UFC: Anthony "Rumble" Johnson and 10 Fighters Destined for Glory

The UFC is filled with explosive and well-rounded fighters.

Each division is jam-packed with wrestlers, ground and pound specialists, stand-up juggernauts and jiu-jitsu practitioners.

What makes it even more interesting? These dynamic fighters are getting younger by the minute. It seems as if the talent level is increasing and experience levels coming into the UFC are decreasing.

Now while experience is key towards building a successful career of entertaining and meaningful fights, it's not quintessential when we're talking about the future athletes of the sport.

Athleticism is something different. It's what separates a George St. Pierre from a Matt Serra. It's what separates a Jon Jones from a Stephan Bonnar.

No matter how competitive a division gets, the more athletically gifted fighter prevails more often than not.

With that said, by following past fights and the future of each division, here are 10 fighters who are destined to become UFC champions.

10. Michael "Mayday" McDonald

There may be no other promising bantamweight than "Mayday."

Michael McDonald is only 20 years old. 

He's already compiled a 13-1 MMA record and has looked like a serious takedown threat through his first two UFC fights.

For McDonald, harnessing his knockout power and ground and pound abilities is going to be the key in turning him into a serious contender.

With that said, the young kid from Modesto, Calif. has a long way to go.

However, from what the UFC world has seen thus far from McDonald, including wins over Edwin Figueroa and Chris Cariaso, his potential moving forward is immense.

9. Eric "New Breed" Koch

Eric Koch is one tough kid.

In his last four fights, Koch has ended three of them in the first round.  Two by TKO and the other by submission.

He stood his ground against one of the best featherweights in the world, Chad Mendes, back in 2010, and just unanimously knocked off an up and coming talent in Jonathan Brookins.

Koch is 5-1 in his professional career (13-1 overall), and has all the talent in the world.

The 23-year-old should get a serious opponent from Joe Silva and Dana White next time around, potentially making him a household name by the end of 2011.

8. Rory "Ares" MacDonald

Even at the age of 22, Rory MacDonald has already knocked off two of the best game time fighters in the welterweight division, Mike Pyle and Nate Diaz.

His only loss in the UFC came against Carlos Condit, who is currently pegged to face MacDonald fellow Canadian fighter George St. Pierre for the UFC Welterweight Championship.

The Condit fight ended in the third round via TKO, but "Ares" was able to land some significant takedowns.

If you're strictly looking at his octagon abilities, long-term potential and dedication to the sport, there's not many other fighters who show this type of promise than MacDonald.

Considering his age and that he trains with St. Pierre on a consistent basis, the young jiu-jitsu specialist should climb the welterweight ranks sooner than later.

7. Phil "Mr. Wonderful" Davis

"Mr Wonderful" may already be the best wrestler in the light heavyweight division.  And if it weren't for Chael Sonnen and Gray Maynard, he'd be the best in the UFC.

Phil Davis, 9-0, was pegged to fight Rashad Evans at UFC 133, but was unable to showcase his talents due to a knee injury.

Despite not being able to lay the smackdown on Evans, Davis has already accomplished so much in his UFC career.

The 27-year-old demolished Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, submitted Tim Boesch and unanimously bullied Brian Stann at UFC 109.

In order for Davis to get a shot at the title and make noise in one of the most competitive divisions in the UFC, he'll have to win at least two more fights.

That shouldn't be an issue for a young, athletic Davis, who's already beaten some of the best light heavyweight fighters, but capturing UFC gold means he'll have to stop the multi-talented Jon "Bones" Jones.

Jones is currently one of the best pound for pound fighters on the planet, if not the best, so to knock him off means Davis is going to have to be the best he's ever been.

With that said, Davis' great wrestling and athletic demeanor are always good assets when fighting a 205 lb. Anderson Silva.

6. Jake "The Juggernaut" Ellenberger

What's there not to like about Jake Ellenberger?

He knocked out Jake Shields in the first-round, arguably beat the No. 1 welterweight contender in Carlos Condit and has looked the bit of a champion in everyone of his UFC fights.

Ellenberger's heavy hands and rock-solid chin remind a lot people of a young Sean Sherk and rightfully so.

"The Juggernaut" knocked out a guy that George St. Pierre struggled to touch-up, has trained with ground and pound specialist Mark Munoz and is easily the next great thing at 170 lbs.

