Michael Bisping, the topic of him moving from middleweight back to welterweight came up, and he admitted that while he still had some unfinished business at 170 pounds, he knew that the more that he kept winning at 185, odds were that he would stay in his current division. Well, knocking out the former middleweight champ in less than a round is a pretty good indication that Gastelum’s title run will come at 185, and if he has his way, that shot at the belt will take place early next year against interim titleholder Robert Whittaker. It’s impossible not to like that fight, and if “The Reaper” needs a dance partner, why not Gastelum, who looks like he can hang with – and potentially beat – anyone in the weight class.
2 – Li Jingliang
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3 – Zabit Magomedsharipov
Mike Santiago and Sheymon Moraes, if Zabit Magomedsharipov isn’t on your short list of favorite new UFC fighters, why the heck not? That’s it. Simple question. Because I can’t see how anyone can watch the dynamic Dagestan native do his thing on the feet and the mat on fight night and not just say, ‘Ah, so that’s what MMA is all about.’ Magomedsharipov is fun to watch, he’s seemingly fearless out there in terms of his willingness to try anything to get the win, and he’s always looking to finish. I’d put him in with anyone in the featherweight division right now, and while he may not beat everybody, I’d give him a damn good shot at doing it, and oh what fights they would be.
4 – Alex Garcia
Ben Wall in 2013, we’ve only seen glimpses of that potential. Saturday’s win over highly regarded newcomer Muslim Salikhov may have been a turning point for “The Dominican Nightmare,” though. Sticking to a rock solid game plan, Garcia dominated Salikhov before finishing the bout via second-round submission, and if he can keep this momentum going, he’s going to be a threat at 170 pounds.
5 – Song Yadong
