Why you should be excited about Benito Lopez's UFC debut

They call him "Golden Boy" for a reason.

On a bill featuring promising UFC debutants in former LFA middleweight champ Markus Perez, Serra-Longo product Merab Dvalishvili, and flyweight discovery Alex Perez, the highly-touted Lopez will also be making his maiden voyage to the Octagon in the main-card curtain-jerker of Saturday's UFC Fight Night 123 in Fresno, Calif.

Here's everything worth knowing about the tantalizing prospect ahead of his promotional debut:

Age: 23
Division: Bantamweight
Record: 8-0 (1-0 DWTNCS)
Last Fight: Split decision over Steven Peterson in Week 7 of DWTNCS

Background

Training out of Sacramento-based camp Team Alpha Male - a guild boasting former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt and strawweight contender Cynthia Calvillo - Lopez cut his teeth on the Golden State's regional circuit after getting his hand raised under the Bellator banner in his pro debut in April 2014.

The 23-year-old competed primarily in WFC and longtime proving ground King of the Cage before getting his shot at the big show this past August on the penultimate installment of Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, where he earned a UFC contract in a razor-close split decision over a gritty former LFA titleholder in Steven Peterson.

He'll make his first walk to the Octagon with a handful of first-round stoppages and eight victories in as many professional contests under his belt.

The Tape

Armed with a 73-inch reach, Lopez is at his best in space, where he can maintain distance thanks to his sharp jab and keep his foes honest by switching stances and mixing up his strikes. Adept as he's grown at picking his dance partners apart from range, the youngster has made the flying knee a calling card of sorts, flashing surprising timing with the strike early in his battle with Peterson and an eight-second demolition of Rick James in March of last year.

In his sophomore pro bout, a sweep of the scorecards over Drey Mitchell under the WFC banner, Lopez rode his jiu-jitsu to victory, but it was his stand-up that earned him the W at Peterson's expense three years later. Should his preference for striking duels follow him to the big show, he'll need to shore up his defensive wrestling, as he struggled to fight his way back to the feet when Peterson took him to the ground away from the fence, a perpetual third leg for fighters to stave off takedowns.

The Debut

Luckily for Lopez, the UFC's blossoming bantamweight class boasts far more dance partners of his ilk than Peterson's, and Albert Morales - who'll welcome him to the Octagon at Save Mart Center - is no exception.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

The 26-year-old Morales should oblige Lopez with a leather exchange and test his grappling should the newcomer's mitts and knees get too cozy with his chin. In what could result in Lopez's second straight split verdict, expect the promising debutant to maintain distance and do his damnedest to keep the ever game Morales from getting into the pocket with regularity. He may eat more shots than he's accustomed to, but Lopez should pass one of the stiffest tests of his mettle as long as he can dictate the range.