2016 UFC Fighters To Watch: Light Heavyweight
2016 UFC Fighters To Watch: Light Heavyweight
FloCombat breaks down the UFC fighters you need to watch in the light heavyweight division during 2016.
By T.P. Grant
Mixed Martial Arts can be a difficult sport to follow at times, to all but the most hardcore of followers of the sport it can seem a confusing mess of weight classes and champions. The UFC roster currently sits at over 500 fighters, not to mention the thousands of fighters outside of the promotion, so it’s understandable to have a hard time keeping so many names straight.
So to help with that, FloCombat is going to run down each UFC weight class and highlighting fighters that the new or casual MMA fan should be watching.
Light Heavyweight has long been the darling of the UFC, the primer division where the most well-known fighters tend to compete. The division is shockingly top heavy, it has 8-10 outstanding fighters but after that the talent falls off sharply. There is some talent on the rise, but with the top of division being so experienced it is a difficult climb for young fighters. All that said the top of the division is excellent, some of the best fighters in the sport content for the Light Heavyweight belt.
The current UFC Light Heavyweight champion, won in the absence of Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier is a standout international wrestler turned MMA fighter. An All-American in college, Cormier qualified for the 2004 Olympics where he took 4th place. He made the 2008 team but was unable to compete due to serious medical complications from a bad weight cut. Cormier decided he wanted to become an MMA fighter and began training at the American Kickboxing Academy, where he eventually became the wrestling coach.
Cormier started fighting pro in Strikeforce where he won the Heavyweight Grand Prix in 2012. He joined the UFC in 2013, but after two Heavyweight bouts he opted to drop a weight class because his teammate and friend Cain Velasquez was the Heavyweight champion. The only Light Heavyweight to have beaten Cormier thus far is Jon Jones in their 2015 title match, but after Jones was stripped of his title Cormier won the vacant title and then defended it.
Cormier is a pressure striker on the feet who wants to get in close to use his wrestling. Cormier is a diverse and skills wrestler, his preferred takedown is a lifting takedown from a single leg grip he uses in nearly every fight. Once on the ground Cormier has relentless, grinding attack that wears down and breaks opponents. To date the only fighter Cormier hasn’t been able to take down and bludgeon is Jon Jones, and they are rematching in April for the UFC Light Heavyweight title.
The former Champion who never lost his title, Jon Jones has been facing troubles of his own making. A prodigy talent, Jones tore through the division, his only loss being a warning-less DQ for a foul in a fight he we clearly winning. In 2011 he become the youngest UFC Champion ever when he finished Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in 3 rounds. Jones went on to defend his title 8 times over 4 years, but trouble outside the cage built; rumors of excessive partying, traffic incidents, and then just over a year ago he tested positive for cocaine. This was quickly followed by Jones being involved in a hit-and-run accident, which caused the UFC to suspend Jones and strip him of his title.
A stand out wrestler, Jones is one of the most natural MMA talents the sport has ever seen. Jones’ specialty when he first came into the sport Jones used spectacular throws to get opponents down and then submit them. As he has grown, Jones has become an excellent clinch fighter and range striker, becoming a fearsomely complete fighter. Jones is set to return after his suspension, and he looks to be gaining muscle mass in a possible bid to move up to Heavyweight in the future.
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson is a former Welterweight, who used to make a torturous weight cut in his early UFC career. A former wrestler, Johnson was picked up by the UFC just one year into his pro MMA career. His first stint at Welterweight and then Middleweight in the UFC was an up-and-down affair that ended with him being cut by the UFC in 2012. He then fought at Heavyweight on the regional scene and was brought back to the UFC to fight at Light Heavyweight, where he has been thriving.
Johnson has become a very crafty kickboxer on the feet, and the thunderous power in his hands has become his primary weapon with 15 of his 21 wins coming by knockout. Johnson currently trains under excellent kickboxing coach Henri Hooft at the Blackzilians in southern Florida. With only a few fighters on the rise Johnson is set to be a premier fighter for a few years and his knock outs alone make him a Light Heavyweight to watch.
While likely out of the title picture considering he has lost to all three men on this list, Alexander Gustafsson is still one of the finest Light Heavyweights this sport has to offer. A national youth boxing champion in Sweden, Gustafsson split time between amateur boxing and pro MMA until he was signed by the UFC.
Obviously with his boxing background Gustafsson has excellent hands, and he uses his frame very well. Once a neophyte grappler, Gustafsson has become one of the very best wrestlers in the division thanks to his work with Phil Davis and Alliance MMA. While Gustafsson may have lost to Jones, Cormier, and Johnson already, he gave them extremely competitive fights. Gustafsson will likely fight a few up and coming fighters, should he collect wins he will likely be back in title fights. And regardless of that, his skill and attitude makes him a fighter worth watching.
