Cammo's Top 25 MMA Prospects Countdown

Cammo101 · Post #1 » by **Cammo101** » Mon Oct 1, 2012 9:34 pm

I'm going to be doing a countdown of the top 25 MMA prospects currently on the cusp of stardom. Obviously there are no hard and fast rules for when someone goes from prospect to veteran, so some of you might disagree with someone being (or not being) on the list. I tried to leave of anyone who has already had a lot of big card experience or has already made a large mark in MMA. So guys like Rory McDonald or Chris Weidman are not on this list, despite their young age.

Top 25 MMA Prospects:

1. Andrey Koreshkov (Welterweight)
2. Aljamain Sterling (Bantamweight)
3. Gunnar Nelson (Welterweight)
4. Antonio Braga Neto (Middleweight)
5. Rony "Jason" Mariano (Featherweight)
6. Hacran Dias (Featherweight)
7. Sergio Pettis (Bantamweight)
8. John Moraga (Flyweight)
9. Max Holloway (Featherweight)
10. Jimi Manuwa (Light Heavyweight)
11. Alexander Sarnavskiy (Lightweight)
12. Bubba Jenkins (Lightweight)
13. Hugo "Wolverine" Viana (Featherweight)
14. Jared Rosholt (Heavyweight)
15. Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (Middleweight)
16. Lance Palmer (Featherweight)
17. Steven Siler (Featherweight)
18. Trey Houston (Middleweight)
19. Stephen Thompson (Welterweight)
20. Josh Hill (Bantamweight)
21. Daniel Sarafian (Middleweight)
22. Jimmy Hettes (Featherweight)
23. Misha Cirkunov (Light Heavyweight)
24. Kelvin Tiller (Middleweight)
25. Robert Drysdale (Light Heavyweight)

Cammo101 · Post #2 » by **Cammo101** » Mon Oct 1, 2012 9:38 pm

#25 - Robert Drysdale (Light Heavyweight)

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Robert-Drysdale-67894

Drysdale is a black belt in BJJ and one of the premier BJJ coaches in MMA, having coached guys like Frank Mir, Forrest Griffin, and Randy Couture. He started fighting himself in 2010 and it hasn't taken long for people to take notice. Drysdale is 4-0 with 4 submissions and has yet to have someone get out of the first round. He may be the best BJJ practitioner in the entire Light Heavyweight division. It won't be much longer before the UFC comes calling.

REDDzone · Post #3 » by **REDDzone** » Mon Oct 1, 2012 10:36 pm

Doesn't he have some medical issue that limits him to sketchy Indian Reservation mma? Serious question.

Or do I have him confused with someone else?

Cammo101 · Post #4 » by **Cammo101** » Mon Oct 1, 2012 10:42 pm

REDDzone wrote:Doesn't he have some medical issue that limits him to sketchy Indian Reservation mma? Serious question.

Or do I have him confused with someone else?

I haven't heard anything about that. He signed with Legacy Fighting out of Texas recently, which is one of the bigger regional promotions. Not sure they fight on the reservations. Maybe your thinking of Fedor's brother.

REDDzone · Post #5 » by **REDDzone** » Mon Oct 1, 2012 10:46 pm

Now its going to bother me as I try to figure out who I was thinking of.

Cammo101 · Post #6 » by **Cammo101** » Mon Oct 1, 2012 11:15 pm

#24 - Kelvin Tiller (Middleweight)

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Kelvin-Tiller-47441

Tiller has had a taste of the big show already at the ripe old age of 22, having fought (and won) twice on Bellator undercards. Tiller possesses off the chart athleticism, but is incredibly raw. If his skills can catch up to his athletic ability, then he could make a big time dent in Bellator. There is a lot of upside here, but Tiller is also the fighter on this list most likely to flame out due to his rawness.

Post #7 » by **blkout** » Tue Oct 2, 2012 12:21 am

Lol, the referee for Drysdale's first fight was Mac Danzig

Cammo101 · Post #8 » by **Cammo101** » Tue Oct 2, 2012 12:38 am

blkout wrote:Lol, the referee for Drysdale's first fight was Mac Danzig

Can't be any worse than Kim Winslow.

REDDzone · Post #9 » by **REDDzone** » Tue Oct 2, 2012 2:02 am

blkout wrote:Lol, the referee for Drysdale's first fight was Mac Danzig

That's actually what I'm talking about when I say mma is an incestuous community, and things like former fighter refs and judges are a bad idea. Danzig trains (trained?) out of Vegas for years and years. I would be absolutely floored if he didn't train with Drysdale...probably extensively.

Cammo101 · Post #10 » by **Cammo101** » Tue Oct 2, 2012 4:44 am

#23 - Misha Cirkunov (Light Heavyweight)

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Misha-Cirkunov-59197

This 25 year old is a Canadian wrestling and judo champion has long been considered an elite grappler. He moved to MMA full time in 2010 and has amassed a 5-2 record on the local circuit. He is still very much a work in progress, but the sky is the limit for him once he puts it all together.

