1 Breakout Fighter to Watch from MMA's Best Fight Camps

By (Featured Columnist) on February 15, 2013

6,103 reads

32Icon_comment

Previous
1 of 11
Next
Hi-res-6933820_crop_650x440
USA TODAY Sports

MMA's best camps are jam-packed with top fighters in the sport and some guys who are largely unknown to the average fan.

I mean, when you mention Roufusport, I bet you immediately think of Anthony Pettis and not a guy like Chico Camus. It's these lesser-known guys at the top gyms who are just waiting for their shining moment.

Here is one breakout fighter from some of the top camps to keep an eye out for.

Team Alpha Male: Andre Fili

sherdog.com
sherdog.com

Team Alpha Male is home to some of the best lighter weight fighters in the world, from Chad Mendes to Urijah Faber.

One guy you never hear about is Andre Fili.

The weird-haired featherweight is 11-1 in his career, with that one loss coming via knee injury. Fili is a large featherweight who would fit in great with the UFC should he ever get the call.

He's an exciting finisher as well. All but three of his wins have come via knockout or submission. Hopefully, the UFC snags him soon.

Team Quest: Tarec Saffiedine

Hi-res-6938118_display_image
USA TODAY Sports

The legendary Team Quest is home to guys like Dan Henderson, Chael Sonnen and Yushin Okami. With fighters like that at your gym, it's no surprise that there is a struggle for the spotlight.

Tarec Saffiedine finally got a marquee moment with his victory over Nate Marquardt at the final Strikeforce card to win the welterweight championship. With his move to the UFC, Saffiedine figures to be a guy to watch in the Octagon.

Snappy striking and good takedown defense could make him a threat at 170. We will see if Saffiedine fully breaks out in the impending future.

Alliance MMA: Myles Jury

Hi-res-6887408_display_image
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Myles Jury's road to the Octagon is a feel good story.

After getting on Season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, Jury blew out his knee and lost his spot on the show. That would spell the end for many, but he was given another opportunity on the 15th season of the show, where he showed his skill.

Jury is now 2-0 with the organization, beating fellow TUF alums Michael Johnson and Chris Saunders. He has a third TUF graduate in his sights when he takes on Ramsey Nijem in a couple of months.

Xtreme Couture: Cezar "Mutante" Ferreira

sherdog.com
sherdog.com

Cezar "Mutante" Ferreira is the prodigy of Vitor Belfort, but he has been a ghost since winning TUF: Brazil against Sergio Moraes.

Mutante is a vicious striker with a good ground game. Training with Xtreme Couture has likely balanced his game out with some wrestling, especially considering he's working with guys like Randy Couture and Mike Pyle.

When Mutante returns, expect him to start gaining big-time momentum.

Tristar Gym: Ryan Ford

sherdog.com
sherdog.com

Tristar Gym is home to some of the best fighters in the world. Georges St-Pierre calls Tristar home, as do Rory MacDonald and many others.

Ryan Ford is flying under the radar right now and could become a breakout fighter in the near future.

Ford was thought by many to be considered for this season's Bellator tournament, but a visa issue stemming from his regretful past (he was in prison for robbery) has nixed that thought.

Ford is pure power and an amazing athlete who is quickly picking up the sport. For a guy who is just getting the type of training to be successful, he has already accomplished a good amount in a short time.

Roufusport: Rick Glenn

sherdog.com
sherdog.com

Never heard of Rick Glenn?

Now you have.

The Roufusport featherweight is a guy who many fans do not know, but will get to know in the coming times. Glenn is 12-2, not losing since 2010 and finishing all but one opponent in his winning efforts.

Glenn is a tall, lengthy 145-pounder with awesome striking and an underrated ground game (sounds like a lot of the Roufusport fighters).

At just 23, his future looks to be extremely bright.

American Kickboxing Academy: Shawn Bunch

sherdog.com
sherdog.com

It's hard to say a guy is going to be a breakout fighter when they have just one fight under their belt.

That is how much potential Shawn Bunch has.

A great collegiate wrestler, Bunch has enlisted the help of American Kickboxing Academy to make him a complete fighter. Look what they did with guys like Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez.

With a strong wrestling background like Bunch has, the sky is the limit in this mixed martial arts game. He just needs to get some more experience under his belt before he jumps in the deep end.

Expect a star to be born.

Jackson's MMA: Rustam Khabilov

Hi-res-6850840_display_image
Josh Holmberg-USA TODAY Sports

You may remember Rustam Khabilov from his suplex-filled debut with the UFC not long ago. Well, the Russian is a Greg Jackson pupil with big upside.

Khabilov has been a guy I have considered a top prospect for a while. The Russian is a part of this new breed of talent from the "motherland" that is taking the sport by storm.

With great wrestling and an aggressive style, Khabilov looks like a man destined for stardom.

Blackzilians: Abel Trujillo

Hi-res-6829738_display_image
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Brutality is the best way to describe Abel Trujillo's debut stoppage of Marcus LeVesseur. Throwing haymaker knees to the body on the ground, I actually thought the Blackzilian team member was going to split LeVesseur in half.

Trujillo is a small fish in a big pond of Blackzilian fighters. From Rashad Evans to Alistair Overeem to Tyrone Spong, Trujillo is not a name you think of when discussing that gym.

That may change soon.

His exciting style and purely violent methods have him on the fast track to becoming a breakout fighter. Time will tell how far the young man goes.

Begin Slideshow
Keep Reading
Flag
Props (1)
This article is

What is the duplicate article?

Why is this article offensive?

Where is this article plagiarized from?

Why is this article poorly edited?

Flag This Article
Default-user-icon-comment
or to post a comment

32 Comments

There are no comments yet. Get the conversation started by leaving the first comment
Big
Loading comments...
just now posted just now
  • Loading...
  • Nobody has liked this comment yet
Cancel

This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete

Follow B/R on Facebook

Fans of

Icon_subscribe
Icon_youtube
Icon_google
MMA

Subscribe Now

We will never share your email address

Thanks for signing up.

We're Scouting Top Writers

Predicting Every Fight at 160 Hint: you can use arrow keys to navigate through this channel.