even the defeat illustrates why Pereira remains first on this list: moving divisions and taking championship-level risks has become part of the Poatan experience.
WHY IS "POATAN" MUST SEE?
Watch with patience. Pereira doesn't need frantic volume to make a fight feel dangerous. His left hook, calf kicks, physical pressure and kickboxing experience make relatively quiet stretches feel like someone has left a loaded trap sitting in the middle of the Octagon. One mistake can change the entire exhibit.
THE X-FACTOR
Poatan is appointment television because the stakes surrounding him seem to grow faster than his résumé can settle. A former two-division UFC champion who was willing to pursue heavyweight gold belongs at the front of any must-see conversation.
THE COMMANDO PERSPECTIVE
What makes this particular TCMSTV lineup interesting isn't that all five fighters are winning. They aren't. Three arrive here following significant championship setbacks. One just added another belt to one of the most decorated careers in UFC history. Another is surging toward the championship level. That's the point of Must See TV. It isn't a ranking of who is best. It's a curator's question: If all five names appeared on five different fight cards, whose walk to the Octagon would make you stop what you're doing? For us, right now, these are the five. The wall will change. That's what makes it worth coming back.
XXXX
XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX
YOUR TURN
Who's on your Must See TV list?
What top 20 fighters will you disrupt your schedule to watch. Create your own Must See TV list Vote for the fighter you most want to watch next and tell us who deserves a place in the next The Commando Must See TV Rankings update.
About TCMSTV [The Commando Must See TV]
The Commando Must See TV is a rotating editorial list based on fighter activity, style, storyline, historical significance and what we - as combat sports fans - simply want to see next. It is not the UFC's official rankings or a pound-for-pound ranking. This is a page out of The Commando Magazine: Episode #09 - Dirty Sprite Remix - [Read more]
Comments