UFC: The Top Prospects in Each Weight Class
Though there have been some dominant champions recently, the UFC is a company built on evolution in which the top of the food chain seems to be in constant shift.
With the influx of new talent being signed seemingly on a weekly basis, Dana White and the UFC has done an excellent job of keeping their champions looking great while also maintaining fan interest by creating up-and-comers at every weight class.
The UFC added both the 145-pound (featherweight) and 135-pound (Bantamweight) divisions to their roster recently when they completed the merger with the WEC. Many UFC fans are completely unfamiliar with these weight classes so now is a good time to look at some of the top prospects in each of the weight classes, including the two new, very exciting divisions.
Bantamweight (135 Lbs)—Michael McDonald
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Though he had just one fight in WEC, there is a lot of hype surrounding 135-pound up-and-comer Michael McDonald.
McDonald dominated that fight and secured an impressive submission victory over Clint Godfrey at WEC 52. The win was his 11th in 12 career fights, the only loss coming in May of 2009 via TKO to current Dream competitor Cole Escovedo. He has since avenged that loss with a knockout victory in July 2010.
Even more impressive than his record is the way McDonald has won his fights. He has only ever gone into the second round twice (both fights with Cole Escovedo), finishing every fight by either knockout or submission.
McDonald’s next fight will be against another fighter who has lost just once in his career, Nick Pace, who successfully made his UFC debut over Will Campuzano on December 4th, 2010 at The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale.
If McDonald can win this fight in his UFC debut, it will be a big step in the right direction.
Bantamweight (135 Lbs)—Norifumi
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Already a star in Japan, “Kid” Yamamoto sports an impressive 18-3-1 career record. He spent the better part of five years considered by many to be one of the top pound-for-pound fighters when he won 14 straight fights in K-1 and Shooto.
Yamamoto took a near 17-month layoff following his win over Rani Yahya on New Year’s Eve 2007. The break may have thrown him out of his rhythm as he went on to lose his next two fights, both in 2009, to Joe Warren and Masanori Kanehara.
2010 saw the re-invention of “Kid,” though as he trained and lived in Okinawa under former WBA Light Welterweight Champion Akinobu Hiranaka. The re-focusing seemed to have done its job as Yamamoto had an impressive TKO victory over Federico Lopez at Dream 14.
UFC President Dana White announced the signing of “Kid” in December and he will make his UFC debut on February 5th, 2011 at UFC 126.
Though he has not fought in UFC yet, Yamamoto has to be considered an instant top contender for Dominick Cruz’s 135-pound crown.
Bantamweight (135 Lbs)—Demetrious Johnson
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Demetrious Johnson may be of the more undersized fighters in the 135-pound division but that hasn’t stopped him from doing some serious damage during his short time in the WEC.
After losing to Brad Pickett in his WEC debut, “Mighty Mouse” gave Nick Pace his only professional loss back in September of 2010, winning the fight by decision after three tough rounds.
In his second fight for the company, Johnson spent the first round being dominated by the much larger Damacio Page. Page used his superior size and strength to wrestle Johnson to the ground. Johnson himself admitted the dominance, adding that “The first round, he was tossing me around like a ragdoll.”
Things turned around in the second round when Johnson made some adjustments and began to throw knees, mixing up his striking to avoid being taken to the ground by Page. He eventually secured a submission victory in the third round by guillotine choke, capping off a huge comeback.
Johnson has expressed interest in moving down to the Flyweight (125-pound) division but remains an interesting prospect at 135-pounds as well.
Featherweight (145 Lbs)—Josh Grispi
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The 145-pound division took a major turn when top contender Josh Grispi was dominated in a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 125 on New Year’s Day.
Grispi was originally scheduled to fight for the newly created UFC bantamweight championship against the defending Jose Aldo but an injury sidelined the champion. Grispi still wanted to fight on the card so he was given the 21-year-old Dustin Poirier in a fight that he was heavily favored to win.
