Top 10 MMA Middleweight Prospects of 2013

So, after wrapping up our Top 10 Middleweights, 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:

Middleweight Honorable Mentions

	Fighter	Statistics	Comments
	Chris Honeycutt Ht: N/A - Age: 25 Team: Dethrone Base Camp	OVR: 1-0 Winning Streak: 1 Finishing Rate: 0%	Honeycutt was a wrestling standout at Edinboro University where he earned All-American honors 2x. He now trains out of Josh Koscheck's Dethrone Base Camp, and though his FightFinder record only says 1-0, some have him tracked at 4-0. His wrestling should enable him to quickly work his way up the prospects rankings and towards a future UFC contract.
	Duane Bastress Ht: 5'10 - Age: 29 Team: Central PA MA Academy	OVR: 7-2 Winning Streak: 2 Finishing Rate: 85%	Bastress is considered to be one of the top Middleweights on the East Coast. He recently finished a 4-fight stint in Bellator, though he never competed in a tournament. He went 3-1 there before recently defeating fellow prospect Mike Stewart in the Cage Fury FC. Bastress was a 2x Division III Wrestling Champion and has shown great submission defense despite a recent loss to Jason Butcher. It's still a bit surprising that Bellator allowed Bastress to return to the regional circuit considering his talents.
	Arthur Guseinov Ht: 5'10 - Age: 29 Team: Action-Force	OVR: 11-3 Winning Streak: 1 Finishing Rate: 91%	Arthur Guseinov was supposed to be one of M-1's future stars heading into 2010. He was known for his brutal kicks and spinning attacks that carried KO power. Unfortunately, Guseinov's ground game and wrestling did not stand the test as he lost back-to-back fights against Beslan Isaev and UFC veteran Luigi Fioravanti. Guseinov did rebound in 2011 with impressive 1st round finishes, but once again struggled with his submission defense against Mario Miranda. Guseinov is a highlight reel machine, but if he is ever to be considered one of the elites in the world he will have to shore up his grappling.
	Claudio Henrique da Silva "Mineiro" Ht: 5'8 - Age: 30 Team: London Shootfighters	OVR: 9-1 Winning Streak: 9 Finishing Rate: 89%	"Mineiro" grew up in Brazil, but soon moved his talents to Europe where he began training BJJ in London. He soon made his debut in MMA on the European circuit and has made a decent name for himself beating veterans Denniston Sutherland, Xavier Foupa-Pokam, and Matt Ewin. "Mineiro" has found it tough to find fights as of late, claiming that top European promoters are protecting their fighters from Silva's ground game. He has since signed with the Indian promotion, the Super Fight League.
	John Phillips "The White Mike Tyson" Ht: 5'11 - Age: 27 Team: Chris Rees Academy	OVR: 16-6 Winning Streak: 0 Finishing Rate: 100%	John Phillips fashioned himself as the best power puncher in Europe, but despite carrying "The White Mike Tyson" moniker, Phillips has struggled to let his hands go due to his lack of takedown defense. Phillips has truly improved his overall game in recent years and has recently even won a couple of fights via submission, but the fact remains for him to take the next step in his career he has to be able to stay off of his back. He's gone 3-3 since 2011, though all of his career losses have come to respected competition. He continues to be a fan favorite in Europe and recently fought for the Cage Warriors title, though he came up short against UFC veteran Jesse Taylor.
	Chris Fields "The Killing" Ht:6'3 - Age: 29 Team: SBG Ireland	OVR: 10-5-1 Winning Streak: 0 Finishing Rate: 100%	Fields comes out of the SBG Ireland camp that has recently developed some serious hype from Conor McGregor's quick rise in the UFC. Fields doesn't possess McGregor's athleticism or charisma, but he does have finishing skills and is a fairly dangerous fighter either standing or on the ground. Fields stands 6'3 and uses that length well with kicks and punches. His achilles heel is his wrestling. Fields lacks overall strength and can be bullied around the cage and put on his back way way too easily. He will have to seriously address this issue to have any future success should he join McGregor in the UFC's rumored return to Ireland in 2014.
	Jeremy Smith "The Pitbull" Ht: 5'10 - Age: 28 Team: Gorilla Warfare	OVR: 8-0 Winning Streak: 8 Finishing Rate: 88%	Smith is a hard-nosed fighter that likes to bully his way into the clinch or trade hard strikes with his opponents. Smith's technical skills are still a bit lacking and he is sort of a stationary type fighter, but when he does explode, he is capable of doing some damage. Though his FightFinder record claims he's undefeated, he has lost once in his career, though he later avenged that loss in 2011. He hails from Johannesburg, South Africa and is currently the champion in the EFC Africa promotion.
	Magomed Sultanakhmedov "White Wolf" Ht: 5'8 - Age: 29 Team: Gorec	OVR: 18-5 Winning Streak: 2 Finishing Rate: 67%	The "White Wolf" was once considered to be one of the most feared strikers in Eastern Europe, but if rumors are true, it looks as if he may have hung up his gloves at age 29. Sultanakhmedov's last fight was over 2 years ago, and though some stated that he was healing up various injuries, it looks as if the promising striker may have called it quits. He was only 5'8, but he had some of the best raw KO power in the sport. He went on a 7-fight win streak in 2009-2010 that saw him claim the M-1 Easter European Middleweight title. He suffered an upset loss to Rafal Moks in his next fight, but rebounded with stoppage wins over Plinio Cruz and Tyson Jeffries, the latter of which won him the M-1 Middleweight title. Sultanakhmedov has since vacated the title due to his long absence.
	Mats Nilsson Ht: 6'1 - Age: 29 Team: Rumble Sports	OVR: 10-2-1 Winning Streak: 1 Finishing Rate: 60%	With the UFC likely set to visit Sweden annually, thanks to Alexander Gustafsson, Mats Nilsson may be the next Swedish prospect to be offered a contract by the UFC. Nilsson has good size and a strong ground game that recently saw him submit TUF 6 finalist Tommy Speer in 2012. Nilsson has gone 6-1 in his last 7 fights, the only loss coming to TUF 17's Tor Troeng. Nilsson recently signed with the Cage Warriors FC promotion, which should be able to keep him busy until hopefully the UFC comes calling.

Others to watch:
Rumen Dimitrov (13-0-2)
Kleber Orgulho (11-5)
Ben Reiter (10-0-1)
Chris Davis (8-0)
Krzysztof Jotko (13-0)
Wendres da Silva (10-5)
Elias Theodorou (7-0)
Kelvin Tiller (6-0)
Rodney Collier (7-1)
Klasdir Mladenov (11-0)
Noel Ligon (5-0)
Mike Stewart (9-5)
Luke Harris (10-2)
Pedro Galiza (5-3)
Emiliano Sordi (8-3)
Rafael Souza (7-1)
Tyler Manawaroa (10-0)
Pavel Kusch (13-4)
Iranildo Apolinario (5-3)
Eder Jones (9-6-1)
Andy Enz (6-0)
Kendrick Miree (5-1)
Augusto Montano (13-1)
Gilberto Galvao (23-4-1)
Jake Mapes (8-0)
James Wood (7-2)
Alexandre Moreno (12-3)
Ariel Sepulveda (6-6)
Maurilio de Souza (13-5)
Scott Askham (11-0)
Daniel Akinyemi (3-1)
Felipe Arinelli (15-11)
Brandon Bear (4-0)
Cully Butterfield (13-3)
Leonardo Guimaraes (7-1)
Joe Pacheco (6-0)