Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre and the Top 10 UFC "Franchise" Fighters

The New York Jets have Mark Sanchez, the New England Patriots have Tom Brady and the Pittsburgh Steelers have Ben Roethlisberger.

However, does the UFC have anybody like this? Does the UFC have "franchise" fighters like NFL teams and teams in other leagues have franchise players?

They do! While the UFC doesn't currently have as many as the other major sports leagues, they most definitely have some current franchise fighters, as well as other ones who the franchise can be built around in the future. Who are they? Read and find out!

10. Rory MacDonald

Rory MacDonald may not be a household name yet, but with a record of 12-1 (3-1 UFC) at only 22 years of age, he very likely will be.

Expect the UFC to begin vigorously promoting MacDonald en route to him becoming one of the UFC's most well-known fighters in the future.

Think about it: Building a franchise around MacDonald makes perfect sense since, if he retires from MMA at 35, he would have had 13 years from UFC 133 to garner the UFC a large amount of popularity and fans.

9. Chris Weidman

Chris Weidman is the top middleweight prospect in the world, is 6-0 as an MMA fighter and is a veteran of the world-renowned ADCC submission grappling tournament as well as a two-time NCAA Division-I All-American.

These accomplishments mean a lot more when you know that Weidman is only 27 years old. Weidman's clean-cut look and attitude make him a perfect candidate for a franchise fighter in the future, especially considering that current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is now 36 years old; he likely wont be around for much longer.

Thus, when Silva departs the sport, the void in the middleweight division can be filled by Weidman.

8. Chael Sonnen

Every league needs a Chad Ochocinco-type character who gets people riled up and makes them want to watch just to see that person get what they deserve.

Chael Sonnen is this figure for the UFC. After all, what are the "good" guys in sports without the "bad" guys?

7. Brian Stann

Is there a better person to build a franchise around than a clean-cut, square-jawed, American war hero?

Brian Stann is the current MMA generation's "Captain America" figure and if he earns a middleweight title shot by beating Chael Sonnen at 136, his popularity will skyrocket along with the press he receives.

Now imagine if he actually won the title? His image would be placed all over UFC promotional material and he would become a superstar.

6. Brock Lesnar

This selection may be criticized but the fact of the matter is that Brock Lesnar has arguably the most name recognition of any fighter on the UFC roster.

Even if he is still battling diverticulitis and may never hold the belt again, his name means something to the UFC as one of its franchise athletes.

5. B.J. Penn

B.J. Penn has been one of the most popular and highly regarded lightweight and welterweight fighters in UFC history and is currently one of their "franchise" fighters.

However, due to his age (32) and having gone 1-2-1 in his past four, people are beginning to question how much time Penn has left as one of the top-echelon fighters.

4. Anderson Silva

Many will complain that Anderson Silva, arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all time, isn't on this list but the fact of the matter is that it's difficult to be an effective franchise fighter when you don't speak the language of the company that you work for and when you are approaching the end of your career.

Nevertheless, he is a living legend and still does qualify as a franchise fighter, but may not for much longer.

3. Cain Velasquez

Cain Velasquez is the current undefeated UFC heavyweight champion, and more importantly, he is billed as the first Mexican UFC heavyweight champion.

The Mexican demographic is one of the biggest in all of boxing. Because of this fact, it is clear that the UFC will make Velasquez one of their most highly touted fighters to increase their popularity amongst the demographic and put yet another nail into boxing's coffin.

2. Georges St-Pierre

Current UFC welterweight Georges St-Pierre is considered by many to be the face of modern MMA. He has appeared on Under Armour ads, an ESPN commercial and has been endorsed by many other brands.

He has the perfect look for the UFC's premier franchise fighter as well as a safe, conservative attitude.

However, his reign as the face of the UFC will eventually end and be usurped by the next fighter, which is none other than...

1. Jon Jones

Jon Jones is the UFC light heavyweight champion. He is 13-1 although the loss is only on a technicality. The scary part is that Jones is only 24.

Jones is considered by pretty much every MMA pundit to be the next big thing in the sport of mixed martial arts. The sport itself is to undergo a new age led by Jones; he is the harbinger of the next generation of fighters.

As such, it's no doubt that he will soon usurp St-Pierre's role as the face of the UFC and mixed martial arts in general.

Matt Saccaro is a Bleacher Report featured columnist and an avid MMA fan. For articles like the one above and for brilliant 140-character insights into MMA, follow him on Twitter @mattsaccaro.