Many experts and fans alike were looking forward to the showdown with Aldo and Grispi as it looked like Grispi may have had some of the talents that would be needed to defeat the extremely dominant 145-pound champion. His wins over L.C. Davis and Jens Pulver as well as Micah Miller and current top contender Mark Hominick made him easily the top contender going into the fight with Poirier.
Grispi simply looked unprepared for Poirier in the fight as he was unable to take much of any control on the ground and seemed to be completely overmatched on his feet.
Still, many say that Grispi underestimated his opponent and that he will be back to contend for the 145-pound crown in no time.
Featherweight (145 Lbs)—Chad Mendes
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Undefeated in nine professional fights since his debut in 2008, Chad “Money” Mendes has had an impressive start to his career fighting under the Zuffa banner.
His aggressive style of both takedowns and striking make him a dangerous and difficult-to-replicate opponent. Mendes holds victories over Javier Vasquez, Eric Koch, and Cub Swanson, all of whom were considered among the top fighters in the now defunct WEC.
His next fight will be against Japanese fighter Michihiro Omigawa who left UFC back in 2008 following back-to-back losses. Omigawa has been fighting often and successfully since leaving, picking up huge wins over Hiroyuki Takaya and Hatsu Hioki as well as Sengoku and Pancrase featherweight champion Marlon Sandro, all of whom are considered to be in or near the top-10 fighters at 145-pounds in the world.
Whoever wins between Mendes and Omigawa is expected to be next-in-line for a shot at the winner of the likely Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick fight targeted for UFC 129 on April 30th in Toronto.
Featherweight (145 Lbs)—Dustin Poirier
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At just 21 years old, Dustin Poirier is one of the youngest fighters currently working in the UFC.
Few knew who Poirier was before his fight at UFC 125, but his impressive victory over the heavily favored and rumored-to-be No. 1 contender Josh Grispi ought to have helped open the eyes of MMA fans everywhere.
Poirier won an unanimous decision in the bout, scored 30-27 on all three judges’ scorecards. Grispi had been pummeling his opponents early in most of his fights up until that night, having made it out of the first round only once in his first 15 fights.
Using his impressive stand-up, “The Diamond” kept Grispi off balance throughout the entire fight, bombarding him with several unanswered combinations in the first round and controlling things from the clinch in the third.
This young fighter still likely has a couple fights before he is in true title contention but he is surely gaining some steam.
Featherweight (145 Lbs)—Diego Nunes
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Diego Nunes shocked everyone, including fans in attendance, when he was announced as the winner by split decision over former WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown at UFC 125.
The decision was met with a chorus of boos from the fans who believed that Brown’s performance, particularly in the first round, would be good enough to secure the win.
The rules of MMA worked against Brown, though, as his one dominant round victory was not enough to win the fight as Nunes squeaked by, closely winning the next two rounds on two judges’ scorecards.
Though all of Nunes’ fights have now gone to a decision in both the WEC and UFC, he holds a 5-1 record under the Zuffa banner and could be in line for a title shot with one or two more wins, even if they come in controversial fashion.
Lightweight (155 Lbs)—George Sotiropoulos
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At 33 years old, it’s hard to really call George Sotiropoulos a “prospect” but given that he is now 7-0 in the UFC, it’s hard to not consider him one of the top contenders for the UFC lightweight title.
Sotiropoulos fought three times in 2010, earning decisions over Joe Stevenson and Kurt Pellegrino before submitting Joe Lauzon at UFC 123.
His next fight will be against Dennis Siver at UFC 127 in Australia. An Australian himself, Sotiropoulos could end up being the face of MMA in his country.
“I’m going to get a lot of fan support when I’m down there. I get a good reception here in the U.S., but when I go home, it’s going to be a whole different ballgame. I’m going to have all of the crowd behind me, and it’s going to be very loud,” Sotiropoulos said in an interview on the Sherdog Radio Network.
Gray Maynard is the top contender at 155-pounds after his draw with champion Frankie Edgar on New Year’s Day but Sotiropoulos is certainly making his case for a title shot.
Lightweight (155 Lbs)—Jim Miller
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Two of the lightweight division’s best prospects recently signed and will square off at UFC 128 when Jim Miller faces WEC stud Kamal Shalorus.