Cammo101 · Post #11 » by **Cammo101** » Tue Oct 2, 2012 5:32 pm

#22 - Jimmy Hettes (Featherweight)

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jim-Hettes-48046

One of the more well known fighters on this list, Jimmy "The Kid" Hettes has had 3 fights already in the UFC by the age of 25. Despite having just suffered his first loss, Hettes still oozes potential. A very well rounded fighter with excellent judo and BJJ, he must continue to work on his stand up game if he wants to realize his potential. If he does realize his potential, then he might have a title run in him sooner than later.

Cammo101 · Post #12 » by **Cammo101** » Wed Oct 3, 2012 7:27 am

#21 - Daniel Sarafian (Middleweight)

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Daniel-Sarafian-17665

The first (but not the last) member of TUF Brazil to hit the list. Sarafian wowed with his athleticism and skill on the way to the Middleweight finals. Sadly, an injury forced him out of the highly anticipated Finale fight with Mutante, but Sarafian still looks to have a long career ahead of him in the UFC.

Post #13 » by **CPT** » Fri Oct 5, 2012 3:05 pm

How old is Drysdale? Gotta be at least 30? 35? Seems like I've been hearing his name forever.

It's nice that he doesn't have the MMA miles on his odometer that other guys may have at that age, and I hear they are doing wonderful things with TRT, but he's still probably missed out on his physical prime without being anywhere near the big show.

As much as I'd love a badass grappler at 205, I don't think Drysdale is gonna be it.

Cammo101 · Post #14 » by **Cammo101** » Mon Oct 8, 2012 1:17 am

CPT wrote:How old is Drysdale? Gotta be at least 30? 35? Seems like I've been hearing his name forever.

He is 31.

Cammo101 · Post #15 » by **Cammo101** » Mon Oct 8, 2012 1:21 am

#20 - Josh Hill (Bantamweight)

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Josh-Hill-53662

Undefeated Canadian prospect Josh Hill is on pace to be the next Rory McDonald. He is tearing up the Canadian MMA scene and is incredibly well rounded for such a young fighter. It is not likely to be long before the 9-0 Hill gets a call from the UFC.

Cammo101 · Post #16 » by **Cammo101** » Mon Oct 8, 2012 7:48 pm

#19 - Stephen Thompson (Welterweight)

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Stephen-Thompson-59608

Wonderboy's massive hype train was recently derailed in a tough loss to veteran Matt Brown, but the 29 year old kickboxer still has a lot of upside. He will need to go back to the drawing board with his ground game, but his standup makes him look like the 170 pound Machida. If he can keep fights standing, he stands a great chance against most of the UFC welterweight division.

Cammo101 · Post #17 » by **Cammo101** » Tue Oct 9, 2012 4:58 am

#18 - Trey Houston (Middleweight)

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Trey-Houston-52314

The 24 year old undefeated Bellator fighter has finished all 11 fights and has not been to the 3rd round since his debut. He is very well rounded and very athletic, and when Houston has a fighter hurt, he is a nasty finisher. There are a lot of strong prospects on the Bellator roster, and Houston is among the most promising.

Cammo101 · Post #18 » by **Cammo101** » Tue Oct 9, 2012 11:31 pm

#17 - Steven Siler (Featherweight)

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Steven-Siler-22537

"Super" Steven Siler first turned heads with his stint on TUF 14, but it is what he has done since the show that puts him on this list. At the ripe old age of 25, Siler already has 21 career wins. This includes a perfect 3-0 record in the UFC. This includes wins over the ultra tough Cole Miller and big time prospect Joey Gambino. Siler is the ultimate grinder, as he is as tough as they come and refuses to back down. His combination of experience, skills, and toughness could soon lead him to a shot at UFC gold.

Cammo101 · Post #19 » by **Cammo101** » Wed Oct 10, 2012 6:39 pm

#16 - Lance Palmer (Featherweight)

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Lance-Palmer-80836

Lance Palmer was 4 time wrestling all american at Ohio State University. Upon graduation he immediately moved to California and started training with Urijah Faber at Team Alpha Male. The 24 year old Palmer is 4-0 and seems to be getting better with each fight. His combination of elite wrestling and excellent athleticism should have him in the UFC before too long.

Cammo101 · Post #20 » by **Cammo101** » Thu Oct 11, 2012 5:42 pm

#15 - Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (Middleweight)

http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Vyacheslav-Vasilevsky-33172

Though only 24 years old, Slava is already 18-2 with a Bellator tournament win. The Judo and Sambo champion from Siberia has hit the big time and is likely to be a stalwart in Bellator for the foreseeable future. There is an influx of quality young Russian fighters right now, and Slava is one of the guys leading the charge.