Top 10 MMA Light Heavyweight Prospects of 2013

So, after wrapping up our Top 10 Light Heavyweights, there were some deserving fighters that just missed the cut this year. They will be eligible for next year’s report, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these fighters actually started outperforming the guys I listed. MMA is a funny sport, where just one win or loss can change the whole temperament towards a fighter’s prospect status.

Thus, without further ado, here are the guys that received consideration, but just missed the cut:

Light Heavyweight Honorable Mentions

	Fighter	Statistics	Comments
	Misha Cirkunov Ht: 6'3 - Age: 26 Team: Tap Star	OVR: 5-1 Winning Streak: 4 Finishing Rate: 60%	At this time of this report, Cirkunov had not competed in over 18 months, but just recently he returned to the cage and picked up a submission victory. Cirkunov has great size at 6'3 and strength. He has worked diligently on improving his grappling over the years, but still has a ways to go in becoming a well-rounded fighter. His base is in Judo, but he's recently been coming in various BJJ tournaments.
	Juha Saarinen "Juice" Ht: N/A - Age: N/A Team: N/A	OVR: 9-2 Winning Streak: 2 Finishing Rate: 89%	Saarinen, hailing from Finland, has truly developed into a solid, well-rounded fighter. He's most dangerous on the ground evidenced by his submission wins over UFC Middleweight Magnus Cedenblad and fellow prospect Baga Agaev. He's gone 8-1 since 2007, with his only loss coming to Bellator veteran Mikhail Zayats.
	Brandon Ropati "The Wrath" Ht: 6'1 - Age: 24 Team: Oliver MMA	OVR: 7-0 Winning Streak: 7 Finishing Rate: 72%	Ropati looks to be on his way towards following in the footsteps of current UFC Light Heavyweight James Te Huna. The New Zealander packs a ton of power on his 6'1 frame. He is not the most technical fighter in the world, but he has power and serviceable grappling that has thus far led to a 7-0 record. He does hold a close decision win over Sam Alvey, though the bout showed why Ropati still has some work ahead of him before reaching the UFC level.
	Baga Agaev Ht: 5'10 - Age: 28 Team: Rusfighters Sport Club	OVR: 26-14 Winning Streak: 0 Finishing Rate: 80%	Baga Agaev is one of the most unassuming prospects in the sport. At just 5'10, he has bounced around between LHW and HW, finishing the likes of current UFC fighters Francis Carmont and Francimar Barroso, while also submitting Heavyweight prospects Magomed Malikov and Konstantin Gluhov. Agaev didn't make the Top 10 because of a recent 3-fight losing streak, but prior to that he had caught fire, going 9-1 with his only loss coming to Bellator LHW champion Attila Vegh. Agaev is can finish you in a variety of ways, and currently trains out of RusFighters, which is home to Alexander Shelmenko, Alexander Vokov, and Andrey Koreshkov.
	Moise Rimbon "Swamp" Ht: 5'10 - Age: 36 Team: Europe Top Team	OVR: 19-9-3 Winning Streak: 5 Finishing Rate: 74%	Rimbon is not much of a prospect at this point. He's 36 years old and has competed against some of the biggest names in the sport like Alistair Overeem and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Rimbon always operated at a size advantage, but he was a capable striker with submission skills. He has routinely struggled with conditioning throughout his career, and never seemed to show enough drive to make the necessary steps towards reaching his potential. Rimbon had the talent to fight in the UFC, but with his prime years likely behind him, he may look to Bellator or WSOF.
