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MARSH: 12 UFC Fighters to Watch in 2012
Jan 17, 2012 - 10:30:10 PM MARSH: 12 UFC Fighters to Watch in 2012

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By: Griffin Marsh, MMATorch Contributor

After watching all the great bowl games College Football provides us each year, I found myself spending my New Year looking in retrospect at a 2011 that will be almost impossible for 2012 to top. In 2011 we saw some of the best competitors the WEC had to offer square off with some top UFC fighters; we saw the largest promotion in MMA, the UFC, buy out its largest competitor, again, in Strikeforce; and we also saw the UFC sign a new television deal with FOX, providing the average American with some great fights through the foreseeable future.

When looking at the fighter side of the year 2011, we saw great things inside the Octagon. We saw a great, epic battle between MMA legends Dan Henderson and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. 2011  provided us with the Middleweight & Welterweight Champions extending their dominance over their respective divisions. And of course, who can forget the mega-knockout of Cain Velasquez by the number one heavyweight in the world Junior Dos Santos, only to be upstaged by Alistair Overeem sending Brock Lesnar into retirement with one solid body shot.

Considering that Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre are likely to miss 2011, or most of it, the retirement of Brock Lesnar as the sports top money draw leaves the UFC, not in a state of panic but a state of conscious awareness. They know that the fighters they have pushed as the future of the company must show their drawing capabilities and deliver PPV buys. After Lesnar's retirement I compiled a list of 12 the hottest fighters to watch in 2012. Of course this is solely my opinion, but nevertheless I believe these fighters can pull the UFC through this current situation with the top three draws sitting out a period of time.

12.) Edson Barbosa: Edson started 2012 off with a bang knocking out Terry Etim with an amazing spinning wheel kick. Combine his striking, solid grappling with a 10-0 record in a lightweight division featuring Frankie Edgar, Ben Henderson and Gray Maynard, and we just may see a star fighter in the making.

11.) Jimy Hettes: Hettes is a submission machine. Also undefeated, 10-0 with 9 submissions to his credit Hettes made his first two UFC fights fairly easy wins with a submission win over Alex Caceras and a Unanimous Decisions win over Nam Phan. Whoever the UFC has lined up for Hettes at featherweight in the future should definitely not overlook him. I believe he also could very easily be a star in the future.

10.) Gilbert Melendez: Everyone in the MMA world is waiting for Melendez to step in the cage with real top UFC fighters. Most are tired of hearing what "would happen" or "could happen", make the fights between Melendez and the Frankie Edgar's, the Ben Henderson's, or the Gray Maynards.

9.) Rousimar Palhares: I know this may not be a popular pick with many fans, however Palhares has gotten better with each trip to the Octagon and showcases his submission superiority with nearly every win. He has the nastiest leg locks in MMA today and the UFC audience may just tune in to watch him fight just hoping to see the master of leg locks rip off a bone shattering submission.

8.) Dan Henderson: No apologies for Hendo fans who would put him much higher on the "fighters to watch of 2012" list. Hendo will be 42 years old this year and though his fight with Shogun in 2011 was a great fight, if we are honest with ourselves, we can see Hendo completely gassed in the final round and a half. I felt he was lucky to take so much out of Shogun in the earlier rounds because if he hadn't, Shogun wins that fight easily. Hendo however does have a big right hand and a decent chin. More importantly he has a fan base among long time fans and the UFC can definitely use his marketability to their advantage in 2012. I'm just afraid Hendo's age will catch up with him, and fast.

7.) Cain Velasquez: I know Cain was brutally knocked out in a one sided fight against the sports top heavyweight. It did diminish the awe of Cain but didn't in anyway diminish the fact he is a great fighter. Would he beat JDS in a rematch? Probably not but he still posses the striking, grappling and cardio to take any fighter to the edge and should definitely find his way back into the title mix. Maybe a warm up fight with Frank Mir could really boost Cain's confidence.