To dismiss Ellenberger as a future champ would be like saying B.J. Penn isn't going to win another fight in his MMA career.

It's inevitable.

5. Chad "Money" Mendes

Chad Mendes looks like a Urijah Faber in training.

The 26-year-old has quick, yet powerful hands, great wrestling and has trained with "The California Kid" himself in California.

Mendes is currently undefeated at 11-0, beating notable names such as Cub Swanson, the previously mentioned Erik Koch and Rani Yahya.

"Money" is currently one of the best featherweights around and seems to have all the skills in the world to would pose an imminent threat for UFC champion Jose Aldo.

One more win, and Mendes could see himself inside the octagon with a chance to capture UFC gold.

4. Ben "Smooth" Henderson

No, that's not Troy Polamalu. 

It's Ben "Smooth" Henderson.

One of the best lightweights in the world, Henderson is currently slated to take on Clay Guida at UFC on FOX in order to settle who's going to fight Frankie Edgar for the UFC lightweight belt.

Besides his lone professional loss to Anthony Pettis for the WEC championship, which was relatively equal, Henderson has been nearly untouchable inside the octagon.

He defended his WEC belt three times in his career, beating Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone twice and Jamie Varner once.

Since entering the UFC, "Smooth" has dismantled both Jim Miller and Mark Bocek via strikes and takedowns.

His upcoming bout with Guida should settle who's the toughest lightweight in the UFC and could launch Henderson's MMA career into the next level.

3. Jason "Mayhem" Miller

You may know Jason "Mayhem" Miller from MTV's reality show "Bully Beatdown."

But before Miller could be seen wrangling up some fat, out-of-shape bullies, he was one of the best all-around fighters in the world.

As a matter of fact, he still is.

Even though "Mayhem" is relatively old compared to other fighters on this list and his last fight in the UFC came back in 2005 against a young George St. Pierre, the 30-year-old has nowhere to go but up.

Miller currently sports some of the best jiu-jitsu skills in the UFC and boasts an intensity that sometimes goes unmatched.

He's currently a coach on "The Ultimate Fighter" and is scheduled to fight Michael Bisping at the end of the show's last season.

That bout, which is continuously growing in popularity, may launch the winner into a No. 1 contender fight with Mark Munoz, Vitor Belfort or Brian Stann.

Of course, that's assuming Chael Sonnen is going to get his chance to dismantle Anderson Silva on Super Bowl weekend.

2. Urijah "The California Kid" Faber

Is this a surprise?

Urijah Faber is still one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world, but a close loss to Dominick Cruz has a lot of people overlooking a future comeback.

Over the last two years, Faber has looked like a 135 lb. Kenny Florian, losing every title shot he's given but winning everything else.

His last three loses against Cruz, Jose Aldo and Mike Brown have all lasted five rounds, so it's not like Faber is getting crushed in these championship bouts.

Even at 32, "The California Kid" still has some of the quickest hands and takedowns in the bantamweight division, but bigger competition may prove costly to Faber as evident in the Cruz fight at UFC 132.

Going forward, you'd think that Dana White and Joe Silva are only looking for Faber to win one more fight before giving him another chance to capture Cruz's belt, so a future rematch is more than possible.

By the time it's all said and done, Faber will have won a UFC title.

Whether that's as a bantamweight or a featherweight is completely up to him.

1. Anthony Johnson

To be completely honest, I don't think any other welterweight holds more promise than Anthony "Rumble" Johnson.

By watching Johnson's stand-up, it's becoming evident that he's turning into a 170 lb. version of Anderson Silva and Jon Jones on the feet.

If Johnson had beat Josh Koscheck at UFC 106, he would of gotten a title shot against George St. Pierre.  Instead, "Kos" submitted him in the second-round via strong wrestling.

Besides that loss, the 27-year-old has been nearly unstoppable in the octagon.  With a recent TKO of Charlie Brenneman and a unanimous decision victory over Dan Hardy, Johnson has once again warranted No. 1 contender talks.

Whoever wins between St. Pierre and Carlos Condit need to watch their back because Johnson is one of the most dynamic strikers at 170 lbs. and could showcase his talents in a title fight sometime in the near future.