10 Light Heavyweights Who Could Be Plugged into the UFC Right Now

The light heavyweight division has given fans plenty of thrills over the years, but what used to be the UFC's premier division is in shambles. 

Part of it is because of the rise of other promotions, with organizations like Bellator MMA and One FC having the gumption to develop, retain and pursue talented fighters. Part of it is just plain mismanagement by the UFC. Ultimately, what that means is there is more light heavyweight talent outside the UFC today than at any point since the death of Pride.

So who are some of the best light heavyweights outside the UFC? Where are they fighting? Could we see them compete in the Octagon? 

Find out right here!

Emanuel Newton

USA TODAY Sports

Age: 30
Promotion: Bellator MMA
Notable Wins: Muhammed Lawal, Attila Vegh, Ilir Latifi

What Does He Do Well?

Stylistically, Emanuel Newton is...just...awful. His wrestling offense is borderline non-existent, and his wrestling defense is serviceable at best. His striking looks better suited for falling down a flight of stairs than cage fighting. He doesn't seem to realize it, though!

Newton is the new Forrest Griffin: a tough scrapper who seems to regularly beat people he has no business competing against. While it is hard to say that he would be able to beat any well-entrenched members of the UFC's Top 10, it was no less difficult to envision him beating Mo Lawal...twice. He might not be championship material, but he would be competitive with most of the UFC's 205-pound roster.

Could We See Him in the UFC?

There is no reason to believe Newton is poised to leave Bellator at this time or is at all dissatisfied with his situation with the promotion. Not only that, but he is the reigning light heavyweight champion, which makes it even less likely that he could leave, even if he wanted to. Expect him to remain with Bellator for the indefinite future.

Attila Vegh

Age: 29
Promotion: None
Notable Wins: Emanuel Newton, Egidijus Valavicius

What Does He Do Well?

Attila Vegh is not your prototypical European mixed martial artist. As a youth, the Slovakian started wrestling and wouldn't move on to striking until his teenage years, at which point he became a kempo standout. That mixed base has translated into solid all-around skills, demonstrated nicely in his career tally of 10 knockout and 11 submission victories. 

Could We See Him in the UFC?

Of all the fighters on this list, Vegh is by far the most likely to wind up in the UFC in the near future. The former Bellator light heavyweight champ was unceremoniously released from the promotion in August and has yet to put pen to paper with any other organization. Vegh ranks well outside the 205-pound top 10, but given the super-shallow nature of the division at this time, a warm body and decent record is enough to earn a shot in the UFC. While Vegh won't be threatening Jon Jones any time soon, he is capable of beating most UFC light heavyweights.

Tomasz Narkun

Age: 25
Promotion: KSW
Notable Wins: None

What Does He Do Well?

While Bellator lightweight contender Marcin Held is far and away Poland's most impressive submission specialist, Tomasz Narkun is doing his best to swipe that title. The former M-1 fighter (who has since joined KSW) has amassed a 9-1 record with every win coming via submission. If he can dispatch Goran Reljic in December, he is likely capable of doing the same with a fair number of UFC fighters.

Could We See Him in the UFC?

KSW is willing to break the proverbial bank for its top stars. While its former 205-pound star, Jan Blachowicz, recently earned his first UFC victory, KSW has shown a willingness to fight the UFC tooth-and-nail (or, more accurately, dollar-for-dollar) for local talent. It is unclear how long Narkun is contracted for—he made his debut in May and is slated to face Reljic in December—but if he only signed a short-term deal and continues his winning ways, a move to the UFC is possible.

Liam McGeary

Age: 32
Promotion: Bellator MMA
Notable Wins: Mike Mucitelli, Egidijus Valavicius

What Does He Do Well?

In a Bellator light heavyweight division chock-full of UFC spitbacks, Liam McGeary holds the almost unanimous distinction of being a homegrown 205-pound talent. The 2014 Summer Series tournament winner has been absolutely lights-out in his career, effortlessly amassing a 9-0 record with every victory coming inside the distance. With heavy hands and a crafty submission game, it's hard to imagine him losing to almost anybody in Bellator at this time.

Could We See Him in the UFC?

As with Emanuel Newton, it's unlikely we'll see McGeary join the UFC at any point in the near future. Sure, while Bellator has been actively releasing unhappy fighters, McGeary doesn't seem to be among that lot. At this point, it's safe to assume the Brit will be a major player in Bellator's light heavyweight division for years to come.

Moise Rimbon

Age: 37
Promotion: Top FC
Notable Wins: Alex Stiebling, Anthony Perosh

What Does He Do Well?

The wild world of the European regional circuit has few constants, but Moise Rimbon's steady presence among the continent's top tier of light heavyweights is one of them. Rimbon's career dates back 14 years, and he has fought several recognizable names. However, it wasn't until 2009 that his journeyman status wasn't accompanied by journeyman skills. Currently riding a seven-fight winning streak, he should be regarded as a well-traveled, experienced veteran.

Could We See Him in the UFC?

Only once in Rimbon's career has he recorded consecutive fights with the same promotion (not including one-night tournaments), which was with Sengoku in 2008. So the fact that he actually seems to have a multifight deal with Korea's Top FC is no small thing. 

How long will that last? No idea. Either way, if he remains active and continues winning, it is only a matter of time before he finds his way to a major American promotion.

