15 Amazing Prospects You Need to Know About

MMA is ever growing in popularity, and as a result, the prospects just keep getting better and better.

In the last couple of years in the sport, we've seen prospects like Michael McDonald and Rory MacDonald go from prospect to contender, but who will be in the next wave of talent to follow their path?

These are the still relatively unknown prospects who are sure to be something special in years to come and elevate their status to contender.

Erick Silva

I haven't been this high on a prospect since Jon Jones was climbing the ranks.

Simply put, Erick Silva will become champion one day. Silva is a special breed that embodies everything it takes to reach the top and dominate high-level competition.

His striking is fearless, his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is smooth and, as he showed in his bout against a gritty wrestler like Charlie Brenneman, he has excellent takedown defense. Silva is 14-2 and should be 15-1 after Mario Yamasaki botched a disqualification by saying he hit Carlo Prater repeatedly in the back of the head. 

With his recent first-round destruction over Brenneman, expect Silva to face stiffer competition and continue to climb the ranks on his way to a welterweight title shot.

Jimy Hettes

I'm not sure anyone implements judo and jiu-jitsu together better than Jimy Hettes.

Before entering the UFC, Hettes won all eight of his professional bouts by submission, and he turned heads in his UFC debut against Alex Caceres.

Hettes and Caceres engaged in a wildly entertaining jiu-jitsu clinic with Hettes pulling off a rear-naked choke in the second round. But Hettes showed the world he was legit when he dominated Nam Phan at UFC 141.

Hettes tossed Phan around with his judo and used his jiu-jitsu to go for submissions throughout the fight. Considering how dangerous his ground game is and the skills he possesses to get it there, Hettes should be on everyone's radar in 2012.

Sergio Pettis

Does the last name ring a bell?

It's only a matter of time before Anthony Pettis' little brother, Sergio, makes his way into the UFC. At 5-0, Pettis has run through the competition on the smaller circuits.

Finishing two of his fights by head-kick knockout and two of his fights by submission, Pettis is already putting together an impressive highlight reel at just 18 years old.

As he gains more experience, look for the UFC to add Pettis to their bantamweight roster.

Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler is the real deal.

Those who doubt him and say that his lightweight championship victory over Eddie Alvarez was a fluke need to get their eyes checked.

At 10-0, Chandler won the fourth season lightweight tournament, and he went on to beat one of the greatest lightweights in the sport for the championship. Granted, he hasn't faced UFC-caliber competition just yet, but he has faced off against tough fighters like Lloyd Woodard and Patricky Freire.

Like former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard, Chandler's move to the UFC is inevitable, and once he steps on Dana White's playing grounds, he should be taken seriously.

Rony "Jason" Bezerra

Those who have watched TUF: Brasil know just how talented Rony "Jason" is.

While his strength is BJJ, he's a versatile striker who presses the action with his unrelenting pace. Bezerra sports a 10-3 record, but as the reality series showed, he's better than his record suggests.

Bezerra reached the finals in the featherweight tournament and will face off against Godofredo "Pepey" Castro at UFC 147 to determine the first Ultimate Fighter champion of the Brazil series.

Pepey's strength is jiu-jitsu as well, so if this fight hits the ground, it should make for an entertaining scrap filled with multiple transitions.

Paul Sass

Paul Sass doesn't play around on the ground.

Sass is 13-0 in MMA with 12 of his wins coming by submission, and he's won all three of his UFC bouts by submission, including a beautiful triangle armbar on ground specialist Jacob Volkmann.

When it comes to Sass, it's gotten to the point where we're all just sitting and thinking, can this guy keep it up? Can he continuously get his opponent to engage with him on the ground where he's proved to be most deadly?

Sass takes on a very game Matt Wiman at UFC on Fuel TV 5 in September, and should he pull off another submission, Sass should launch himself up the lightweight ranks.

Max Holloway

Max Holloway was fed to the wolves in his UFC debut.

Tossed in against one of the featherweight divison's best in Dustin Poirier, Holloway was tapped out in the first round with a triangle armbar. With what little time he was given in his debut under the bright lights of the UFC, Holloway impressed.

Holloway took it to Poirier on the feet with a wide range of attacks in his arsenal. Holloway's next UFC fight would see him pitted against Pat Schilling, and this fight wasn't even close.