Miller, considered by most to be the brighter of the two prospects, is currently on an impressive six fight win streak inside the Octagon and holds a stunning 19-2 record overall. The only losses in his career come against the consensus top two fighters at 155 lbs, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. Meanwhile his wins over Mark Bocek, Gleison Tibau and Charles Oliveira have the MMA world talking about the 27 year old.
The fight between Shalorus and Miller will be one that could elevate both fighters into serious discussion for an eventual title shot in perhaps the UFC’s most highly crowded division.
The one gripe that some fans have about Miller is that he has only finished three of his nine fights in the UFC while many of his fellow lightweight contenders have done a better job of submitting or knocking out their opponents.
Nevertheless, Miller remains a prospect to keep your eye on in 2011.
Lightweight (155 Lbs)—Anthony Pettis
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In what has become a Youtube sensation, Anthony Pettis did an incredible job of making a name for himself in the final WEC event when he delivered a Matrix-like flying head kick on Ben Henderson.
Pettis won the fight which made him the WEC lightweight champion and earned an eventual shot at the UFC lightweight title. Unfortunately, the draw between Gray Maynard and champion Frankie Edgar made things significantly more complicated as the two of them will likely fight again before Pettis is given his shot.
In the meantime, Pettis has gone out of his way to prove that he is not just going to sit around and wait to be given his title shot. In a recent interview with MMAWeekly, Pettis’ manager Mike Roberts explained that his client will make his UFC debut before his title shot.
Rumors are that Pettis will face veteran Clay Guida who recently won a big fight over Takanori Gomi and is nearing the title discussion himself. The fight is tentatively scheduled for UFC 130.
Lightweight (155 Lbs)—Jonathan Brookins
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Jonathan Brookins went a long way in creating a name for himself when he won The Ultimate Fighter 12 in early December.
He looked to be in bad shape early in the fight but was able to stop an early flurry from Michael Johnson to edge of a unanimous decision victory in his UFC debut.
Brookins’ win over Johnson marked his fourth straight professional win stemming back to a submission victory over Stephen Ledbetter at Bellator Fighting Championships’ first event. He has not lost since he was knocked out by Jose Aldo back in November of 2008 at WEC 36.
Though Brookins doesn’t have quite the streak of impressive wins that some of the other fighters on this list do, winning The Ultimate Fighter was a big time feather in the cap for this 25 year old. Winning the contest has been a big stepping stone for other winners and could do the same for Brookins.
Welterweight (170 Lbs)—Carlos Condit
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It took Carlos Condit less than one round to do what UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre couldn’t do in five rounds when he finished Dan Hardy by knockout in UFC 120.
Hardy had been trash-talking about Condit and his trainer, Greg Jackson’s, cautious fighting style going into the fight. Instead it was Condit who pushed the pace in the fight, eventually knocking out Hardy with a vicious left hook that sent Hardy to the canvas in his home country of Great Britain.
Condit is now an impressive 26-5 in his professional career and an even more impressive 8-1 in the WEC and UFC.
Though he had a disappointing loss to Martin Kampmann in his UFC debut, Condit has since won three straight fights and recently told MMAWeekly that he believes he is nearing a title fight with champion Georges St. Pierre.
"I think I'm coming to that point. I feel like I'm ready," Condit said. "I've got to put the wins together to get my place, and I think in one or two wins I should be there."
Welterweight (170 Lbs)—Dong Hyun Kim
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New Year’s Day was perhaps the biggest day of Dong Hyun Kim’s MMA career when he defeated the highly touted former The Ultimate Fighter winner Nate Diaz in a unanimous decision.
“Stun Gun” controlled most of the fight with his takedowns and used great positioning to stifle the striking and jiu jitsu of Diaz. He won the first two rounds without much debate.
Controversy arose, however, when Diaz seemed to be working to finish Kim but was stopped due to landing an illegal knee. The knee was delivered to the head when Diaz had Kim in a front headlock but Kim was touching the canvas with one of his hands, thus creating three points of contact with the ground and making any knees to the head illegal.
