The three stars of 'UFC Fight Night 69: Jedrzejczyk vs. Penne' in Berlin

Makwan Amirkhani

The UFC plans to stage 45 events in 2015, and during that time, hundreds of fighters will enter and exit the octagon.

While pre-fight hype is an enjoyable aspect of the sport, it’s ultimately the in-cage performances that speak most to fans. For the majority of fighters, the opportunity to present their skills to the world only comes along a few times per year.

A total of 22 fighters got the chance on Saturday as part of UFC Fight Night 69 at O2 World Berlin in Germany. It was the organization’s fourth event in the country and second in Berlin. The end result was eight finishes in 11 fights and several breakthrough performances.

Now that UFC Fight Night 69 is in the books, it’s time to commence MMAjunkie’s “Three Stars” ceremony.

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Mairbek Taisumov

The UFC roster continues to fill with Russian-born prospects. Five fights into his UFC career, Mairbek Taisumov (24-5 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is proving to be one of the most intriguing.

Taisumov earned his third consecutive UFC knockout win when he stopped Alan Patrick (12-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) with a head kick followed by a flurry of punches for a second-round finish.

The 26-year-old lightweight has finished his opponent in 22 of his 24 wins, including three of four inside the octagon. He showed his toughness by coming back from a bad eye-poke early in his latest fight to earn the knockout. If he can display that same grit going forward, it won’t be long before he faces ranked opposition.

Makwan Amirkhani

Finnish prospect Makwan Amirkhani (12-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) proved why he’s earned much praise from the MMA community when he easily dispatched Masio Fullen (10-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) for a quick first-round submission victory.

Amirkhani first turned heads in his octagon debut at UFC on FOX 14 in January. He scored one of the fastest knockouts in UFC history when a flying knee led to an eight-second finish of Andy Ogle.

“Mr. Finland” showed off his striking in his first UFC bout. In his second appearance, it was all about grappling. Amirkhani didn’t need to land a single significant strike before he locked in a rear-naked choke that forced Fullen to tap.

If a dominant performance wasn’t enough, Amirkhani followed the win with an extremely emotional post-fight interview in which he was brought to tears before his mother, who was seated in the crowd.

Amirkhani seems to have the complete package of skills and charisma. If he can keep it together as more difficult opponents are thrown his way, the 26-year-old could be a star in the making at featherweight.

On a fight card that featured seven impressive finishes prior to the main event, Joanna Jedrzejczyk (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) ended up stealing the show with her one-sided beatdown of a durable but ultimately overmatched Jessica Penne (12-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC).

The UFC women’s strawweight champion made sure she kept the title in Europe when she retained the belt with a thoroughly dominant TKO victory in the third round. Penne displayed incredibly toughness by absorbing 126 significant strikes. However, she wasn’t able to find a way to answer back.

The 27-year-old is by far the best striker in the 115-pound division and most, if not all, her opponents look to take her to the ground. Penne was no different, but she failed on all 11 attempts, which put the fight in the champion’s hands. Once it was clear Jedrzejczyk would keep the fight standing, the confidence and creativity of her striking was unleashed on her helpless challenger.

Jedrzejczyk made it clear after her first successful title defense that she intends to hold the title for a long time. She said no one in the weight class is ready for her at this time, and she might be right. Jedrzejczyk is arguably the UFC’s breakthrough star of the year, and her performance at UFC Fight Night 69 was further evidence.

For more on UFC Fight Night 69, check out the UFC Events section of the site.