Jon Jones mounts Matt Hamill at TUF 9
© Getty Images
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the fastest growing sport in the world, drawing greater pay-per-view figures than boxing during a calendar year. Yet it remains largely undiscovered by the masses. Undiscovered by the average sports fan, undiscovered by the average odds-maker.
Herein lays the opportunity.
Remember the first time you played FIFA Soccer on the Super Nintendo and realised there was a particular angle to shoot from where it would result in a certain goal? What about the first time you realised that conkers soaked in vinegar would became invincible? Unless you're a saint, you challenged whoever you could and took advantage of your inside knowledge.
The UFC offers a similar scenario right now. Hardcore fans won't need telling who the most classy up-and-comers are, they already knew Paul Daley would smash up Martin Kampmann to upset the odds on debut, or that Shane Carwin would power through the heavily-fancied Gabriel Gonzaga in the heavyweight division. Unfortunately, these two names have now created such headlines that the bookmakers have begun to detect the smell of vinegar, to return to the conker metaphor.
The trick is to pick out the next batch of highly devastating up-and-comers that few people know about to swell your wallet. No fighter is unbeatable, that is the beauty of Mixed Martial Arts. But there are more than a handful of fighters who are too good for their current company, meaning money is there to be made until they climb their respective divisions.
Take Junior Dos Santos, currently 4-0 in the UFC. He was never going to lose to Stefan Struve, Mirko Cro Cop nor Gilbert Yvel, and the same can be said if his next opponent proves to be Cheick Kongo. Cain Velasquez was similar to Dos Santos, although that boat has now sailed as he enters world class territory against Antonio Nogueira.
One man to put your mortgage on in 2010 is light-heavyweight star Jon Jones. Easily the most unorthodox, super-talented fighter seen in the Octagon since Anderson Silva, Jones has only lost once in 10 fights - and that was via disqualification following his annihilation of Matt Hamill. At 22 years of age, Jones is still mixing with a calibre of opponent that falls way beneath his own repertoire of skills, making his forthcoming headline fight with Brandon Vera a hugely tempting prospect.
Staying with the light-heavyweight division, a few rungs lower down is the towering figure of Alexander Gustafsson, who moved to a career record of 9-0 after demolishing Jared Hamman inside 41 seconds at UFC 105. Also 22 years old, Gustafsson has explosives in his hands and will inevitably move up the division during 2010.
That is the key, finding fighters who are yet to reach their level. Nobody can touch champions BJ Penn in the lightweight division or Anderson Silva at middleweight, but the odds reflect that fact. Having said that, there is one champion who could become the victim of his own lofty ambition in 2010. Georges St-Pierre is an absolute machine at 170lbs when his head is in the right place, but rumours are gathering that he is focusing on his Olympic dream come 2012.
St-Pierre fights Briton Dan Hardy in March in what many expect to be a routine title defence, but Hardy is one of the most intelligent fighters in Mixed Martial Arts, with one of the sharpest left hooks to compliment that fact. The last time St-Pierre took his eye off the ball he became the victim of the biggest shock in UFC history against Matt Serra; a repeat performance could be looming in 2010.
That is a gamble though. You don't bet against St-Pierre and sleep comfortably at night, the Canadian will go down in UFC legend. More attractive is the handful of lightweight fighters rising through the ranks, each offering pay-out opportunities.
At the peak is Evan Dunham, a man who just beat Efrain Escudero, who had won all 13 of his previous career fights .
Likewise Newcastle's own Ross Pearson, described as a mixture of Georges St-Pierre and the legendary Wanderlei Silva, and easily one of the most solid fighters at his weight class. Pearson has only two recorded fights in the UFC, the most recent being a destruction of Aaron Riley, and he will not face an opponent of his own high calibre for some time yet.
Pearson's compatriot Terry Etim is ahead of him in the lightweight pecking order having recorded four wins on the spin, yet the man who was once dubbed "the lightweight Anderson Silva" has the potential to reach the very top. Only a wrestler would seriously threaten Etim and, with kickboxer Dennis Siver rumoured to be his next opponent, his win record should grow to five from five.
Wrestlers are generally safe bets, particularly at lightweight level, with Jim Miller (5-1 in the UFC), Tyson Griffin (7-2 in the UFC), John Hathaway (12-0) and Rick Story all strong characters to look out for.
All these names will feature on ESPN throughout the next 12 months, it's time to put your conkers on the line and put your money where their fists are.
Ben Blackmore is an assistant editor of ESPN.co.uk
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Ben Blackmore
Ben Blackmore is an assistant editor of ESPN.co.uk