Dion Staring

Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Age: 36
Promotion: FFC
Notable Wins: Akira Corassani, Hans Stringer

What Does He Do Well?

Fighting full time for 10 years, you pick up a few thing, and you see even more. It's no different with Dion Staring. While fans likely remember him as "that poor dude that was mauled by Daniel Cormier on the final Strikeforce card" he was around for a good, long time before that. He owns a solid 30-10 record, courtesy of his all-over-the-ring-skills. That is particularly impressive considering how frequently he has fought above his native weight class.

Could We See Him in the UFC?

Talent-wise, sure. There is no reason Staring couldn't slot into the UFC and take on guys like Fabio Maldonado, Anthony Perosh or Ryan Jimmo. Additionally, it's unlikely that Staring is particularly attached to, or tightly controlled by, FFC. 

However, Staring had a really bad 2013. Sure, it's not entirely his fault. He was hand-picked to be fed to Cormier, caught by James McSweeney (more on him later) and given a horrible stylistic matchup against Alexey Oleinik. While he has posted back-to-back stoppage victories since then, he will need a few more wins under his belt before he gets a second invitation from Zuffa.

Quinton Jackson

Eric Jamison/Associated Press

Age: 36
Promotion: Bellator MMA
Notable Wins: Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida, Dan Henderson

What Does He Do Well?

Is Quinton "Rampage" Jackson a top-10 fighter anymore? Probably not. But he is markedly more comfortable in the cage since his departure from the UFC. While he has not faced anyone on par with Glover Teixeira or Ryan Bader in Bellator, he has shown three things that had seemingly left him in the UFC: three rounds' worth of cardio, some level of takedown defense and a great deal of knockout power. While that won't translate to a return to elite status, we've seen many a fighter get by entirely on takedown defense and knockout power.

Could We See Him in the UFC?

Oh, no...

No. No. No.

When Jackson's contract with the UFC ran out, he was still utterly dismissive of the idea of returning to the UFC. Think about that! By actively and publicly shooting down a UFC return, he drove down his own market value. He just didn't like the UFC that much. Even if Bellator were to suddenly and surprisingly close down overnight, a move to One FC, boxing or kickboxing would be substantially more likely than a return to the UFC.

Tyrone Spong

Age: 29
Promotion: World Series of Fighting
Notable Wins: None

What Does He Do Well?

Striking. I'm sure you knew that already, though. 

Spong was the top star of Glory kickboxing before suffering a brutal leg injury at Glory 15, but even at his rustiest, he would likely rank among the best 205-pound strikers in the business. While his wrestling skills remain untested, his three years training with Rashad Evans at the Jaco Hybrid Training Center have probably paid some dividends.

Could We See Him in the UFC?

Spong was supposed to be WSOF's top draw, given his established popularity in kickboxing circles. Not only that, but he was somebody who could easily be groomed toward elite status with WSOF. Unfortunately, his combat sports career was put on hold after he suffered a brutal leg injury at Glory 15, and it is unclear when he will return to cage.

While the "when" is unclear, the "where" is even more murky. There is no official word on Spong's status with WSOF, but the Dutchman is openly flirting with the UFC (UFC President Dana White discussed this in July). When considering the mass exodus from WSOF, which has seen Georgi Karakhanyan, Andrei Arlovski, Josh Burkman, Anthony "Rumble" Johnson and Jacob Volkmann all leave the promotion under eyebrow-raising circumstances (as well as his already yearlong layoff), it would be surprising if Spong returned to the WSOF for another fight.

So could he wind up in the UFC? Sure. That is not a slam dunk, however, since other promotions like KSW and Bellator would be more likely to let him continue his kickboxing career.

Maxim Grishin

Age: 30
Promotion: Fight Nights
Notable Wins: Trevor Prangley, Alexander Volkov

What Does He Do Well?

Since joining the Strong Style Fight Team, Russian Maxim Grishin has quickly become one of the hottest light heavyweight prospects in America. With heavy, accurate hands, Grishin racked up knockouts on knockouts in Europe, and his winning ways haven't stopped since taking a major step up in competition. 

Could We See Him in the UFC?

It's always tough to peg what will happen with Russian fighters. As Frodo Khasbulaev can tell you, things can go sour pretty darn quickly. And as Alexey Oleinik can tell you, it can take 10 years of can-crushing to get a call from Joe Silva.

Could we see him wind up in the UFC? Sure. Could we see him stuck in MMA purgatory for several years? Absolutely.

James McSweeney

Age: 33 
Promotion: One FC
Notable Wins: Matt Mitrione, Dion Staring

What Does He Do Well?

If James McSweeney's name rings a bell, it's likely because of his time on The Ultimate Fighter Season 10, where he made waves as a Michael Bisping-style British heel. While he was quick to wash out of the UFC in 2010, there's no getting around the fact that when you start kickboxing at age six and drop out of school to move to Thailand at age 15...you're probably a good striker.

Could We See Him in the UFC?

McSweeney's official record advanced to 4-4 when he beat Darrill Schoonover at the TUF10 Finale, but he was booted from the UFC with a record of 4-6. By November 2011, his record was a paltry 6-9. While McSweeney's record currently sits at a pedestrian 14-11, he is 8-2 over his last 10 bouts. 

Given the UFC's growing schedule in Europe and his fan-friendly style, it's easy to imagine him getting a shot if he keeps on winning.