Frankie Edgar and the 10 Most Exciting Fighters Weighing 155 Pounds and Under

So, you weren't excited by the fights this past Saturday at UFC on Fox 2?  Not enough action in the Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis fight?  Not enough striking in the Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping fight?  

Maybe you should start looking at smaller divisions.

It's been proven, time and time again, that just because you're a little guy doesn't mean that you can't put on an exciting show for the fans.  As a matter of fact, little guys tend to be more athletic, have more endurance and also have a higher propensity to do something the viewing public hasn't seen yet.  

Whether it's an off-the-cage kick (Anthony Pettis), a spinning wheel kick (Edson Barboza) or a twister submission (Chan Sung Jung), you have to take your hats off to the little guys.  They always keep it interesting.  

Here's a list of some of the most exciting ones...

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Frankie Edgar

Do you realize that Frankie Edgar is the champion of a division that's actually above his natural size?  Not only does he win fights, but he beat a UFC legend twice.  That's "The Answer." 

Frankie is undoubtedly a fantastically exciting fighter to watch.

What makes Frankie exciting to watch is his speed and tactical striking that put him in a league of his own.  His boxing is amazing, but it's not his most important attribute.  That would be his heart.  

In his last two fights, he has been rocked by Gray Maynard, but he still found the strength to come back even harder than before.  

As we all know, the trilogy ended between Edgar and Maynard with an epic fourth-round, come-from-behind-type victory.  With Edgar's Rocky-esque fight style, it's hard to count him out and even harder not to watch.

Jose Aldo

I must admit, after the Mark Hominick fight, I though maybe Jose Aldo had run his course.  I thought, maybe people figured out how to neutralize his explosiveness, and Chad Mendes was going to put the pieces together to hold Jose down and beat him up.  

UFC 142 in Brazil put any doubt to rest.

Jose is able to beat down anyone from any position at any time in the fight.  Not only is Aldo exciting, but he's unpredictable.  Knees and kicks come from every direction at a moment's notice.  He's so fast and explosive, he doesn't even need to set them up.  

Just ask Chad.

Jose made a name for himself in the WEC with his quick destruction of veterans like Cub Swanson, his TKO of Mike Brown and for the way he kicked Urijah Faber's leg until it almost fell off.  

Aldo remains one the most exciting fighters in the world today.

Edson Barboza

Oh, Terry Etim.   If you leaned back just a little bit, you wouldn't have been posterized by Edson Barboza.  Did you feel bad for him?  Wasn't anything he could do.  Edson Barboza really is that good.

It's no coincidence that he's fought four times in the UFC and won Fight of the Night three times.  Edson is an exciting fighter with amazing striking ability.  Most of the excitement comes from his kicks.  

Obviously, the spinning wheel kick against Terry Etim made everyone's mouth drop, but his kick against Anthony Njokuani at UFC 128 was eerily similar, only without the same results.

Look for Barboza to continue to amaze fans as he climbs up the lightweight totem pole.

Anthony Pettis

Who hasn't seen this one?  What do you call it?  An off-the-wall superman kick?  Whatever you want to call it, it's one of the most out-of-the-ordinary and career-defining moves in mixed martial arts history.  

This is synonymous with Blake Griffin's dunk over Kendrick Perkins.  It was that good.

This isn't the only acrobatic feat or impulsive submission attempt in Anthony Pettis' repertoire.  Pettis is a Taekwondo practitioner, so he uses a lot of kicks to establish range.  In doing so, he also shows off his athleticism with attacks from different angles, like knees or even crazy kicks with one hand on the ground.  

There's a reason he's called "Showtime."

Pettis is always looking for submissions, so with that mentality, it keeps opponents and fans guessing at what will happen next.  I fully expect his fight with Joe Lauzon to be a must-watch bout. 

Donald Cerrone

With a total of nine post-fight awards in the WEC and UFC, including Fight of the Night seven times, Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone has to be called an exciting fighter.  

Cowboy combines classic Muay Thai striking with an above-average ground game, which makes him dangerous no matter where the fight goes.  Remember that heart attribute Frankie Edgar has?  Cerrone has that too.  

