Top 10 Up-and-Coming MMA Fighters

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
May 7, 2008

Top 10 Up-and-Coming MMA Fighters

Jake Rosholt

The Team Takedown member and former three-time wrestling champ at Oklahoma State owns an impressive 4-0 record since turning pro in July 2007. After turning down the chance to be on The Ultimate Fighter, Rosholt's moving rapidly along the path to stardom.

Cain Velasquez

The former Arizona State wrestling standout looked good in his UFC debut, and so far hasn't shown any of the lay-and-pray tendencies of other wrestlers-turned-MMA fighters. He's talented and explosive, and may be more so if he considers a drop to light heavyweight.

Deividas Taurosevicius

A Gracie fighter, Taurosevicius has excellent jiu-jitsu, is stronger than most in the lightweight division and has an above-par ground-and-pound game.

C.B. Dollaway

"The Doberman" is the favorite in this season's "The Ultimate Fighter," and with good reason. The former All-America wrestler at Arizona State already has a perfect 6-0 record.

Ronaldo Souza

His performance at Dream 2 on April 29 should have made it clear: "Jacare" is arguably one of the top submission fighters in the sport right now, and he's got an 8-1 record to prove it.

Mike Massenzio

After dominating a handful of smaller, East Coast shows, Massenzio is ready to move up. And he will on May 16, when he'll make his IFL debut and look to continue his nine-fight win streak at the higher level.

Johny Hendricks

Another member of Team Takedown, Hendricks was a two-time NCAA wrestling champion at Oklahoma State. So far, he's continued his dominant ways in MMA, claiming an early 3-0 pro record, including two TKOs.

Wilson Reis

He's young and still fairly untested, but Reis' potential seems almost limitless at this point (2-0 Combat in the Cage record last year). As a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and instructor, he definitely has the skills to fight with the best of them.

Andre Gusmao

He fought for Renzo Gracie's New York Pitbulls of the IFL before a contract dispute prevented his jump to the UFC. A big, strong light heavyweight with good jiu-jitsu and a rapidly improving standup game, Gusmao's biggest question mark is where he'll end up.

Jim Miller

His lone loss was a decision against Frankie Edgar. Miller dominated Bart Palaszewski in his last bout, and though he still may be a few wins away from really making waves, he's worth keeping an eye on.<br><br>Send comments to siwriters@simail.com.