13 Fighters We Have Yet to See the Best of

The word potential is defined as having or showing the capacity to develop into something in the future.

This definition describes numerous fighters in MMA. Both young and old, several fighters have shown glimpses of greatness, but they have yet to full reach the pinnacle of their athleticism and skill set.

These are the top fighters in MMA who we have yet to seen the best of.

Pat Barry

If you don't love Pat Barry, then there might be something wrong with you.

Barry is one of the most entertaining fighters in the UFC, but the second he starts to build a winning streak and climb the heavyweight ranks, he suffers a heart-breaking loss.

He's one of the best strikers in the division, but he struggles with his ground game. Simply put, Barry is a one-dimensional fighter, and that only takes him so far.

With his ground game improving and his striking at the top of the division, Barry's best days are ahead of him.

Anthony Pettis

Anthony Pettis is born to be a champion.

With his elusive striking, ever-improving wrestling and deadly submission skills, Pettis is one of the best lightweights in the world.

But he has yet to win the UFC's lightweight belt, and that's why he hasn't reached his full potential just yet. I firmly believe that Pettis is a future champion.

After all, the guy holds a victory over the current lightweight champion, Benson Henderson, already.

Renan Barao

Renan Barao just might be the best fighter who doesn't hold a title.

Barao is 28-1, and he's won five straight fights under the Zuffa brand. Even though he's wowed fans with his God-given talent, he still has work to do in the bantamweight division.

Barao is a big deal in Brazil, and he's going to have to work his way up to Dominick Cruz for the title before he lives up to the hype.

A showdown between Cruz and Barao is inevitable, and Barao possesses the skills to give Cruz a run for his money.

Erick Silva

The sky is truly the limit for Erick Silva.

In his first two fights in the UFC, Silva dominated his opponents, Luis Ramos and Carlo Prater, but he has a 1-1 record to show for it.

After Silva pounded Prater into the mat and was originally awarded with the victory, referee Mario Yamasaki reversed the decision and disqualified Silva for punches to the back of the head.

It reminds me of the Jon Jones decision when he dominated Matt Hamill and was disqualified for the illegal elbow strikes. Perhaps Silva can build off of this and make a run at the title like Jones.

Roy Nelson

Roy Nelson is good at every aspect of the game when it comes to MMA, but his weight has held him down.

For most of his career, Nelson has been overweight, and he's gotten by on talent alone. Now that he's in the UFC, it's time for him to get in better shape as he faces some of the best fighters in the world, and that's just what he's doing.

Nelson is 3-3 in the UFC, and as he starts to get his physique more toned, Nelson might make a little more noise in the heavyweight division.

Melvin Guillard

Melvin Guillard has always had to live up to high expectations.

For years, Guillard has showcased some of the most explosive striking in the UFC, but he has zero titles to show for it.

Better yet, every time Guillard gets close to a title, he loses a fight he probably should have won. After losing two fights in a row against Joe Lauzon and Jim Miller when he was knocking on the door at a title shot, his window for a championship run is closing.

Will the aging Guillard ever put it together and win a championship?

Hector Lombard

Hector Lombard is a wrecking ball.

Lombard destroyed the competition in Bellator by going 8-0, and now he's officially headed to the UFC.

For Lombard to be considered one of the best middleweight fighters in the world, he needs to run the gauntlet in the UFC, and that's exactly what he's set to do.

Could Lombard be the man who finally gives Anderson Silva his first loss in the UFC?

Rousimar Palhares

Don't give Rousimar Palhares your leg.

Palhares is a master of the leg lock, and he's currently climbing the middleweight division with a three-fight win streak.

He's had his fair share of slip-ups in the UFC, though. He nearly lost a fight against Dan Miller after celebrating too early. His last loss came when he was knocked out by Nate Marquardt after Palhares stopped to tell the referee Marquardt was slippery and the referee didn't break the action.

If Palhares can ever fully get his head in the game, he could be a force to reckon with in the middleweight division.

Stefan Struve

Much like Barry, Stefan Struve has had his fair share of ups and downs in the UFC.

Struve is 7-3 in the UFC, and considering the fact that he has a reach advantage over every opponent he faces, he should have a better record than that.

All too often, Struve falls into the trap of not using his reach advantage and has seen him suffer devastating knockout losses to Roy Nelson, Travis Browne and Junior dos Santos.

As he looks to build off of his current two-fight win streak, maybe the Skyscraper can make a run at the heavyweight championship.

Joseph Benavidez

If it weren't for Dominick Cruz, Joseph Benavidez would have had an iron grip on the bantamweight division.

Benavidez is championship-caliber talent, and because of the UFC creating a 125-pound weight class, Benavidez can finally live his dream.

He's a finalist in the flyweight tournament, and if he defeats the winner of Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson, he'll become the UFC's first flyweight champion.

Benavidez's iron grip on the bantamweight division may no longer exist, but his run as the 125-pound champion could be a lengthy one.

Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier has done nothing but knock off the top challengers in the division.

Poirier has climbed the ranks and is now considered to be one of the best fighters in the featherweight division.

But he still has yet to get a title shot against Jose Aldo, and with Poirier ever improving, a title shot is almost inevitable.

Should he defeat Chan Sung Jung next month, Poirier could be the man who finally stops Aldo.

Pat Curran

Pat Curran is a rising star in Bellator.

After dethroning Joe Warren to become the new featherweight champion, Curran has become one of Bellator's hottest commodities overnight.

As he continues to get better and showcase those great striking skills to future opponents in Bellator, the UFC should come knocking.

Once that happens, then and only then will Curran reach his full potential as he tests himself against the best fighters in the world.