Next Generation MMA Fighters You Can Bank On

As this generations top fighters begin to either deteriorate or stop evolving, there are new young fighters beginning to emerge that will take the stage as being the top fighters in their respective weight classes. Chuck Liddell is no longer the light heavyweight boogeyman, Matt Hughes' once indisputable dominance at welterweight ended with a Canadian head kick and a Brazilian knee, and the list goes on. Once mighty top ten stalwarts such as Mirko "Cro Cop"Filipovic or Wanderlei Silva have begun their descent into that much respected, yet double en tendered state of "Legendary" status. Becoming a legend is something to strive for, but when you are still fighting and people refer to you as a "legend," it is more than likely that you are no longer relevant in modern MMA. Unfortunate, yet inevitable.

So now we have our new crop of top stars that are fulfilling their once ballyhooed potential. Heavyweight has Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. 2 grizzly bears posing as men. The light heavyweight division offers a crop of fighters like no other with the likes of Rashad Evans, Forrest Griffin, Lyoto Machida, and Rampage Jackson just to touch on a few. Middleweight, the once bastard stepchild of the light heavyweight division, contains, albeit barely, the p4p top fighter in the world, Anderson Silva. Welterweight and lightweight have a bevy of fighters that could lay claim to being the top fighters in their division, if not for the excellent Georges St Pierre and the incomparable BJ Penn, respectively. Fedor Emelianko may truly be the last emperor of his generation of top fighters.

That being said, who are tomorrow's top MMA fighters? Who will stand tall as the best MMA has to offer 3, 4, 5 years from now? Below you'll find my OPINION on a few guys that I think will be tomorrow's top stars. I could be completely off my rocking horse, but based on what these fighters have shown this early in their careers, I can safely guess that these guys will produce in spades.

Cain Velasquez

This American Kickboxin Academy fighter has the goods to become the next big force at the plus 205 weight class. A spectacular wrestling pedigree coupled with a heavy hand striking style make Velasquez a top contender in the heavyweight class already. If his improvement continues in all aspects of the game as it appears it has been, Fedor WILL have some competition as the undisputed top dog of this weight class.

Jon Jones

Maybe the greenest of the fighters on this list, Jones has shown that he has what it takes to be the next big thing at light heavyweight, or MMA in general for that matter. His beatdown of Andre Gusmao was impressive, but his thrashing of the uber tough Stephen Bonnar drew eye balls to this man child. Jones unorthodox fighting style makes him an exciting fighter to watch, even better, his style is successful in the octagon. His ability to throw guys around like rag dolls and his frenetic striking style make for someone that fans will want to watch. If the UFC brings him along and makes the right matches for him to develop properly, the sky's the limit for the "Martian Man Hunter."


Anthony "Rumble" Johnson

I have serious doubts that anyone outside of Thiago Alves at welterweight hits as hard as Anthony Johnson. Even then I might go with Johnson. The guy has obvious physical gifts that have allowed him to be successful in the octagon against tough competition. While he may not be the most complete fighter yet, he has potential flying out his ears. Working with Cung Le and Josh Thomson does not hurt either in terms of his development. Johnson reminds me of a young Quentin Jackson. Jackson was very similar to Johnson in his early career, a gifted athlete with very good wrestling and powerful striking ability. If Quentin Jackson is any indicator, Johnson can only go up. As long as Johnson continues to develop his overall game, not only will he be successful at welterweight, but at 6'2 and built like a tank, he could be successful at 170 lbs and up.

-R