Who's the Next Big Star?

[Frozentrash75]

I'm sitting here and i just started thinking to myself who is going to be the next big star in the next year or so in the ufc. I personally think that the next big star will be Ryan Bader i mean he has elite wrestling which is one the best skills to have in MMA and he has been on a very nice streak to start his career and he seems to get better and better every time that he steps into the octagon and he was a ultimate fighter winner also he has a very good look and personality so he is very marketable.

So that's why i feel in next year or so that he will be the next big star in the UFC. So what's everyone else think agree or disagree with me and if you disagree tell us who you think the next big star is.

 

[INDYjon22]

There are two guys who I think will have really big years in 2010. Jon Jones and Junior Dos Santos. Honestly, I think Jon Jones is the best blue chip athlete in the entire Light Heavyweight division. He has fantastic wrestling and very good striking. He is basically still undefeated as well seeing as his loss to Matt Hamill was strange, but that is neither here nor there. That loss will benefit him more then hurt him. I expect him to become a top 5 contender by the end of the year.

Also, Junior Dos Santos has already shown some great skill in the Heavyweight division. He will have a nice test coming up against Gabriel Gonzaga which will go a long way in showing if he is legit or not. So far in his UFC career though he has looked amazing and I would dare say better then both Cain Velasqeze and Shane Carwin. I actually expect him to be a challenger for the Heavyweight title if he can get past Gonzaga.

Bader is another good choice but at this point he has not looked nearly as dominate as Jon Jones. Put those two in a fight together and I believe Jone would beat Bader black and blue. But, with the proper opponents to test Bader and move him gradually up the ladder, I completely believe he will be challenging for the belt before to long as well.

 

[Frozentrash75]

There are two guys who I think will have really big years in 2010. Jon Jones and Junior Dos Santos. Honestly, I think Jon Jones is the best blue chip athlete in the entire Light Heavyweight division. He has fantastic wrestling and very good striking. He is basically still undefeated as well seeing as his loss to Matt Hamill was strange, but that is neither here nor there. That loss will benefit him more then hurt him. I expect him to become a top 5 contender by the end of the year.

Also, Junior Dos Santos has already shown some great skill in the Heavyweight division. He will have a nice test coming up against Gabriel Gonzaga which will go a long way in showing if he is legit or not. So far in his UFC career though he has looked amazing and I would dare say better then both Cain Velasqeze and Shane Carwin. I actually expect him to be a challenger for the Heavyweight title if he can get past Gonzaga.

Bader is another good choice but at this point he has not looked nearly as dominate as Jon Jones. Put those two in a fight together and I believe Jone would beat Bader black and blue. But, with the proper opponents to test Bader and move him gradually up the ladder, I completely believe he will be challenging for the belt before to long as well.

I agree with you Jon Jones is going to be a champion one day also i believe is the best overall athlete in the UFC since George St.Pierre showed up on the scene. Dos Santos is good to but i don't know if he will be as good as Bader and Jones but he is solid. I would pay to see Bader fight Jones i think that would be a great fight.

 

[jmt225]

Ryan Bader is a good choice, but I actually think Jardine is going to beat him in their fight in a couple of weeks. I could be wrong, but these are the type of fights Jardine absolutely shines in and pulls off the upset no one saw coming. And while I like Bader, I sort of hope Jardine does indeed get the victory. He deserves it.

Jon Jones is the most obvious answer though. The guy is super young, has crazy entertaining striking with knockout power, does suplexes, and is genuinely a good guy in real life, plus a good speaker. The dude is going to make the UFC, and himself, millions if he keeps going down the route he's currently going.

Jon Jones was actually my answer coming into this thread, but I'll go ahead and switch it up to Paulo Thiago. While I don't see this guy (or anyone for that matter) dethroning GSP anytime soon, I do think he will remain the 2nd top Welterweight in the UFC for a couple of years to cime. The guy just seems to have it all: Stand-up skills with knockout power, great BJJ, and perhaps one of the best mindsets in all of MMA. Moreover, he improves every time he steps in the octagon. All that, plus being a member of B.O.P.E I think will lead to him garnering a huge fanbase over the next couple of years.

 

[knockaroundguy13]

I would have to say Ryan Bader. He has looked very impressive in his UFC bouts(I havent seen any of his pre-UFC ones) and his 11-0 record is definately worth noting. I wouldnt be surprised to see him getting a shot at the 205 title holder before the end of the year.

 

[Via Armbar]

I agree with Jon Jones. Matt Hamill is a good versatile fighter and Bones completly dominated him. Granted he lost by disqualification. But this is going to be one of those rare cases where a loss doesn't move you down the ladder. Jones' striking is good, his ground game is solid and the dudes clinch is going to win him alot of fights I gaurentee it.

Besides Jones I see George Sotiropoulos going places. He may not be a rookie, but he's only been the the UFC for 2 years and hasn't lost a fight in the octogan yet. He's only lost twice, once was from a DQ and the other was a split decision. In my opinion he has the most underated BJJ at lightweight. More than half of his wins are via submission and alot of them have been highlight reel subs. His striking is good, but it could use some work. If he gets that under control and on par with his BJJ, the dude will be a monster. I honestly think he'll get a decision win over Stevenson at 110.

 

[Kasey]

There are two guys who I think will have really big years in 2010. Jon Jones and Junior Dos Santos.

This. In terms of the UFC these are the two guys I'm watching the most.

Johnny Jones will probably wreck Vera. He made Hammill look like shit and at no time did Matt have ANYTHING by way of legitimate offense in the fight. Bones just got overexcited with all the ass-beating and got stupid.

JDS will probably be Black House's go-to heavyweight if Nog can't get the job done in Australia as they have the same mentality that Chute Boxe did when Wanderlei was the champ over in Pride and Shogun was slated to meet him one day.

Cain was on there for a while, but his fight against Kongo showed the holes in his striking game. The one thing that fight did display was that Velasquez has heart and serious chin.