Five UFC Heavyweights to Watch in 2011
Schaub is the #2 HW to watch
With the help of Joe Silva and the The Ultimate Fighter series, the UFC has been blessed with plenty of young talent. The heavyweight division is very intriguing right now thanks to the young lions that are on a tear. Here’s a list of UFC heavyweight fighters that we need to watch out for in 2011:
1) Stefan Struve (21-4) (5-2 in the UFC): Struve is only 22 years old and has been quickly climbing the ladder towards the top of the division. He recently defeating Sean McCorkle at UFC 124 and looking to take on a top contender for his next fight. Standing at 6”11, he often has the reach advantage over the other heavyweight fighters. But when the fight hits the ground, he’s no slouch on his back. His ground game is much underestimated and Struve will be a force to be reckoned with come 2011.
2) Brendan Schaub (7-1) (3-1 in the UFC): Schaub came out of the tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter and has shown drastic improvements. He caught everyone’s attention at UFC 116 when he quickly knocked out Chris Tuchscherer in the first round. He recently dominated a UFC veteran in Gabriel Gonzaga for 3 rounds at UFC 123. And is scheduled to face his toughest test in Mirko Cro Cop this March at UFC 128. Schaub comes from Greg Jackson’s camp and also trains closely with knock out artist Shane Carwin.
3) Matt Mitrione (3-0) (3-0 in the UFC): Mitrione made the transition from playing professional football, to becoming a mixed martial fighter. Also part of The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 alongside Brendan Schaub, he has a perfect record of 3-0. After retiring Kimbo Slice from the UFC/MMA, he took on Joey Beltran where he showcased crisp stand up and much improved cardio to win an entertaining decision. With the athletic/explosive attribute he possesses, Mitrione continues to improve in every fight.
4) Pat Barry (7-2) (2-2 in the UFC): Barry was a veteran in K-1 before he made the transition to MMA. He has brutal stand up and hits “scary”hard. He’s recently coming off of a loss to Mirko Cro Cop, after dominating the fight in the 1st round he got submitted late in the 3rd round. Since then (UFC 115) Barry has been sidelined with a few injuries. But he is scheduled to fight Joey Beltran at UFC: Fight for the Troops 2 on January 22. As Barry learns the ground game and progresses as a full mixed martial artist, he’ll be a threat in the HW division.
5) Sean McCorkle (10-1) (1-1 in the UFC): McCorkle made an impressive UFC debut when he submitted K-1 veteran Mark Hunt by Kimura at UFC 119. His only loss comes from Stefan Struve, who defeated McCorkle via TKO in the 1st round at UFC 124. Although McCorkle is relatively new in the UFC there’s no doubt as he gets more acclimated, he’ll definitely give some HW fighters trouble.
The HW division has always been very lackluster with talent compared to the other divisions. But thanks to the new addition of fighters, 2011 will showcase how deep the talent pool is in the heavyweight division.
Powered by Max Banner Ads
About the Author (Author Profile)
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
Just shows you how terrible the hw division is, I got to watch out for mccorkle, matrione & berry in 2011. These guys will never come close to being contenders in the ufc not even SF. Schaub has lot of potential & struve is the baby faced assassin I’m a big fan of his. Cormier & del rosario or the ones everybody should be watching in 2011 period ufc or SF.
I think it is a strong possibilty that all five of these guys will be out of the UFC by the end of the year. These guys cannot compete with the already established heavy weights (ex. Mir, Nog, Carwin, Lesner, JDS, Big Country). Plus they will have to fight eachother which will contribute to their loss record as well…usually 2-3 losses in a row gets you cut…..So a loss to one of the established fighter and a loss to one another could spell doom for the “Fab 5″ listed above. McCorkle may be gone after his next fight, and if Berry gets embarrassed against the Beltran, he will probably be shown the door as well.