2011 MMA Prospect Watch: The Heavyweight Division

Champions aren’t born, they are made. Before every great fighter wears the prestigious gold belt, they must first prove themselves worthy as a prospect.

In the year 2010, several rising stars such as Jon Jones, Ryan Bader and George Sotiropoulos emerged as legitimate contenders in their respective weight division.

Fighters such as Cain Velasquez and Frankie Edgar, who were once considered highly touted prospects, became UFC champions.

To put it simply, new stars are emerging in this sport at a rapid rate. With 2010 nearly in the books, I have decided to forecast some of the top prospects that could develop into top contenders in the coming year.

We begin our 2011 MMA prospect watch with the big boys of the heavyweight division.

The following heavyweights compete in various organizations including the UFC, Strikeforce, M-1 Global and other fight promotions.

Chad Corvin (UFC)

Signed to a UFC contract in early 2010, Corvin has yet to debut with the organization due to undisclosed medical issues. His Octagon debut was slated for UFC 113 back in May against Joey Beltran, but the Quebec Athletic Commission didn’t approve his paperwork.

Look for Corvin to finally step into the Octagon next year and really make some waves in the heavyweight division. A standout wrestler in high school, Corvin has finished all of his professional MMA fights within the first round.

Any heavyweight with immense knockout power and powerful wrestling is tough to beat and Corvin is just that and then some.

He is 6-0 as a professional and the video above was actually before Corvin turned pro in 2007.

Guram Gugenishvili (M-1 Global)

It’s tough to view Gugenishvili as a prospect when he is already the M-1 Global heavyweight champion.

But when you take into account that he’s only been fighting for a little over a year and that the M-1 Global title really isn’t that prestigious, it makes sense to list him as a rising star.

This undefeated Georgian-Ukrainian fighter has finished all but one of his 10 professional bouts by way of submission. He has competed mostly in Russia and is extremely quick and agile for his size.

His strongest assets are his wrestling and submission grappling abilities. With time, Gugenishvili could become one of the top heavyweights in the world.

He just needs to improve his striking ability, conditioning and overall technique in order to compete with the upper echelon of the division.

Justin Wren (Free Agent)

A cast member on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights, Wren temporarily lost his opportunity at UFC fame with an unofficial TUF loss to Roy Nelson and a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Jon Madsen at the TUF 10 finale.

Motivated to work his way back into the organization, the hungry 23 year old has dominated three consecutive opponents in smaller shows.

If “The Viking” can continue that momentum in 2011, it shouldn’t be long before either the UFC re-signs him or he is picked up by another major promotion.

With his Greco-Roman wrestling ability and well-rounded skills, Wren has potential to accomplish big things in the sport down the road.

Travis Browne (UFC)

With a 1-0-1 UFC record (10-0-1 overall), Browne has already established himself as a heavyweight to keep your eye on in the future.

He utterly destroyed James McSweeney at the TUF 11 Finale and arguably won a decision over Cheick Kongo at UFC 120 in a fight that the judges deemed a draw.

It’s no secret that Browne possesses some scary knockout power, but he has visible holes in his conditioning that he needs to work on in order to reach the next level.

Shane Del Rosario (Strikeforce)

When people talk about Strikeforce’s heavyweight division, they think of fighters like Fedor Emelianenko, Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum.

Outside of those three, the casual fan might also mention names like Brett Rogers, Antonio Silva and Andrei Arlovski.

One heavyweight that is usually neglected in the conversation is Del Rosario but that could all change next year.

Known as a vicious Muay Thai striker that is capable on the ground, Del Rosario enters 2011 with an unbeaten record and a lot to prove.

One more dominant victory on the Strikeforce Challengers series would likely earn the young heavyweight a high profile bout with a notable fighter such as Arlovski or Rogers.

Matt Mitrione (UFC)

A former NFL player for the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings, Mitrione first made waves on The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights as the “snitch” on Team Rashad.

Since coming off the show, Mitrione has rattled off three consecutive victories over Marcus Jones, Kimbo Slice and Joey Beltran. Even though he is still relatively inexperienced in MMA, Mitrione seems to improve drastically with every performance.

Known as a wild slugger on TUF 10, “Meathead” has really polished his striking ability under Duke Roufus in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His ground game has also improved leaps and bounds in the past year, so it is going to be interesting to see if he can continue evolving at this rate.

Todd Duffee (Free Agent)

Bad attitude or not, cutting Duffee was a mistake on the UFC’s part. I realize Duffee is coming off a knockout loss to Mike Russow, but he was clearly dominating that fight up until the end.

Prior to that, the massive Duffee scored the fastest knockout victory in UFC history over Tim Hague in his debut at UFC 102.

At 24 years old, Duffee is an athletic specimen with the type of power that can generate a highlight reel knockout at any given moment.

Conditioning seems to be his weak point and what ultimately cost him in the Russow fight.

It’s very common for a bulky heavyweight to have poor cardio—just look at Shane Carwin as the prime example.

However, it didn’t stop Carwin from wrecking shop on his path to top contender status and Duffee is much younger and quicker.

Jon Madsen (UFC)

Fresh off a destructive win over PRIDE and K-1 veteran Gilbert Yvel, Madsen is now 4-0 in the UFC.  A member of Team DeathClutch, Madsen is one of the best wrestlers in the heavyweight division despite being one of its smallest fighters.

Although he has shown superb control from the top position, several critics questioned the TUF 10 cast members’ ability to finish a fight.

Madsen temporarily silenced them with a first round TKO over Yvel and is looking to keep his momentum flowing into 2011.

Cole Konrad (Bellator)

Following in the footsteps of his teammate and friend, former UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar, Konrad claimed championship gold in his rookie year in MMA.

An NCAA All-American wrestler and 2005 Pan-Am Gold Medalist, Konrad stepped into the cage for the first time in early 2010 and was quickly signed by the Bellator Fighting Championships.

Konrad is now the reigning Bellator heavyweight champion after winning their inaugural heavyweight tournament.

Nothing against Bellator but I firmly believe that someday Konrad will fight for the UFC.

With his wrestling background and work ethic, Konrad could become one of the most dominant heavyweights that this sport has ever seen.

Brendan Schaub (UFC)

After his decisive win over former title challenger Gabriel Gonzaga, Schaub is on the brink of becoming a top contender in the UFC.

Since losing in the TUF 10 finale to Roy Nelson, Schaub has decimated Chase Gormley and Chris Tuchscherer in the first round before beating Gonzaga right out of the UFC.

The Trevor Wittman-trained fighter has some of the best hands in the division and is also a threat on the ground.

Schaub’s first fight in 2011 will likely be against a top tier opponent such as Frank Mir or a big name like Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic.

Obviously a win over a fighter of that caliber and name recognition would catapult Schaub close to title contention.

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Mitch Ciccarelli is the sexiest MMA columnist on the planet. A featured columnist for B/R and staff writer for Heavy MMA, Ciccarelli is also a future United States Airman.

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