Jon Jones, Rory MacDonald and 15 Future MMA Greats

As the first generation of MMA greats exit the sport with the recent retirements of Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, the time is coming for the next generation of superstars to separate themselves from the pack. UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones has already begun to make his case for greatness, but what other fighters will rise alongside him?

With his promising performances early in his career, some have already begun to label 22-year-old Canadian Rory MacDonald as the next Georges St-Pierre. While MacDonald still has a long way to go before he matches St-Pierre's accomplishments, he has all the tools needed to achieve greatness.

A decade from now, these are 15 fighters who will be looked back on as some of the greatest the sport has ever seen.

Chris Weidman

One of the more accomplished grapplers in the middleweight division, 27-year-old Chris Weidman has looked excellent in his first six fights as a professional.

Weidman is progressing quickly under the tutelage of Matt Serra and Ray Longo, so he should be a threat to break into the middleweight division's Top 10 in the coming years.

With the nearing retirement of Anderson Silva, someone is going to have to become the next great champion in the middleweight division. With very few other rising prospects at 185 pounds, there is a very good chance that Weidman could be that fighter.

Ben Askren

A two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Champion, Ben Askren has looked dominant in the early stages of his MMA career. The 27-year-old has already captured the Bellator Welterweight Championship, which he will defend against Jay Hieron.

As a Bellator fighter, there isn't a ton of high-level competition for Askren, but he has already begun to go out of his way to challenge fighters outside of the promotion. If Askren continues to dominate his competition, expect him to eventually receive an offer from the UFC that he won't be able to refuse.

Joseph Benavidez

In 17 career appearances, Joseph Benavidez's only two losses have come by decision against current UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz.

Although he is one of the best fighters in the division, it is going to be difficult for Benavidez to earn another title shot at 135 pounds while Cruz is on top.

However, all hope for becoming a UFC champion is not lost for Benavidez, who plans to drop to 125 pounds upon the creation of a UFC flyweight division in the near future. At flyweight, Benavidez would be an immediate candidate for a title shot.

Demetrious Johnson

Despite being undersized in the 135-pound division, 24-year-old Demetrious Johnson has quickly climbed his way to a title shot against UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz.

In only four years as a professional, Johnson has picked up wins over two of the most successful fighters in the division, Miguel Torres and Norifumi Yamamoto.

Even if Johnson comes up short against Cruz, he has an extremely bright future ahead of him in the soon-to-be-added UFC flyweight division.

Anthony Pettis

Despite his recent loss to Clay Guida, 24-year-old Anthony Pettis will still be a force to be reckoned with in the foreseeable future.

The exciting young fighter still has tons of room for improvement. As long as Pettis can fill the holes in his game in the next few years, he will undoubtedly get another shot.

Rory MacDonald

At 22 years old, Rory MacDonald is quite possibly the most promising young fighter in the sport. In 13 professional fights, MacDonald's only defeat came in a bout against Carlos Condit that he had been winning through the first two rounds.

After dominating Mike Pyle in his last fight, MacDonald is ready to take on one of the best fighters in the welterweight division. Already, some have compared MacDonald to his countryman and mentor Georges St-Pierre.

Chad Mendes

Undefeated in his first 11 fights as a professional, 26-year-old Chad Mendes is well on his way toward earning a featherweight title shot in the UFC.

If anyone is going to dethrone UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo, it will be a fighter who is able to hang with the Brazilian on the ground. A accomplished collegiate wrestler, Mendes has the ability to put Aldo on his back and keep him there.

As long as Mendes continues to improve on the weak area in his game, he is talented enough to become an all-time great.

Phil Davis

A four-time All-American wrestler, Phil Davis has the natural talent needed to become one of the best ever. Still, Davis has plenty of work to do in the striking department before he can rise to that level.

Aside from champion Jon Jones, the light heavyweight division is full of aging fighters. With Jones' move to heavyweight only being a matter of time, Davis could eventually find himself in a position of dominance at 205 pounds.

Junior Dos Santos

Since joining the UFC, Junior dos Santos has looked unbeatable. Now, he will look to become UFC Heavyweight Champion with a win over Cain Velasquez.

Even if dos Santos falls against Velasquez on this occasion, the two are sure to lock horns again before their careers are all said and done.

At 26 years old, dos Santos should be one of the top two heavyweights in the world for several years to come.

Frankie Edgar

By dethroning a legend in B.J. Penn, Frankie Edgar is on his way to becoming one. In a lightweight division that hasn't had many dominant champions, Edgar doesn't need too many title defenses to become the best 155-title holder in the sport's history.

First, though, Edgar will need to beat the one fighter he hasn't been able to best in his career. The last time Edgar met Gray Maynard, he needed to mount an epic comeback in order to retain his belt with a draw.

Cain Velasquez

UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez disposed of Brock Lesnar with ease in October 2010. In Junior dos Santos, Velasquez will be dealing with a much more dangerous opponent.

In a shallow heavyweight division, an epic trilogy between Velasquez and dos Santos doesn't seem unlikely at all. If the two fight against each other for the title on multiple occasions, it will add to their quickly growing legacies.

Rashad Evans

Although he holds wins over Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, Quinton Jackson and Tito Ortiz, Rashad Evans doesn't seem to get the credit he deserves for his accomplishments.

A former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Evans has one of the most impressive records in the history of the sport, with his only loss coming to Lyoto Machida.

Even if it takes a couple more years and a few more notable victories, fans will eventually look back at Evans and recognize him as one of the best light heavyweights in MMA history.

Dominick Cruz

After avenging the only loss of his career against Urijah Faber, Dominick Cruz will now look to defend his spot as the best bantamweight in the world for a fourth consecutive fight.

Wins over fighters like Faber, Joseph Benavidez, Brian Bowles and Scott Jorgensen have already labeled Cruz as one of the greatest bantamweight champions in MMA history.

With a win over Demetrious Johnson in his next fight and a continued growth in popularity under the UFC banner, it seems like only a matter of time until Cruz is finally recognized as one of MMA's greats.

Jose Aldo

UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo is in a similar situation as Dominick Cruz. Both of the former WEC champions have defended their titles on multiple occasions, but they are still looking to build a name for themselves with UFC fans.

The 24-year-old Aldo has already disposed of two former champions in Mike Brown and Urijah Faber. Now, Aldo will look to increase his name recognition with a win over longtime UFC fighter Kenny Florian at UFC 136.

If Aldo continues on the path he has been on, he will be a household name by the time his career comes to an end.

Jon Jones

Aside from the fact that his name was in the title of this article, Jon Jones' spot on this list should come as no surprise. The 24-year-old phenom has taken the sport by storm and lived up to his hype with a dominant victory of Mauricio Rua.

The UFC Light Heavyweight Champion will now look to write his place in the history books with one win at a time. If Jones can get past Quinton Jackson in his next fight, he will meet former training partner Rashad Evans in one of the most anticipated matchups available right now.

Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. Sean has also had his work featured on UFC.com. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.