Every event features a handful of fighters that fly under the radar – competitors that have only had a couple fights in the organization, been stuck on the prelims or haven’t yet registered their breakthrough performance that makes a wider audience sit up and take notice.
In some ways, these are the fighters you should be paying attention to more because while everyone is acutely aware of what the headliners bring to the table, the next wave of champions and contenders are going to come from this collection of competitors that are waiting for their chance to make their mark and this is your chance to get familiar with them before the bandwagon starts filling up.
Enter Futures Watch, a new series that will shine a light on the lesser-known or sometimes forgotten fighters competing on a given card with an eye towards identifying the athletes that could find themselves in the mix somewhere down the line.
Here’s a look the up-and-comers to keep tabs on competing this weekend at UFC 196.
Corey Anderson
Record: 7-1 overall, 4-1 UFC
Division: Light Heavyweight
Opponent: Tom Lawlor
Anderson won Season 19 of The Ultimate Fighter and has gone 3-1 in the Octagon since, rebounding from a third-round knockout loss to Gian Villante with a pair of grind’em out victories over Fabio Maldonado and Jan Blachowicz. This weekend, the Team Renzo Gracie rep squares off with Tom Lawlor in a contest that should provide further clarity about where Anderson’s ceiling rests.
The 26-year-old Anderson is still learning on the job in the UFC and making steady progress, but unfortunately for him, being one of a select number of emerging talents south of 30 in the light heavyweight division means you’re on an accelerated time table and a third consecutive victory this weekend could force him into deeper waters. And that’s why his fight with Lawlor is worth checking out.
A win over “The Filthy Mauler” should propel Anderson into the Top 10 or at the very least, earn him a date with someone in the lower half of the Top 10 next time out. The stakes change at that point and the water wings have to come off. This fight is about finding out whether the man known as “Beastin 25/8” is ready to take the next step forward in his development or if he needs to spend a few more fights splashing around in the shallow end.
Valentina Shevchenko
Record: 12-1 overall, 1-0 UFC
Division: Bantamweight
Opponent: Amanda Nunes
Here’s how you make an instant impression in the UFC: take a fight on short notice and completely out-work a former Strikeforce champion. And of by the way, it doesn’t hurt if you have three Muay Thai wins over the reigning strawweight champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, in your back pocket either.
Shevchenko rolled into Orlando at the 11th hour last December and handed Canadian Sarah Kaufman her second consecutive loss, getting the nod by split decision, even though everyone (including Kaufman, I believe) acknowledged she deserved the clean sweep of the scorecards. The soon-to-be 28-year-old (her birthday is Monday) brings a strong kickboxing pedigree and a ton of promise into the Octagon, but Saturday’s contest will be a serious test.
Nunes is a finisher with serious power and a solid ground game and represents a step up in competition for Shevchenko, who also has to deal with being part of the main card for a pay-per-view and everything that comes with that for the first time. If the Kyrgyzstani fighter can pick up a second consecutive UFC victory, she can vault herself into the title discussion and on a night when the division is in the spotlight no less.
Chas Skelly
Record: 15-1 overall, 4-1 UFC
Division: Featherweight
Opponent: Darren Elkins
Skelly’s a little older than most fighters that are usually highlighted in this series, but “The Scrapper” is on a four-fight wining streak and his lone setback came against arguably the top prospect in the entire UFC, Mirsad Bektic, so it’s hard not to make note of his participation in Saturday night’s festivities.
Three of those four victories have been stoppages and the 30-year-old Skelly has shown an improved ability to execute his game plan and dictate the terms of a fight during his recent run of success. Because he’s big for the featherweight division, he tends to wear down late in fights, so chasing finishes and being a little more aggressive early makes sense and has been working for him of late.
Elkins represents the perfect dance partner for the lanky Texan at this time – he’s a savvy veteran with good wrestling and even better conditioning, plus he’s tougher than a $3 steak. He’s only lost to Top 10-ranked competition during his UFC tenure, so if Skelly can get through him, it will give you a good understanding of where he stands in the division.
