5 UFC Fighters Who Will Turn into Stars in 2015

The mixed martial arts night sky is littered with glowing entities of all shapes and sizes.

From perennial champions to fearless contenders, these burning giants ignite the cage whenever they fight.

But along the way, in accordance with life itself, some of these masterful virtuosos fade away into MMA darkness.

Not to worry. The sport has a weird way of creating new famous fixtures right before our very own eyes.

2015 is the next stop along this cosmic combat timeline.

Here are five UFC fighters who will turn into bright stars over the next 10 months.

Max Holloway

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Young Hawaiian Max Holloway has been cooking on the MMA back burner for far too long now.

The owner of a five-fight win streak in the UFC's featherweight division, Blessed is doing everything he can to escape the promotion's supervision and cut loose on his peers.

With some of the best technical striking you'll find south of 155 pounds, the 23-year-old can be seen throwing unorthodox punches, spinning kicks and suffocating combinations.

Holloway has been derailed by the likes of Conor McGregor, Dennis Bermudez and Dustin Poirier along the way, but he stands as the only fighter to ever take Notorious the distance.

In any case, the sinewy youngster has an incredibly bright future ahead of him, one that will come to fruition in 2015 should he post another 4-0 record like he did last year.

Paige VanZant

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At just 20 years of age, UFC strawweight Paige VanZant has already made her Octagon debut and signed an eye-opening endorsement deal with Reebok, according to a recent report by Damon Martin of Fox Sports.

While many MMA enthusiasts may remain hesitant to crown 12 Gauge the future of a young division, the former Team Alpha Male standout does possess the tailored ingredients for prolonged superstardom.

She's unbelievably young, downright gorgeous and backs up her happy-go-lucky personality with devilish ground-and-pound.

Her promotional homecoming at UFC Fight Night 57 earned Fight of the Night honors on a card draped with veterans like Frankie Edgar, Edson Barboza and Brad Pickett, who have all combined for 14 FOTN awards.

Needless to say, 2015 is VanZant's to take should she remain patient and humble.

Matt Mitrione

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The proof is in the pudding: Matt Mitrione packs one of the biggest punches in MMA today.

As a 36-year-old brawler who has fought his entire career inside of the Octagon, compiling a 9-3 record in the most dangerous division in the process, Meathead is finally coming into his own.

With three straight victories by way of first-round knockout, Mitrione is slowly becoming one of the most dangerous names in the weight class.

And considering the heavyweight roster is packed with ruthless killers and bloodthirsty berserkers, The Ultimate Fighter alum's sensational streak resonates even more.

With one more devastating finish, Mitrione would have to be considered a bona fide top contender who can sell on his punching power alone.

Holly Holm

As one of boxing's all-time great female fighters, three-division champion Holly Holm is finally ready to take her MMA game to the next level.

With an impressive 7-0 professional record inside of the cage, including six finishes, The Preacher's Daughter possesses the elite striking and hard-nosed work ethic to take the UFC women's bantamweight division by storm.

Her Octagon debut will take place this Saturday at UFC 184 opposite Raquel Pennington, serving as the co-main event for champion Ronda Rousey's fifth title defense.

While the verdict is still out on the rest of Holm's MMA arsenal, natural athleticism and undying confidence should help her ascend in the division.

If she can implement her knockout ability and overwhelming offense, then the undefeated 33-year-old could find herself fighting for a UFC belt by year's end.

Luke Rockhold

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Having already headlined three of his four UFC appearances, Luke Rockhold is technically already a star, but that doesn't mean his potential within one of the fastest growing divisions is capped.

Instead, Rockhold's ceiling is rising by the minute. His well-rounded arsenal of kickboxing and grappling immediately makes him a threat to UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman's unheralded reign.

However, the former Strikeforce kingpin must get past the always formidable Lyoto Machida next month at UFC on Fox 15, which will serve as the main event.

If Rockhold can knockout or submit The Dragon and extend his streak of finishes to four, then we could be looking at the next big thing in MMA.

Not for nothing, but the only fighters to ever take Rockhold to a decision were Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, and the 30-year-old won both of those bouts.

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