UFC 128: Nate Marquardt and the 10 Fighters Who Could Become More

Cracking a division's top 10 in MMA is a monumental feat, but it is not what fighters ultimately strive for.

Fighters fight to become the best.

Some fighters come tragically close to reaching that zenith, only to stall out. 

They appear to have the tools to defeat anybody in the sport but have not figured out how to put it all together at the right times.

These are the fighters that have threatened entire divisions and flirted with glory, but have not found their moment.....yet?

9/10. Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck

bff?

These two men train together at American Kickboxing Acadamy (AKA) and have both come close to tasting glory only to be shutout by welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

Fitch is a grinding wrestler who is an incredible 13-1-1 in the UFC.

Koscheck is a powerful and elite wrestler who also has devastating knockout abilities.

For years they have both been cleaning out the welterweight division with the exception of champion Georges St-Pierre.

Either is a handful for anyone in the division, but will they be able to claim championship gold?

8. Brandon "The Truth" Vera

Vera's broken nose courtesy of Thiago Silva

Heading into 2007, Brandon Vera was one of the hottest fighters in the fight game.

He was a perfect 8-0 and was running through the UFC heavyweight division in devastating and exciting fashion.

Just as he was about to be scheduled with a Heavyweight title shot, he got into a nearly year long controversy and legal battle with his management.

Since that time he has gone just 3-5-1.

He still has some of the best weapons in the game, but cannot seem to put it all together.

Outstanding stand-up skills with great wrestling and submissions, Vera seems content to rely on his established skill set without mixing things up they way he used to. 

7. Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga

Gonzaga gets a lesson from Couture

Gonzaga has brutal finishing power, both with submissions and knockouts.

He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion and dangerous striker.

He takes out second and third tier fighters with relative ease, but his fearsome demeanor tends to fade against top competition.

In his last fight, against Brendan Schaub, he lost a decision in a stand up war. He had an obvious grappling advantage, but chose not to press the issue.

He is still a threat to any heavyweight in the world, but Gonzaga needs to reclaim his eye of the tiger and find some consistency.

6. Paulo Filho

For years, Paulo Filho was terrorizing MMA's middleweight division.

At some point during his WEC title reign, however, Filho's ambition and passion for the game started to fade.

This was no doubt exasperated by the fact that he was struggling with medication abuse.

Filho still competes, but is not the dominant force he used to be.

Had he retained his competitive edge, he could have gone on to be one of the UFC's biggest stars when they absorbed the WEC.

5. "The African Assasin" Remeau Thierry Sokoudjou

Sokoudjou encounters Machida

Sokoudjou is one of the most gifted athletes to grace MMA.

He is a world class Judo black belt, he trains at one of the best camps in MMA, and he has about as brutal natural knockout power as you will ever find.

Despite these advantages, he has spotty record at 10-8.

At just 26 years of age, however, he has plenty of time to turn things around.

If he learns from his mistakes, he still has a chance to develop the eye of the tiger that separates championship fighters from mere competitors.

4. Yoshihiro "Sexyama" Akiyama

Since joining the UFC, Akiyama has certainly been entertaining, putting on three straight "fight of the night" performances.

His only win during that stretch, however, was a relatively controversial split-decision over Alan Belcher.

A game competitor against the world's elite, many people still expect more from the Japanese superstar.

His criticisms are that he is undersized for middleweight, he runs out of gas, and that he does not utilize his world class Judo as much as he should.

At 35 years old, it might not be time for this dog to learn new tricks, but perhaps he could find renewed success with a few adjustments.

3. Kenny "Ken-Flo" Florian

Kenny Florian has been a perennial contender to the Lightweight Championship since the UFC reinstated it in 2006.

First he lost to Sean Sherk for the vacant title, then Challenged BJ Penn for the title in 2009, coming up short again.

Not deterred, the relentless competitor fought back to a No. 1 contender fight, but was out-wrestled by Gray Maynard and lost the decision.

One of the most accomplished fighters you will ever find at lightweight, Florian is now looking to the 145lb featherweight division to find the glory that has eluded him for so long. 

2. Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann

Kampmann takes a dangerous fight on late notice

Kampmann has all the tools to be a champion, but cannot seem to find that defining performance that truly separates him from the pack.

At first a knee injury kept from a fight against former middleweight champion Rich Franklin.

Since moving to welterweight, Kampmann established himself as a top 10 fighter before stumbling against Paul Daley and Jake Shields.

I happen to think that Kampmann should have won the decision against Diego Sanchez in his last fight, but the fact that he was unable to put together a convincing enough performance suggests that "The Hitman" still has room for growth.

1. Nate "The Great" Marquardt

Marquardt has been one of the premiere middleweights in the world for the past decade.

In Japan, Nate Marquardt is arguably the most successful champion in the "King of Pancrase" organization's history.

However, he has been unable thus far to reach his ultimate goal of becoming UFC champion.

He lost against Anderson Silva in 2007 for the title, but came back stronger than ever.

Since then he has had two No. 1 contender fights against Chael Sonnen and Yushin Okami respectively, coming up short on both occasions by decision.

Criticisms have not been due to a lack of skill or heart, but rather being able to put everything together when it matters most.

Only time will tell if he can live up to his moniker and navigate the precipice of UFC glory. 

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