The Future of the UFC

While it's a good bit of fun to try to figure out who will fight at UFC 75 (just a few months away with no real bouts), I find it even more entertaining to look..oh, say five years ahead and think about who will be fighting who for the title. In five years, Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, and Tito Ortiz will all be retired. Current champions Anderson Silva and Sean Sherk will be on the downswing of their careers. And Randy Couture...well, Randy Couture will probably still be fighting. With injuries, streaks, and simple luck factoring into the roulette wheel that is the UFC, I now will do my best to present you with the title fights you will most likely be seeing in five years time. And now, I get to use the catchphrase I've been waiting to use for some time now...Never heard of these guys? Dont worry; you will.

Heavyweight
Andrei Arlovski vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
Now, some of you might dispute this pick, but if you look at the current age and health levels of the PRIDE crossovers (Cro Cop, Minotauro), they just won't be around. Arlovski (pictured), however, is rarely injured and is just 28 years old. This seems impossible since he's been around forever, but the former champion who holds a win over Tim Sylvia will just keep getting better. He'll only be 33 in five years and will be at his prime. Sylvia won't want a part of him then. Gonzaga, also 28, is a Chute Boxe prodigy who took down Cro Cop without a mark on his body en route to a title shot against Randy Couture (coming up at UFC 74). As he fights more top guys, this BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) expert will improve further and elongate his career.

Light heavyweight
Michael Bisping vs. Rashad Evans
Bisping, 28 and 13-0, is constantly improving and learning new disciplines. With his bringing in a large share of the Western European market (okay, the whole share), he'll get pushed to the top even if he doesn't turn out to be the next Chuck Liddell. Evans (pictured), 27 and 15-0, seems to be the more promising fighter. He's facing Tito Ortiz at UFC 73, and a win there should propel him into matches with the likes of Henderson, Rampage, and Shogun. Evans is an accomplished submission fighter -- something which will help him win fights in a division which rarely utilizes submission as well as keep him out of the path of large, looping lefts.

Middleweight
Kendall Grove vs. Yushin Okami
Grove (pictured), who is a precocious 24 years old and winner of The Ultimate Fighter 3, is a dangerous and smart fighter. If I had a column about fighters who will still be around in 15 years, Grove would probably be on the list. In 5 years, however, he'll just be getting real attention for the first time. And deservedly so -- this Tito Ortiz prodigy and member of Team Punishment is on a 4 fight win streak with 75% coming by way of submission. As I said before, those submission fighters stay around longer than the guys who just trade bombs. Case in point: Liddell was just suspended through June for the shots he took from Rampage at UFC 71. Okami, who is 25 years old and holds an impressive 21-3 record, enters his fight at UFC 72 on a six fight win streak (he's also won 12 of his last 13). Modeled after guys like Caol Uno and Takanori Gomi, his classic Japanese style will serve him well in the Octagon for years to come.

Welterweight
Diego Sanchez vs. Georges St. Pierre
Sanchez (pictured), who is just 25 years old, recently received his first loss at the hands of Josh Koscheck (decision). However, he's still the younger fighter and he's probably the better fighter. Sanchez looked stiff against Koscheck, but that will loosen up with age and experience. And with a decade of fighting ahead of him, Sanchez has that time in his favor. He's beaten Kenny Florian, Nick Diaz, Karo Parisyan, and Joe Riggs, making him one of the more tested Welterweights outside of the Trinity (Hughes, St. Pierre, Serra). Speaking of Georges St. Pierre, I think he will keep getting better and when all is said and done, will be considered the greatest Welterweight to ever compete in the UFC. For all he's accomplished (beating BJ Penn AND Matt Hughes), he's still just 26 years old. He'll have a million more opportunities and countless years to perfect his lethal blend of striking and ground work.

Lightweight
Roger Huerta vs. Joe Stevenson
Huerta, 24 years old and recently on the cover of Sports Illustrated, has won all three of his UFC fights and looks to be one of the more promising fighters in the division. His slightly rudimentary style is suspect at times, but his decisive victories (a 19 second knockout being among them) more than make up for the questions which linger. Stevenson (pictured), also 24 and winner of The Ultimate Fighter 2, has won his last three fights and only seems to be improving his BJJ skills. I consider BJJ to be the most dangerous of the styles featured in the UFC (look at St. Pierre or Royce Gracie), and improved ability in this discipline can only mean more tallies in the win column for Stevenson. With most of his victories coming on the ground, he'll have the health to stick around and be a contender five years from now.

Poll results: 66% of respondents think that the WWE rosters should not be combined (33%-yes) and 75% of respondents believe that Chuck Liddell is still the best fighter in UFC's Light heavyweight division (25%-Shogun).