	Joaquim Ferreira "Mamute" Ht: 5'11 - Age: 31 Team: Gracie Barra BH	OVR: 14-8 Winning Streak: 0 Finishing Rate: 86%	"Mamute" is most famous for being the only man to finish former UFC champion Junior dos Santos. He's struggled ever since against tougher competition as he's bounced around between LHW and HW. Ferreira is a submission specialist that when fighting at 205 lbs. can be very dangerous. He struggles mightily with his conditioning and inability to take a punch, but could be a decent prospect for TUF Brazil.
	Eddie Gordon "Truck" Ht: 6'0 - Age: N/A Team: Serra-Longo FT	OVR: 6-1 Winning Streak: 1 Finishing Rate: 50%	Eddie Gordon was supposed to be the next prospect from Longo-Serra to make the jump to the UFC, but he has shown a few holes in his conditioning and could be on his way to 185 lbs. in the very near future. Gordon had built a 5-0 record in the Ring of Combat promotion, but suffered a stunning Decision loss to journeyman Anton Talamantes. He recently bounced back with a submission win over fellow prospect Oscar Delgado that should quiet his naysayers. Gordon is built like Daniel Cormier and is a solid wrestler that has developed some decent power in his hands.
	Maxim Grishin Ht: 6'3 - Age: 29 Team: Strong Style Fight Team	OVR: 15-6 Winning Streak: 3 Finishing Rate: 87%	Most fans remember Maxim Grishin from his sloppy M-1 Heavyweight Championship fights with Kenny Garner and Guram Gugenishvili. Grishin showed flashes of talent in each fight, but his poor conditioning and wrestling came back to haunt him. Grishin has since dropped down to 205 lbs., and at 6'3 is one of the tallest fighters in the division. He's gone 3-0 at LHW and has recently moved stateside where he trains alongside UFC fighters Stipe Miocic and Jessica Eye at Strong Style Fight Team
	Vitor Miranda Ht: 6'1 - Age: 34 Team: Team Nogueira	OVR: 9-3 Winning Streak: 4 Finishing Rate: 89%	Miranda's window of opportunity is starting to close as he recently turned 34 years old. Miranda was one of Brazil's top strikers for years, but didn't end up fully committing himself to MMA until 2007. His only losses are to current UFC fighters Fabio Maldonado and Guto Inocente, who have now become his training partners at Team Nogueira. Miranda has shored up his ground game in recent years, but he is still a striker by trade. He has struggled with injuries and a tragic family loss in recent years. With the UFC continually adding Brazilian fighters to its roster, don't be surprised if the UFC gives Miranda an opportunity to show his skills on the big stage.
	Matt Thompson Ht: 6'5 - Age: 33 Team: N/A	OVR: 18-9 Winning Streak: 4 Finishing Rate: 89%	Matt Thompson is a veteran of the sport, having competed 27 times in his 7-year career. Thompson's biggest career opportunity came in 2007 where he fought in the IFL against Ben Rothwell. Though Thompson lost via TKO, he has proven his toughness over the years, routinely accepting fights on short notice whether at HW or LHW. Thompson has recently gained some notice for his 9-1 run since 2008, highlighted by a 1st round submission win over UFC veteran Jake Rosholt. Thompson is no world beater, but at 6'5, he has proven to be a tough out on the regional circuit.

Others to watch:
Marcin Lazarz (6-1)
Hans Stringer (20-5-2)
Jason Jones (19-10)
Linton Vassell (11-3)
Ricky Shivers (12-7-1)
Emil Zahariev (20-5-1)
Alberto Uda (4-0)
Richardson Moreira (6-1)
Aleksandar Radosavljevic (12-4)
Yoshiyuki Nakanishi (12-3)
Jair Goncalves (10-4)
Alexandre Machado (6-1)
Sami Antar (3-0)
Dmitry Samoilov (15-6-1)
Saparbek Safarov (6-0)
Tomasz Narkun (7-1)
Luis Miranda (11-1)
Stephan Puetz (8-0)
Liam McGeary (4-0)
Joachim Christensen (8-2)
Artur Alibulatov (11-1)
Armando Sixel (7-2)
Simon Carlsen (7-4)
Priscus Fogagnolo (7-1)
Justin Ledet (5-0)
Josh Stansbury (4-2)
Oscar Delgado (6-3)
Dan Spohn (8-3)
John Hawk (8-4)
Francisco Trevino (10-0)
Brandon Halsey (4-0)
Marcus Vanttinen (22-5)
Dallas Mitchell (4-1)
Marcus Sursa (12-9)