The rule is considered absurd in situations like this when the fighter defending is simply placing his hand on the ground to avoid knees and not in an attempt to bring himself back to his feet, but the rule must be followed nonetheless.
When referee Yves Lavigne stepped in to stop the action and give Kim a chance to regain his composure, Diaz seemed to lose all momentum and was unable to finish the fight when it was restarted.
This was not the first time that Dong Hyun Kim has been involved in controversy, though. He suffered the first loss of his career at UFC 94 when he lost to Karo Pariysan but it was later turned into a No Contest when Pariysan failed a post-fight drug test.
Kim does sport a nice 14-0-1 record now, though, and called out Georges St. Pierre following his victory over Nate Diaz. "My name is Stun Gun and I want GSP" he announced to the crowd.
He might not be the top contender right now but perhaps one or two more wins will change the minds of the UFC matchmakers.
Middleweight (185 Lbs)—Brad Tavares
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Brad Tavares became the most recent young fighter to defeat veteran Phil Baroni when he withstood some big shots but still finished the fight in the first round at UFC 125.
"I knew going in there against a veteran like Baroni I could come and show what I can do, and show the rest of the UFC that I'm here as a contender," Tavares told UFC.com. "Winning it over Baroni is good, and finishing him like that is just icing on the cake."
The loss sent Baroni packing from the UFC but may prove to be a big source of confidence for the now 7-0 Tavares.
While he lost in the semifinals on The Ultimate Fighter 11 to eventual champion Court McGee, most consider Brad Tavares, just 23 years old, to be the prospect with the brightest future from that season.
Middleweight (185 Lbs)—Brian Stann
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After defeating Yoshihiro Akiyama in his previous fight, it was tough for Chris Leben to learn that he would be fighting Brian Stann at UFC 125.
"I was a little bit surprised," Leben told AOL Fanhouse. "Akiyama gets to go fight Bisping, and I get Brian Stann. So, you know, it was a little bit tough."
Leben was expecting to get another superstar fight but perhaps his overconfidence got the better of him that night. Stann shocked many fans when he hammered Leben early in round one, ending the fight in violent fashion as he sent “The Crippler” to the ground with a series of punches and knees.
The loss marked just the second loss by TKO of Leben’s 32-fight MMA career, the only other coming at the hands (and knees) of the dominant UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
In the post-fight interview, Stann restated his desire to become one of the best fighters in the world by fighting the best in his weight class.
"Whoever I need to fight to be in the top ten in the world is who I want to fight next,” Stann said. “That's my number one goal for 2011. To be a top ten middleweight in the world and work my way towards a title shot."
The “All American” has since called out MMA legend Wanderlei Silva. A win in a fight against Silva would certainly help catapult him further toward top ten discussions.
Light Heavyweight (205 Lbs)—Phil Davis
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Nicknamed “Mr. Wonderful,” many pro wrestling fans will be surprised to hear that Phil Davis is not nicknamed after the legendary Paul Orndorff. Nonetheless, his impressive physique still allows him to look the part and do justice to the fabled moniker.
Not only does Davis’ look live up to his nickname, but so does his skill.
Davis, a four time All-American and Division I wrestling champion, is 8-0 in his career with wins over the likes of Brian Stann and Tim Boetsch.
His next fight is expected to take place at UFC 129 when he will likely face fellow wrestling champion Matt Hamill. Hamill is coming off of a huge win over Tito Ortiz in October and will mark the biggest competition of Davis’ young career.
A win will springboard Davis even further into the limelight and could make him the next in the line of former college wrestling champions turned UFC champions.
Light Heavyweight (205 Lbs)—Jon Jones
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The UFC’s hottest up-and-comer has to be Jon “Bones” Jones whose rise to fame really began back in January 2009 when he completely dominated Stephan Bonnar using a variety of impressive strikes, takedowns, and overall athleticism.
Jones now displays a beautiful 11-1 MMA record that is tarnished only by a controversial disqualification in a fight with Matt Hamill that he had well within his control.
He is yet to look like he is in danger of losing a fight and although he hasn’t fought what would be considered excellent competition yet; his next fight on February 5th against fellow potential contender Ryan Bader will be his first against top-10 talent.