6.) Daniel Cormier: With the UFC heavyweight division getting deeper, a new solid heavyweight contender couldn't hurt. The UFC has that solid new contender in Daniel Cormier. Though he doesn't have any big names on his undefeated 9-0 record yet, he does have a solid knockout win over Antonio "Big Foot" Silva in the 1st round at Strikerforce: Barnett v Khartionov. If the UFC chooses to bring Cormier over to the top promotion, it could only add depth and talent to an already growing division.

5.) Ben Henderson: Ben Henderson is a born fighter. He holds black belts in TKD, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and is an All American NAIA Wrestler.  More importantly, he's a fighter and a darn good one at that.  Every time Henderson enters the cage, as a fan, we know we are in for a treat and are watching a true, exciting professional. Bring Melendez over from Strikeforce, stop the talk and fight. With Ben Henderson in your division you have a fighter you can rely on to do great things each time he walks into the Octagon.

4.) Jose Aldo: Jose is the long reigning UFC Featherweight Champion, and in Anderson Silva-like fashion has cleaned out his entire division. Aldo has the potential to be the greatest featherweight of all time if he continues on the path he is on. He is an amazing grappler, but we as fans really don’t get to see Aldo's grappling due to the fact that his striking is so magnificent. Each time you watch Aldo, he convinces you that you are watching greatness. And with his long reign, the UFC can rely on the solid featherweight champion from Brazil to carry the torch in 2012.

3.) Nick Diaz: I personally do not understand all the buzz around Nick Diaz. I know he's a good grappler and has good solid boxing skills, along with a stout chin. But when I look over the past five years of his fight career I'm left with no "top" fighters on his record. B.J. Penn seems to be the most prominent of his opponents but lets not forget, it wasn't "The Prodigy" Diaz beat.  It was the out of shape, old B.J. Penn that definitely needs to retire. We've seen B.J. perform badly and make mistakes before but this time it didn't take a rocket scientist to realize Penn is done and should definitely keep his word about retirement. Nevertheless, Diaz wins fights. He finishes fights and fans love him. Being a good solid boxer with good ground skills and a tough chin, and having a solid fan base the UFC will not be foolish enough to not push Diaz in 2012 especially if they can possibly set up a title for title bout with GSP should Diaz beat Condit.

2.) Junior Dos Santos: I know JDS is likely to miss the start of the year but is eying a comeback somewhere around the middle of the year. JDS is a punching machine, and his skills at heavyweight are un-matched with his hands. With the UFC's former top draw being a heavyweight and retiring, this tough, hard-punching, excellent boxer might just be the exact remedy for churning out PPV buys in the future. After watching JDS knock out the tough Cain Velasquez in such quick and easy fashion, I felt then that surely we most likely were watching the start of a new era.

1.) Alistair Overeem: Alistair Overeem has captured the eye of a lot of MMA fans. His size, strength and striking skills have many picking Overeem to not only capture the UFC Heavyweight Title, but predict him to go on a tear through the division, likely clearing out the competition. I personally do not agree with this logic. I still remember "Glass Jaw" Overeem, a man that has been stopped by 205 pounders Chuck Liddell and Mauricio Rua. Granted that Overeem has put on lots of muscle and bulked up to heavyweight, but that has nothing to do with a fighters ability to take a punch or their toughness. I just don't see Overeem standing against JDS for very long and feel it will be over fairly quickly if he decides that's the best way to fight Junior. However, if somehow I'm wrong and Alistair does win, the UFC has a Heavyweight Champion fighter with solid skills and a solid worldwide fan base. And that can mean only one thing for the company, and that's dollar signs $$$.

It will definitely take a few things playing out correctly for the UFC. Depending on how certain fighters perform, or certain injuries these fighters may have, will depend on what kind of year 2012 is. Regardless of losing such big draws as Lesnar, Silva and GSP, I believe the UFC has more than enough talent to carry the work load. And I look forward to another great year of MMA.

Comments?

Email: Andersonsilvafan2011@yahoo.com

[Alistair Overeem art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]