Top 10 Middleweights: Unsigned Talent
Middleweight – 185 pounds
1. Kazuo Misaki (24-11-2)
The time may be right for Kazuo Masaki to make a stateside return. He most recently fought in Deep, but for the last 2+ years was fighting in the Sengoku promotion, which looks to be on its last legs. Misaki has gone just 3-3 in his last six fights, but two of those losses were to Jorge Santiago, and the other, was a controversial stoppage against Melvin Manhoef. Prior to those losses he was considered a perennial top 10 middleweight, with wins over Denis Kang and Dan Henderson. Misaki recently won fight of the year in 2010 against Jorge Santiago in a five round title fight that he was winning up until the last round, where he eventually was stopped with 30 seconds left on the clock. Misaki’s heart will never be questioned, but at 35 years old, one has to wonder if he would be content fighting in his native Japan for his final years. He may have visa issues as well following an arrest in 2009 and subsequent jail sentence.
2. Mamed Khalidov (23-4-2)
Mamed Khalidov recently came under fire after turning down an offer from Bellator. Khalidov has resisted attempts by USA promoters to bring him stateside for many years. He has quite a following in Polish promotion, KSW, and has proven himself time and time again against tough competition. Khalidov has gone 20–1–2 in his last 23 fights with the only loss coming to Jorge Santiago. He is well-rounded, though he has not faced many elite wrestlers. Khalidov looks to be doing quite well financially, which may explain why his handlers/management see little upside in bringing him to the states were a loss would cripple his mystique in Europe and Japan.
3. Maiquel Falcao (26-3)
Maiquel Falcao, nicknamed Big Rig, was recently released by the UFC due to legal troubles stemming from a 2002 charge. In his lone UFC appearance he dominated Gerald Harris. His aggressive style, a trademark of Chute-Box, was a welcome scene for fans that once savored to see the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Shogun Rua, and Pele Landi-Jons in their primes. Falcao was known in his native Brazil as one the most devastating strikers, and would take on all comers, even fighting at heavyweight for much of his Brazilian career. Falco’s cut to middleweight showed his determination to becoming one of sport’s elite fighters. Falcao recently signed with a Canadian promotion, but it is still in question whether he can get a visa to travel abroad which is likely one the main reasons the UFC’s hands were tied with keeping Falcao on their active roster.
4. Thales Leites (19-4)
Thales Leites may always be remembered for his loss to Anderson Silva, but many forget that he was once one of the premier prospects coming out of Brazil just a few years ago. After starting his career 9-0, he was signed by the UFC where he lost a close decision in his debut to Martin Kampmann. Following the loss, Leites won five straight fights to eventually earn a title shot against Anderson Silva. Unfortunately, five rounds with Anderson effectively ended his career in the UFC at middleweight. Though he was given one more fight following the loss, he was released within the year, as the UFC was likely looking to erase the memory of his performance against Silva. Leites has found new life on the independent scene, going 5-1 with wins over Dean Lister Jesse Taylor, Tor Troeng, and Jeremy Horn. Leites is still a top talent, who fights out of a great camp(Nova Uniao), and can hopefully put all the pieces together and make a return to a major promotion soon.
5. Jesse Taylor (19-6)
Jesse Taylor has to be on the verge of signing UFC contract soon. He has won five straight fights, including a recent 1st round submission victory over Denis Kang. Jesse Taylor’s a strong wrestler with good submissions, but his own submission defense has led to six of his career seven losses. Taylor is most fondly remembered for his Ultimate Fighter 7 hijinks, but he has been said to have matured over the last couple of years.
6. Tom Watson (14-4)
Tom”Kong” Watson hails from England, but has been training at Greg Jackson’s gym in New Mexico. At just 28 years old, he looks to be a rising star in the division with wins over Ninja Rua, Matt Horwich, and Travis Galbraith. Watson has won 10 of his last 11 fights, with the only loss coming to Jesse Taylor. In the loss to Taylor, his usually solid takedown defense failed him and he was unable to mount much offense. With Watson training at Jackson’s though, it shouldn’t be long for him to get the call from the UFC. Michael Bisping and Dan Hardy have proven to be solid draws, and the UFC would be wise to see if Tom Watson could also fit that bill.
7. Patrick Cote (15-7)
Canadian Patrick Cote, was released from the UFC following three straight losses. Prior to those losses he had won five straight fights, which earned him a shot at Anderson Silva. During the fight with Silva he injured his knee and was sidelined for over a year. When he returned to the octagon, his conditioning and quickness seemed to be lacking. Following the release, Cote has racked up two wins over UFC veterans(Kalib Starnes, Todd Brown). Cote is 11–0 fighting outside of the UFC, while just 4-7 inside the octagon. With one or two more wins though Cote will likely receive another shot in the UFC.
8. Joey Villasenor (27-8-1)
Joey Villasenor has never fought for the UFC in his 36-fight career, though he has competed in Strikeforce, Elite XC, and Pride. At 35 years old, Villasenor has proven to still be a capable fighter. Though winless in his last three fights, he put up a good effort against Jacare Souza in Strikeforce and recently fought to a close draw against UFC veteran Chris Camozzi, which many fans thought he won. Villasenor was one of the pioneers of Greg Jackson’s camp and is a solid veteran name that deserves a home in one of the bigs.
9. Bruno Santos (9-0)
Bruno “Carioca” Santos is one of the fastest rising prospects in Brazil. He relies on his grappling, as his striking continues to develop. A recent win over Daniel Acacio cemented his status as a fighter destined for the bigger stage. Santos is taking a huge risk though, as on June 18th he will participate in an eight-man middleweight tournament. If he prevails there should be little question as to who the best middleweight in Brazil is. There are a lot of factors though at play in a tournament, and Santos’ conditioning has been questionable at times.
Update: Santos won the 8-man tournament and now remains undefeated at 12-0. His next fight is rumored to be against Henrique Filho on September 16th.
10. Matt Horwich (27-18-1)
The final fighter on our list is wily veteran Matt Horwich. Horwich definitely walks to the beat of his own drummer, but his fighting style is fairly predictable. Horwich moves forward at all costs, and will usually risk damage to score a takedown. He is a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, but has also shown power in his hands including a knockout win over Benji Radach. Howich is just 3–7 in his last 10 fights, but all them have been against tough competition, it should be noted that those three wins were over Thales Leites, Jake Rosholt, and Jason Lambert. He will fight again on July 15th in a rematch against Jake Rosholt at Shark Fights 17.