Bader is currently 12-0 and the winner of the fight is expected to be considered among the top contenders for the next UFC light heavyweight title shot.
Light Heavyweight (205 Lbs)—Ryan Bader
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Undefeated UFC light heavyweight Ryan Bader recently told ESPN that a victory over Jon Jones in his next fight would place him within one more victory of a shot at the UFC light heavyweight title. As mentioned in the last page, Bader will face Jones on February 5th at UFC 126.
Bader has the more highly decorated record of the two with victories over Keith Jardine and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira but it is Jones who is considered the favorite by most after his punishing victories over Brandon Vera and Vladimir Matyushenko.
Bader is training specifically for Jones, stating to ESPN that he is specifically training to avoid Jones’ spinning back elbow. "We've brought in taller, lankier people as training partners, we've been drilling some unorthodox stuff like spinning back elbows, all that kind of stuff," Bader said ESPN.
Jones brings a whole new world of challenges for Bader and his training partners as his unique frame and athleticism makes him extremely difficult to emulate.
Whichever fighter wins the much anticipated contest will move very close to his first shot at the UFC light heavyweight championship.
Heavyweight (206+ Lbs)—Stefan Struve
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At just 22 years old, Stefan Struve has already had 25 professional fights, seven of which have come in the UFC.
His impressive 21-4 record within those fights has made him one of the top prospects in the heavyweight division for a couple of years now but his inconsistency has kept him from becoming any more than that.
The 6’11” skyscraper from the Netherlands has looked excellent in his wins but his losses to top-20 fighters Roy Nelson and Junior Dos Santos have ended in crushing first round knockouts. Still, he is very young and has the physical tools to be an unbelievably difficult to train for opponent. As long as he can avoid a losing streak, he should remain one of the top up-and-comers at 205-pounds.
Heavyweight (206+ Lbs)—Jon Madsen
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A streak of four straight fights with a decision victory made Jon Madsen into a fighter that many fans considered to be “boring.” Many viewed his safe but effective style as a way of protecting himself without delivering the kind of action that many of the blood-thirsty fans of the sport have come to expect.
Credit Madsen, though, as he went out of his way to deliver in his last fight when he knocked out veteran Gilbert Yvel at UFC 121.
"I knew either I was going to get knocked out or I was knocking this guy out,” Madsen told MMAjunkie.com Radio. “That's the only way I was going to leave that cage."
One of the biggest overlooked factors in Madsen’s ability to fight through all three rounds is that much of the UFC heavyweight division seems to gas late in fights.
We’ve seen that in Shane Carwin and Todd Duffee as well as even former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. Countless other fighters have the same problem, but not Madsen. His gas tank doesn’t even appear close to being empty at the end of his fights.
Madsen was knocked out by Brendan Schaub during the tapings of The Ultimate Fighter 10 but that fight does not go on his currently undefeated, 7-0 mixed martial arts professional record. Madsen has expressed interest in a rematch with Schaub but will likely have to wait as he is expected to fight the 13-1 Mike Russow in a contest that may headline UFC Fight Night 24 in March.
Heavyweight (206+ Lbs)—Brendan Schaub
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Brendan Schaub was undefeated heading into his The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale fight against Roy Nelson. Schaub looked excellent on the show including notching a knockout victory over fellow prospect Jon Madsen during the show. Nelson made short work of him, though, ending the fight with a destructive punch that sent Schaub to the canvas.
Not all The Ultimate Fighter competitors get a second chance with the company but Schaub did and he has made the most of it by going on a three fight win streak since the loss. The biggest win came against Gabriel Gonzaga in October when he knocked the Brazilian down in the first round and proceeded to contain him for the rest of the fight on his way to a unanimous decision victory.
Following his third straight victory in the Octagon, Brendan Schaub truly has his work cut out for him against the legendary Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic at UFC 128 in March.
Cro Cop hasn’t looked anything like he did when he fought for PRIDE but he is still a huge name and would be an excellent way for Schaub to put himself into title contention.
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