August 7, 2011 – “No disrespect to Georges St. Pierre, but Rory MacDonald could one day be even better,” proclaimed UFC announcer Joe Rogan after the dominating performance the Canadian put over on Mike Pyle at last night’s UFC 133 in Philadelphia. High praise for a very exciting young fighter indeed but is MacDonald the top prospect in all of MMA? Who else is out there that could be the next best thing?
Let’s delve into our list of likely list of some of the some of the top prospect in all of MMA, in no particular order. Of course it should be noted that this list is entirely subjective and being as its only ten names, there are many others that deserve honorable mention not listed. We could list them here but we’ll leave that for our readers to debate in the comments section. Until then, here’s our list of the Top 10 Prospects in the World of MMA.
1 – Rory MacDonald, Welterweight (UFC)
At twenty-one years old, this Canadian seems to be following the same path as his countryman GSP, training every discipline in MMA and showing marked improvement every time he’s stepped in the cage. He’s proved himself to be incredibly versatile both on his feet and on the ground while being grounded enough to know he has a long way to go. So far, his only career loss has been to a top contender in Carlos Condit and he just bounced back from that in dominating fashion. He too can be a top-ten contender in short order if he keeps improving at this same rate.
2 – Ben Askren, Welterweight (Bellator)
As confident as they come, Ben Askren followed up on an outstanding wrestling career at the University of Missouri (4-time All-American) and a 2007 Olympic appearance by delving into the world of MMA. Since moving into the sport, he’s beaten the best Bellator has had to offe in winning season two of their 170 tournament. So far, he’s made no bones of using his wrestling base to dominate his opponents but it remains to be seen if he’s focused on making improvements on his feet and fight off his back. He hasn’t really needed to do either at this point so time will tell what’s next in his development. One thing is for certain though… Askren certainly doesn’t lack in confidence. He just recently called out top opponent Nate Marquardt, saying he would beat him senseless if he ever signed with Bellator.
3 – Roger Gracie, Light Heavyweight (Strikeforce)
Already a legend in the grappling world, Roger Gracie is the closest thing the Gracie family has as a family champion after Rickson. He’s a fourteen-time world champion and a multiple-time ADCC champion with one of the purest submission games around. He’s currently scheduled to take on former Strikeforce 205 champ “King Mo” Lawal in September on the same card as the next round of the HWT Grand Prix. If Gracie wins, he’ll undoubtedly find himself amongst the most talked about young stars of the sport.\ he’s the kind of the talent that could find himself a permanent top ten fixture within a year or two. The problem is that Gracie is very committed to his grappling career and has fought very sporadically (three fights) over the last four and a half years. If he decides to make a serious run in the division, Gracie’s poised to make a lasting impression in the sport.
4 – Michael McDonald, Bantamweight (UFC)
At only nineteen years of age, Michael McDonald is certainly one of the youngest, if not one of the best, on this list of prospects. He’s already plied his trade in the WEC by stopping Manny Tapia and Cole Escovedo, and many should remember his recent ‘fight of the night’ performance against another young stud in Texan Edwin Figueroa. McDonald is a BJJ brown belt with amazing Muay Thai skills who prides himself on being a finisher. Look for him to be a force at the top of the 135 class in the near future and for years to come.
5 – Charles Oliveira, Featherweight (UFC)
At only twenty years of age, the Macaco-protégé has already shown his impressive submission game and dynamic striking skills several times in the UFC octagon. No contest aside, his performance against Nik Lentz at UFC LIVE 4 showed the world the fluidity of his game. And his only loss thus far has been to top contender Jim Miller. Simply put, Oliviera’s potential is through the roof and he’s a danger everywhere in the cage. He’ll have a chance to validate his status as a top fighter soon as he takes on the ever-popular Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at UFC LIVE 5 on Versus.
6 – Cole Konrad, Heavyweight (Bellator)
Working with another top heavyweight in Brock Lesnar, Pat Barry, and others, Cole Konrad is one of the few young studs out there that already count themselves as a known quantity in the heavyweight class. A four-time All-American and two-time national champion at the collegiate level, Konrad has the skillset to be an impact player in the heavyweight division no matter where he takes his talents. Time will tell whether he’ll be tested while plying his trade in Bellator.
7 – Pat Curran, Featherweight (Bellator)
It’s incredibly hard to call Pat Curran a “prospect” at this point after he’s already won Bellator’s 155 tournament and has beaten names like Roget Huerta and Ronnie Mann at the time of this writing. However, it wasn’t very long ago that Curran was nothing more than a dark horse making his Bellator debut. He’s got a solid wrestling base but has improved by leaps and bounds as a striker since that time. With the growth he’s shown in the last year or so, there is definitely a good chance that Curran could make a run at top-ten status in the near future.
8 – Chris Weidman, Middleweight (UFC)
A former Two-Time Division I All-American with Hofstra and a student of Renzo Gracie, this dominating wrestler is already a two-time winner in the UFC as well after taking out Alessio Sakara and Jesse Bongfeldt. Since his octagon debut, Weidman has shown to be nothing-less than a blue chip stud. He’s scheduled to take on “The Filthy Mawler” Tom Lawlor at UFC 139 in October. If he wins that one, he’ll hav cemented his status as a legit top prospect.
9 – Edson Barboza, Lightweight (UFC)
If you guys saw his last fight against Texan Anthony Njokuani (another impressive striker), then you already know Edson Barboza is an amazingly explosive Muay Thai practitioner that can threaten a knockout at any point of a fight. The Brazilian is one of the most dangerous strikers in the division already but if he works to improve his wrestling and ground game, he’ll be even more dangerous. Look for much more out of Edson in the near future starting with his fight against Ross Pearson in Brazil at UFC 134.
10 – Gilbert Burns, Welterweight (Unsigned)
Chances are that few outside of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu circles know of Gilbert “Durinho” Burns. After all, the ATOS grappling only recently made his MMA debut this past July 30th at Sin City 2 in Las Vegas. The reason he makes this list is the fact that he’s already a three-time BJJ world champion and has already impressed in training with the likes of Vitor Belfort, who he walked out with for his fight at UFC 133. If he takes on MMA with the same fury with which he’s taken on grappling (beating the likes of Kron Gracie amongst others), look for “Durinho” to be a name to watch in the coming years no matter which organization he ends up with.
So what do YOU guys think of this list? Are any of them THE top prospect in all of MMA? Who else are we missing? Chime in with all your thoughts and let the debate continue!
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