Every year, dozens of new fighters make their way into the Octagon. Out of that group, there are usually a handful of athletes that distinguish themselves – establishing that they not only belong in the UFC, but also have the potential to make a major impact in their divisions.
As the UFC 2014 Crystal Ball series continues, it’s time to see if we can forecast who those new impact additions will be in the various UFC weight classes.
Note: there are no TUF contestants listed simply because they’re already getting their UFC auditions, and I’m staying away from guys that fight with WSOF for now because it’s unclear whether or not they’re able to jump to the UFC.
Heavyweight: Steve Mocco (4-0)
The 32-year-old has the pedigree to be a potential impact addition to the heavyweight ranks as Mocco is both a former Olympian and Division I national champion wrestler. He also trains at American Top Team and has fought twice for Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA), both of which certainly increase his presence on the UFC radar as well.
Given that he’s a little older than your standard prospect, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mocco brought up sooner rather than later. Heavyweight is thin on talent and one of those divisions where you can still get away with being a specialist. A guy with Mocco’s wrestling credentials could certainly earn a couple of wins and move quickly up the ladder.
Honourable mention: Ruslan Magomedov
Light heavyweight: Jan Blachowicz (17-3)
The 30-year-old Blachowicz has been one of the better light heavyweight competitors outside of the UFC for a couple years now. He’s earned four consecutive victories over former UFC competitors over the last few years.
With the UFC planning a fight card in Poland later this year (October), don’t be surprised to see this Warsaw native competing inside the Octagon in 2014. The division is in a transitional stage right now so there are opportunities for newcomers to quickly work their way up the rankings as well.
Honourable mention: Patrick “Durkin” Cummins
Middleweight: Max Nunes (12-1)
The 24-year-old fights out of Stockholm, goes by the nickname “Power” and was the guy a lot of people thought would replace Alexander Gustafsson last April opposite Gegard Mousasi; that ended up being Ilir Latifi.
Nunes rebounded from his first professional loss with a victory in mid-December under the BAMMA banner and should find himself on the fight card when the UFC returns to Sweden later this year.
Honourable mentions: Ramazan Emeev
Welterweight: Walter Gahadza (13-0)
Gahadza is someone I wouldn’t be surprised to see on one of the overseas cards later this year. He’s yet to face any real strong competition yet, but it’s still hard to dismiss a 13-0 start with 11 finishes.
With a number of international events scheduled for the second half of the year – many of them targeted for Fight Pass and designed to unearth potential prospects – a fighter like Gahadza should get a look. He’s far from a finished product but the potential is there for the former sprinter to develop into a solid addition to the welterweight ranks.
Honourable mention: Mike Rhodes
Lightweight: Carlos Diego Ferreira (9-0)
The unbeaten 29-year-old is currently fighting under the Legacy FC banner and has wins over established veterans Jorge Patino and Carlo Prater in the last 12 months. Those are exactly the type of victories emerging talents need on the regional circuit in order to get a look, especially in a deep weight class like lightweight.
He’s one of the best free agent talents in the sport right now, regardless of division, and should get snapped up by someone in the next couple months. My guess is he holds out until the UFC comes calling and makes his debut in the second half of the year.
Honourable mention: Mansour Barnaoui
Featherweight: Jim Alers (12-1)
Alers has the potential to follow the path set by Conor McGregor in 2013. Currently the Cage Warriors featherweight champion, “The Beast” boasts an eight-fight winning streak after successfully defending his title on New Year’s Eve and appears to have maxed out on competition on the regional circuit.
I honestly expected him to be signed for the March event in London – although that could still happen – but would be shocked if the 27-year-old Floridian didn’t get a chance at some point in 2014.
Honourable mention: Gleristone Santos
Bantamweight: Aljamain Sterling (8-0)
An undefeated 24-year-old from the Serra-Longo Fight Team? Yeah, you’ll see Sterling in the UFC in 2014.
He hasn’t faced great competition yet – though he does hold a win over fellow prospect Sean “Shorty Rock” Santella – but his ties to an established team that has repeatedly brought quality fighters to the UFC helps his chances a great deal. You have to like the fact that he’s got five finishes in eight fights.
Honourable mention: Michinori Tanaka
Flyweight: Alexandre Pantoja (14-2)
Given how frequently the UFC intends to hold events in Brazil this year, I guarantee we see Pantoja signed and fighting in the Octagon before the calendar turns. With the flyweight division still under construction and not yet having great depth, he’s too talented to pass up.
A member of Nova Uniao, Pantoja has won 12 of his last 13 fights with his only loss coming to current UFC flyweight Jussier “Formiga” da Silva. He has won seven straight overall and has a finishing percentage over 70 percent, which makes him a little more appealing. Even if it’s just for events in Brazil, I can’t see how the UFC would pass on Pantoja for another calendar year.
Honourable mention: Sean Santella
Women’s bantamweight: Holly Holm (6-0)
This has got to happen. Ronda Rousey said she hopes the UFC signs the former boxing world champion. The two sides have already had discussions, although they’re far apart on money at this point.
Regardless, there are very limited options for the 32-year-old Holm beyond the UFC, given that Invicta’s talent pool has been raided already. She has looked impressive to date and, at some point, you have to expect she signs with the biggest organization in the sport to test herself against the best in the world.
Honourable mention: Lauren Murphy