Fighters To Keep an Eye On in 2010: Lightweights

It’s pretty safe to say that, right now, in the lightweight division, there is BJ Penn and then there is everyone else.

At UFC 107 in December, Penn proved to the world once again that he is head and shoulders above the competition with his decimation of Diego Sanchez.

Outside of Penn, though, the lightweight division is arguably one of the deepest and most exciting divisions in all of MMA. But there are two names who jump out as being primed and ready for an incredible 2010.

Jim Miller—UFC

Already off to a good start this year with a big submission win over Duane Ludwig at UFC 108, Jim Miller is setting himself up for big things in 2010.

Miller burst onto the UFC scene at UFC 89, winning “Submission of the Night” honors for his RNC victory over David Baron. Miller followed that up with a “Fight of the Night” victory over Matt Winman at UFC: Fight for the Troops.

As it sits now, Miller is 5-1 in the UFC and 16-2 overall. His two loses came by way of decision to Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar, respectively.

With a strong wrestling background, solid submission skills, and an evolving stand up game, Miller is comfortable wherever the fight takes place.

Depending on how everything plays out, Miller could easily fight two or three more times this year. If he can continue his winning ways while climbing the LW ladder, he could find himself in title talks when the end of the year rolls around.

A great fight for Miller would be either Tyson Griffin or Sean Sherk; Miller’s first two opponents for UFC 108 before the injury bug struck.

A win over either would instantly move Miller to the top of the division.

Look out because this 26-year-old New Jersey native will be making his claim for a title shot this year.

Terry Etim—UFC

Just like Miller, Etim made his UFC debut an impressive one—winning his bout against Matt Grice at the end of the first round via guillotine choke and earning “Submission of the Night” honors.

From there, Etim’s road got a little rocky, as he dropped consecutive decision loses to Gleision Tibau and Rich Clementi.

Currently, Etim is riding a four-fight win streak; the last two of which were “Submissions of the Night” victories.

Even though Etim has yet to see his 24th birthday, he has already won 14 of 16 professional fights—11 coming by way of submission.

Etim has some work to do before he will be ready to test the upper echelon of the UFC’s lightweight division, though. Against strong wrestlers Etim has shown some weakness—and, let’s face it, the UFC LW division is chalked full of elite wrestlers, so that is a big area for concern.

What should be concerning to the other lightweights out there is Etim’s height. Standing at 6’1”, Etim is one of the taller fighters in the division, and once he really starts to use that length to his advantage Etim will become a nightmare of a matchup for just about everyone.

It is currently unknown how or when Etim will be fighting again, but when he does take notice because the youngster from Liverpool will be making his push to the top-10 this year.