History will be made on more than one occasion this Saturday night at UFC 104, live from the Staples center in L.A, California. Before two legendary Light-Heavyweight warriors clash for championship gold in the main event, a rising young star will make his Pay-Per-View debut.
25 year old welterweight Anthony “Rumble” Johnson is an explosive prospect if you’ve ever seen one. Known for his powerful wrestling and striking ability, Johnson entered the UFC in late 2007 scoring an impressive 13-second knockout victory over Chad Reiner. From that moment on Johnson has established himself as a fighter to look out for in the 170-pound division.
With an impressive 4-2 record, Johnson will have the opportunity to evolve from a talented blue-chip fighter into a legit top-ten welterweight contender as he takes on world class Judo specialist Yoshiyuki “Zenko” Yoshida to kick off the night’s main card.
Johnson is one of several diamonds in the rough currently competing in the UFC. With that being said let’s take a look at ten other prospects who have yet to compete on a Pay-Per-View main card.
10. Brad Blackburn (UFC record: 3-0)
Despite being one of the premier welterweights for the now defunct IFL organization, Blackburn entered the UFC relatively unknown by both hardcore and casual MMA fans. To a degree, Blackburn’s name is still unfamiliar to fans but that shouldn’t last very long if he continues his winning ways.
A strong boxing background and well rounded MMA skills have led the IFL veteran to UFC victories over James Giboo, Ryo Chonan and Edgar Garcia. An injury will keep him sidelined for the rest of the year but rest assured you’ll be seeing a lot more of Blackburn in 2010.
9. George Sotiropoulos (UFC record: 3-0)
This 32-year-old lightweight has the potential to become the face of MMA in Australia and a legit contender to boot. Sotiropoulos first made waves as part of Team Serra on The Ultimate Fighter season six, making it all the way to the semi-finals of the show before losing to finalist Tommy Speer.
Since the TUF show, Sotiropoulos has displayed ninja-like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu abilities with three straight submission victories over Billy Miles, Roman Mitichyan, and George Roop. Now that the Aussie is injury-free and training full time with Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, look for the world class black belt to consistently win fights in 2010 and kimura his way into title contention.
8. Matt Riddle (UFC record: 3-0)
Nicknamed “Chipper” by former Light Heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson on season seven of TUF , Riddle is one of the youngest fighters currently under contract with the UFC. The 23-year-old southpaw has an incredibly powerful wrestling base but also has proven to pack a ton of heat with his striking—as was evident in his devastating knockout over Dan Simmler on TUF .
Riddle didn’t win The Ultimate Fighter due to his inexperience but he has since improved leaps and bounds working with elite training camps such as Arizona Combat Sports and Xtreme Couture. He’s racked up three straight decision victories on UFC prelims and is now set to challenge British striker Nick Osipczak on the undercard of UFC 105 in Manchester, England.
A dominating performance would likely bump Riddle up to main card status in his next bout and regardless of whether or not he wins he will have time on his side to evolve into one of the greatest fighters this sport has ever seen.
7. Evan Dunham (UFC record: 2-0)
Anyone who witnessed Dunham’s first two UFC bouts recognizes his limitless potential. The undefeated striking sensation first made his Octagon debut at UFC 95 in London, England in which he knocked out heavy favorite Per Eklund with a left cross just two minutes into the first round.
His second UFC bout came against an MMA veteran and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace, Marcus Aurelio on the UFC 102 undercard. Aurelio was making his return to the Octagon and was supposed to leave the arena with one of Dunham’s limbs in a doggy bag. Instead, the 27-year-old native of Las Vegas, NV steered clear of Aurelio’s submissions and put on a striking clinic which earned him a split decision victory.
However as talented as Dunham may be he is still unknown to most fans and he will need to win a few more fights in order to be featured on the main card.
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