Heavyweight - Brett "The Grim" Rogers
Brett Rogers is one of EliteXC's current top heavyweight prospects. Since making his debut at EliteXC: Renegade he has gone on to create a 3-0 winning streak and is quickly showing everyone that Kimbo Slice isn't the only heavyweight fighter to watch out for. With a 7-0 pro record with 6 of those wins coming by KO and not one of those fights going past the 1st round, Rogers has shown that he is a force to be reckoned with in the heavyweight division. He recently called out Kimbo after his last fight and an October date has been mentioned for the two to finally meet in the cage to settle once and for all just who deserves to be called the best heavyweight in EliteXC. If Rogers can fulfill his potential and get the win then he’ll finally be able to step out of Kimbo’s shadow and show everyone that he’s not just a prospect but one of the top heavyweights out there today.
Light Heavyweight - Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida
Lyoto Machida is a Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter currently fighting in the UFC's Light Heavyweight division. Lyoto is considered by many to be the next star in the Light Heavyweight division. With a perfect professional record of 13-0 Machida has taken on and beaten some of the best fighters in the world including former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz, former UFC Middleweight champion Rich Franklin, current UFC Lightweight champion and former UFC Welterweight champion B.J. Penn. Machida’s un-orthodox fighting style is one of the main reasons for his success at the moment, his opponents find it extremely difficult to hit him due to his excellent defense & reflexes and they often end up getting frustrated and making mistakes, which Lyoto then capitalizes on. Machida’s next fight could be crucial for him as if he continues his winning streak in impressive fashion then no-one can deny that he deserves a shot at the title.
Middleweight РRonaldo "Jacar̩" de Souza
Ronaldo de Souza is probably the best grappler in the entire MMA Middleweight division. Souza came second in the Absolute Division at the Abu Dhabi 2005 world championships. The Absolute Division is a grappling tournament that has no weight restrictions, which means Souza was facing guys twice his size and beating them. He is currently on a nine fight win streak in MMA after a disappointing debut losing via first round knockout to Jorge Pantino at Jungle Fight 1 in 2003. Although his grappling skills are world class, the same cannot be said for his striking ability which still needs a lot of work. Even so he would still be an excellent acquisition for any MMA organization and is one of the top prospects in the Middleweight division today.
Welterweight - Thiago "Pitbull" Alves
Thiago Alves is currently one of the top welterweight fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he has compiled a record of 7-2 winning 6 of his last 6 fights. After impressive victories over former UFC Welterweight champion Matt Hughes and former number one Welterweight contender Karo Parisyan, Alves is finally starting to fulfill some of the potential he showed during his early UFC fights. With his excellent Muay Thai & good wrestling base, Alves presents a tough fight for any fighter in the Welterweight division. Recently he has stated an interest in facing Georges St Pierre for the Welterweight title and if he can win his next fight then he could very well be next in line to face GSP (if he successfully defends his title against John Fitch). Alves has shown in his last two fights that when he faces top competition, he is capable of raising his game to another level and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gave GSP one of his toughest fights yet.
Lightweight - Roger "El Matador" Huerta
Roger Huerta is one of the top 3 Lightweight’s in the UFC today and is one fight away from challenging BJ Penn for his Lightweight title. Since debuting in the UFC he has won all six of his fights, many of which were candidates for “Fight of the Night”. Holding a professional record of 22-1-1, Huerta has yet to be stopped thus far in his MMA career, with the only loss of his career coming as the result of a dislocated jaw in the finals of the SuperBrawl 36 tournament against Ryan Schultz. Huerta has proven that he deserves a shot at some of the top fighters in the lightweight division, with his next fight scheduled for UFC 87 against Kenny Florian, Roger will be looking to put on an impressive performance in order to send a message to BJ Penn that he’s ready to take the Prodigy’s title and prove that he’s the best Lightweight in the world.