In his wars with Jamie Varner and Ben Henderson in the WEC, it was easy to see that Cerrone's laid-back cowboy attitude and classic toughness would transfer well into the UFC, and he didn't disappoint.  

In an almost flawless and unprecedented run in 2011, Cerrone went 4-1 with three finishes and four post-fight awards.  If that's not excitement, I don't know what is.

Leonard Garcia

From one good friend to another.  Leonard Garcia is a fighter.  I think that he would do this for free.

No one is mistaking Garcia for being the most technical fighter, or even the most well-rounded.  But there are two things he has going for him: He hits hard, and he never goes down.  

Garcia is a brawler in every sense of the word.  Every opponent he fights knows that's what he wants to do, and he suckers them into it every time.  This is detrimental to his face, but it's gravy for the fans.  

As evidenced in his battles with Chan Sung Jung and Nam Phan, Garcia isn't scared to go in there and swing for the fences and see who's left standing.  

Garcia faces Tiequan Zhang next.  Expect fireworks.   

Chan Sung Jung

How do you even set the Twister submission up?  I'm sure it's somewhere on YouTube.  Somehow Chan Sung Jung got the how-to video from Eddie Bravo and used it to Leonard Garcia's detriment at UFC Fight Night 24.

Following that amazing victory, Chan Sung Jung was seen decapitating former No. 1 contender Mark Hominick with his fist in Mark's own backyard of Canada.  

In his last four fights, the "Korean Zombie" has managed to win Fight of the Year, Submission of the Year, Knockout of the Night and be victim of a Knockout of the Night.  

I don't care who you are, that's excitement right there.  

Clay Guida

Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Clay Guida is the model of intensity, grit and determination.  He never quits, and he never gives up.  Sometimes he loses, but that's not because he didn't give it all he had.  

Think about it: Have you even seen Guida get knocked out?

"The Carpenter" doesn't have the most outstanding striking, but he had one of the scrappiest all-around battles with Diego Sanchez that UFC has ever seen.  They went toe to toe, stood in the pocket and just threw shots at one another.  

Guida got caught with a kick that would've knocked most people out, but he hopped right up, thirsty for more action.

Guida has seven post-fight awards, including five Fight of the Night awards to his credit.  Even if he doesn't win, his presence alone almost guarantees a great fight.

(Side note: Doesn't he look like Shawn Michaels, "The Heartbreak Kid" in that picture?)

Nate Diaz

Former The Ultimate Fighter 5 winner Nate Diaz is another guy that just loves to scrap.  At age 26, Diaz is a veteran of the Octagon and has racked up 10 wins under the UFC banner.  Along with those 10 wins, he's won eight post-fight awards.  

The Diaz brothers know how to talk up a fight, as evidenced by the preceding banter between Diaz and Donald Cerrone leading into their fight at UFC 141.  Nate can talk the talk, but he can back it up with his fists.  

Diaz has great boxing skills, relentless cardio and a solid submission game to round it out.

With his attitude and his skill set, all of his fights are destined to be exciting.  His fight against Jim Miller at UFC on Fox 3 won't be any different.

Michael McDonald

This choice is more of a prediction of future exploits, but Michael "Mayday" McDonald is one to watch.  

He's only been in three UFC events, but he's already pocketed two bonus checks.  With his previous emphatic wins over former WEC No. 1 contender Manny Tapia and former WEC champion Cole Escovedo, McDonald has the makings of an impressive resume.

He doesn't stack up to the others on this list yet, but give him time.

Urijah Faber

Whether you like him or not, you can't deny that Urijah Faber, a.k.a. "The California Kid," is a huge attraction in the UFC.  The former WEC Featherweight Champion, and face of the WEC, has carried his huge following and excitement into the UFC.

In his three fights in the UFC, he's already taken home two post-fight awards.  

His style is unpredictable at times, as well as unorthodox.  He's been known to throw double knees and posture up for vicious elbows while inside somebody's guard.  That keeps fans intrigued. He's also gaining power in his hands, as evidenced in his demolition of Brian Bowles at UFC 139.  

If he can combine the new facets of his game with his outstanding ground game, there might be a changing of the guard at bantamweight.  

Watch out, Dominick Cruz, the rubber match is on...

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