In Part One of this column, I profiled multiple fighters from both women's divisions, as well as flyweight through featherweight on the men's side. As we move up in weight class, we'll run into a few established title-holders, as well as some belts that will be up for grabs in the next year or two.
Of course, the 28-year-old Jon "Bones" Jones will be the immediate favorite to regain the light heavyweight title once he returns from his legal/personal troubles. While his case details are sorted out, it's fully possible that the belt changes hands multiple times.
Here are some other potential contenders:
Lightweight
Joseph Duffy: Duffy may not be a household name yet, but he will be by the end of next month. He is due to face Dustin Poirier in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card in Dublin, Ireland on the 24th of October. 12 of Duffy's 13 career wins are first-round finishes. If that isn't enough, he is also the last man to defeat current UFC interim featherweight champion Conor McGregor (it won't be the last time you hear that mentioned). Duffy took 34 months off from MMA from October 2011 to August 2014. He competed in boxing during his hiatus and rehabbed numerous injuries. Duffy has been unstoppable since his return, and will become one of the hottest names in the lightweight division if he beats Poirier next month.
Kevin Lee: Lee lost his UFC debut to Al Iaquinta in February 2014, but he had Iaquinta in a very deep choke in that fight and "Raging Al" was lucky to survive. Lee is a terrific wrestler who keeps himself in elite condition. Also a decorated submission specialist, Lee will fight Leonardo Santos in December. It is a fight that he should win. I would be surprised if Lee isn't a top-ten lightweight at this point next year.
Welterweight
Lorenz Larkin: Larkin has fought at both light heavyweight and middleweight in the past, but it is at welterweight where he is making his mark. Larkin's power really plays at the lighter weight class. Remember, this is a guy who defeated current UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler in their Strikeforce days. Larkin's ground game is decent, but it is his striking that he relies on. He is 2-0 with two stoppage victories since dropping down to 170 pounds. It wouldn't be a shock to see him get a top-ten opponent next time out.
Stephen Thompson: Thompson is one of the more well known names on this list, but he still doesn't get the recognition that he deserves. He has an 11-1 record, with his only loss coming to Matt Brown. A former world champion kickboxer, