LW - Charles Oliveira – Casually writing about MMA and likening myself a serious fan of the sport, I have never made an easier decision in my life when it comes to kicking off a post. Charles Oliveira fought a bigger stronger man in Efrain Escudero. Plan A was nixed by Escudero’s size and wrestling so Oliveira went to Plan B - flashy, lightening fast striking that caught everyone, including the “experts,” off guard. This kid has some very serious ground skills, is demonstrating developing striking skills, and… lest we forget… he is only 20 years old. Oliveira certainly found his share of challenges dealing with Escudero but dealing with challenges is the sign of a superstar. In addition to his skills the lightweight division is one that seems to be in a period of shift, a new guard coming forward. There is not a fighter among the emerging stars that possesses the same skill set, making him unique among his peers.
WW – John Hathaway – Before his fight with Diego Sanchez at UFC 114 Hathaway had flown under the radar, due mostly to his decision wins and ultra-vanilla image. Well-rounded and not wanting for excitement, Hathaway is on a tear and the UFC seems to have his best interest in mind. Mike Pyle is a game opponent but it would have been easy to push Hathaway past his ability against someone like Thiago Alvez or Jon Fitch. Another young fighter at 23 years old, Hathaway’s brightest years are in front of him. His combination of takedowns and striking is tough to outscore on any given night but once Hathaway starts honing his skills to finish fights he will be hard for anyone at 170 pounds to contend with.
LW – George Sotiropoulos – Most MMA faithful are on to Soti at this point but he is still invisible to even the casual fan. The Sotiropoulos that we saw on TUF was impressive and likely should have won the contest, but he pales in comparison to the relentless Aussie who wore down both Kurt Peiegrino and Joe Stevenson. While one might wonder about his ability to finish, posting decisisions in his two biggest wins, Sotiropoulos’ first 4 wins ended in the first two rounds (three submissions and one TKO) and one glance at any of his fights makes clear his intentions to finish at all times. Not a brash talker, six wins has not been enough to get him the spotlight just yet but a seventh over Joe Lauzon could be enough to get him the winner of the next title fight. The scariest part about this fighter is that his stand-up might be underrated as we have witnessed noted improvement as his level of competition increases.
LHW – Phil Davis – It would be too easy to cite Jon Jones or Ryan Bader as a guy to watch in this division. I have a lot of time for both men and think they could both be future champions, but Phil Davis is another fighter proliferating the new prototype of an MMA fighter. Well rounded, strong, athletic, and improving technical prowess in all areas – Davis is tough for just about anyone to deal with. His quality of competition to this point has not been what has caught some fans’ eyes. It is the way in which he has won each fight, dominating in virtually every statistical category. Tim Boetch is slated to be Davis’ next and biggest test to date. The subject of this particular test will be Davis’ chin and power. Boech is the closest thing to a modern Viking that we have in MMA but he has shown weakness against wrestlers before. This could be a step out fight for Davis, who is about to enter a tough stretch of opponents over the next year or so.
Honorable Mentions
HW - Brendan Schaub – From Schaub to this point we have seen impressive performances against relatively impressive fighters. His only lose comes to the closest thing to a full on ringer TUF has ever had. I still have questions about Schaub’s ability to hang with fighters at the next level, but his athleticism and stand-up skills have been enough so far at least enough to raise some eyebrows.
HW - Matt Mitrione – Unimpressive in his stint on TUF 10 season, Mitrione has become the “MMA Test.” A former football player himself, he demonstrated that Marcus Jones was not ready to be in the UFC. More importantly he showcased to the world that Kimbo Slice was nowhere near ready. It makes you wonder what would have happened if Mitrione had been given the James Toney fight. Yet to prove himself at the next level (or any competitive level in the UFC), the jury is out but the eyes are very much still on Mitrione.
LHW - Ricardo Romero – Ill-prepared for his first fight physically, Romero is still a fighter with a lot of upside in a division that doesn’t have a stand-out BJJ practitioner. Presuming that he gets another shot in the UFC, he could be facing a crossroads. He needs to put forth an impressive performance We have seen plenty of fighters with all degrees of hype disappoint early and then storm back to find success.
MW - Court McGee – I am rarely that high on TUF grads until they prove they can do something against guys NOT on the show (hence my honorable mention list). However, I am really tempted to throw my full support behind McGee. Court looked good throughout the show, constantly improving and always giving 110%. We will see what he can do against Ryan Jensen before we get too carried away but with his motor and his seeming desire to improve Court McGee could have a really bright future.
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