Mixed Martial Arts can be a difficult sport to follow at times, to all but the most hardcore of followers of the sport it can seem a confusing mess of weight classes and champions. The UFC roster currently sits at over 500 fighters, not to mention the thousands of fighters outside of the promotion, so it’s understandable to have a hard time keeping so many names straight.
So to help with that, FloCombat is going to run down each UFC weight class and highlighting fighters that the new or casual MMA fan should be watching.
Light Heavyweight has long been the darling of the UFC, the primer division where the most well-known fighters tend to compete. The division is shockingly top heavy, it has 8-10 outstanding fighters but after that the talent falls off sharply. There is some talent on the rise, but with the top of division being so experienced it is a difficult climb for young fighters. All that said the top of the division is excellent, some of the best fighters in the sport content for the Light Heavyweight belt.
Daniel Cormier
The current UFC Light Heavyweight champion, won in the absence of Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier is a standout international wrestler turned MMA fighter. An All-American in college, Cormier qualified for the 2004 Olympics where he took 4th place. He made the 2008 team but was unable to compete due to serious medical complications from a bad weight cut. Cormier decided he wanted to become an MMA fighter and began training at the American Kickboxing Academy, where he eventually became the wrestling coach.
Cormier started fighting pro in Strikeforce where he won the Heavyweight Grand Prix in 2012. He joined the UFC in 2013, but after two Heavyweight bouts he opted to drop a weight class because his teammate and friend Cain Velasquez was the Heavyweight champion. The only Light Heavyweight to have beaten Cormier thus far is Jon Jones in their 2015 title match, but after Jones was stripped of his title Cormier won the vacant title and then defended it.
Cormier is a pressure striker on the feet who wants to get in close to use his wrestling. Cormier is a diverse and skills wrestler, his preferred takedown is a lifting takedown from a single leg grip he uses in nearly every fight. Once on the ground Cormier has relentless, grinding attack that wears down and breaks opponents. To date the only fighter Cormier hasn’t been able to take down and bludgeon is Jon Jones, and they are rematching in April for the UFC Light Heavyweight title.
Jon Jones
The former Champion who never lost his title, Jon Jones has been facing troubles of his own making. A prodigy talent, Jones tore through the division, his only loss being a warning-less DQ for a foul in a fight he we clearly winning. In 2011 he become the youngest UFC Champion ever when he finished Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in 3 rounds. Jones went on to defend his title 8 times over 4 years, but trouble outside the cage built; rumors of excessive partying, traffic incidents, and then just over a year ago he tested positive for cocaine. This was quickly followed by Jones being involved in a hit-and-run accident, which caused the UFC to suspend Jones and strip him of his title.
A stand out wrestler, Jones is one of the most natural MMA talents the sport has ever seen. Jones’ specialty when he first came into the sport Jones used spectacular throws to get opponents down and then submit them. As he has grown, Jones has become an excellent clinch fighter and range striker, becoming a fearsomely complete fighter. Jones is set to return after his suspension, and he looks to be gaining muscle mass in a possible bid to move up to Heavyweight in the future.
Anthony Johnson
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson is a former Welterweight, who used to make a torturous weight cut in his early UFC career. A former wrestler, Johnson was picked up by the UFC just one year into his pro MMA career. His first stint at Welterweight and then Middleweight in the UFC was an up-and-down affair that ended with him being cut by the UFC in 2012. He then fought at Heavyweight on the regional scene and was brought back to the UFC to fight at Light Heavyweight, where he has been thriving.
Johnson has become a very crafty kickboxer on the feet, and the thunderous power in his hands has become his primary weapon with 15 of his 21 wins coming by knockout. Johnson currently trains under excellent kickboxing coach Henri Hooft at the Blackzilians in southern Florida. With only a few fighters on the rise Johnson is set to be a premier fighter for a few years and his knock outs alone make him a Light Heavyweight to watch.
Alexander Gustafsson
While likely out of the title picture considering he has lost to all three men on this list, Alexander Gustafsson is still one of the finest Light Heavyweights this sport has to offer. A national youth boxing champion in Sweden, Gustafsson split time between amateur boxing and pro MMA until he was signed by the UFC.
Obviously with his boxing background Gustafsson has excellent hands, and he uses his frame very well. Once a neophyte grappler, Gustafsson has become one of the very best wrestlers in the division thanks to his work with Phil Davis and Alliance MMA. While Gustafsson may have lost to Jones, Cormier, and Johnson already, he gave them extremely competitive fights. Gustafsson will likely fight a few up and coming fighters, should he collect wins he will likely be back in title fights. And regardless of that, his skill and attitude makes him a fighter worth watching.