Issa Isakov

Nobody hands you anything at lightweight. Issa Isakov — "Determinator" to fight fans — has built a 11-3 record the hard way, one fight at a time since leaving Luxembourg's regional scene.

A balanced operator — 6 wins by KO, 3 by submission, 2 on the scorecards. No single weapon to game-plan around, which is exactly the problem.

He's coming off a loss to MarQuel Mederos. Careers aren't defined by the fall, though; they're defined by the rebound.

At 36, the window is what it is — which tends to make every remaining fight more honest, and more dangerous.