Holloway brutalized his opponent with leg kicks and superior striking en route to a unanimous decision victory. If Holloway can continue to evolve his ground game and takedown defense, he'll prove to be a worthy adversary for any featherweight in the UFC.

Cezar "Mutante" Ferreira

Cezar Mutante is an assassin in the cage.

Mutante's kicks are excellent, as he sports a Capoeria background. In fact, it would be his devastating kicks that would help see him reach the finals on TUF: Brasil. At UFC 147, he'll have his opportunity to win the middleweight tournament.

Mutante's 4-2 record isn't all that impressive, but the knockouts and performances on the show are something to gawk at.

Rick Hawn

Is Rick Hawn the one to stop Chandler in Bellator?

After winning Bellator fighting championship's Season 6 lightweight tournament, Hawn has earned himself a future title shot.

But the journey wasn't filled with cupcakes—well, just one. After beating "Cupcake" Woodard and Ricardo Tirioni by knockout, Hawn defeated Brent Weedman by decision to win the tournament.

Hawn is 14-1 in MMA, and with world class judo and dynamite in both hands, Hawn could give Chandler a run for his championship.

Roland Delorme

Roland Delorme has incredible heart.

In his fight against Nick Denis, who was thought to be another hot prospect, Delorme proved that he can take a beating and persevere.

Delorme ate some shots early, weathered the storm and finished Denis in the first round via rear-naked choke.

That's Delorme's second consecutive UFC victory following his stint on the 14th season of TUF, and his never-say-die attitude should lead to a successful run in the UFC.

Glover Teixeira

Nobody wants to fight Glover Teixeira. Just ask Dana White.

If you're in need to break down a few walls, there's no need to call a demolition crew—just get Teixeira on the job.

With an MMA record of 18-2, Teixeira has put other MMA fighters on notice with his 11 knockouts and five submissions. But his UFC debut against Kyle Kingsbury at UFC 146 has more casual fans marveling at his talent.

Teixeira destroyed Kingsbury with his striking, and once the fight hit the ground, he made Kingsbury tap out to an arm triangle.

Alex Caceres

I'm still high on Alex Caceres.

After his underwhelming performance on the 12th season of TUF and losing to Mackens Semerzier, Hettes and Edwin Figueroa, Caceres is 1-3 in the UFC. That's not exactly hot prospect material.

But allow me to remind you that Caceres is still only 24 years old, and we have yet to see the best of him. In his fight against Hettes, it was a back-and-forth, entertaining affair, and Hettes proved in his fight against Phan at UFC 141 that he's a force to be reckoned with.

And as for his loss to Figueroa, the result came from the referee deducting two points for groin shots rather than one. Caceres' career might have gotten off to a shaky start, but look for this young bantamweight to take his game to the next level in 2012.

Justin Lawrence

Justin Lawrence was the favorite on The Ultimate Fighter for a reason.

Despite losing to Mike Chiasa in the semifinals, Lawrence's MMA record is still unblemished at 4-0.

Lawrence made his UFC debut at The Ultimate Fighter 15 finale in spectacular fashion with a head-kick knockout against John Cofer, which has him riding a wave of momentum.

Though he didn't win the show, Lawrence's future in the UFC will be a bright one.

Stipe Miocic

Stipe Miocic is on his way to super-stardom.

Unbeaten in his MMA career, Miocic entered the UFC with a lot of hype surrounding him. So far, he's lived up to it.

After defeating a gritty and always determined Joey Beltran at UFC 136, Miocic reeled off two knockout victories against Phillip De Fries and Shane del Rosario.

Miocic has all of the tools to become the next dominant Croatian heavyweight.

Pat Curran

Pat Curran might be the hottest thing going in Bellator right now.

Why?

Well, he recently defeated Joe Warren for the featherweight championship and is riding high after back-to-back, highlight-reel knockouts.

Seriously, if it wasn't for Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva's front kicks, Curran's knockout over Marlon Sandro last year could have been knockout of the year.

And Curran followed that KO up with a brilliant entourage of knees, kicks and punches on Warren earlier this year. At 24 years old and already a world champion, Curran deserves your attention.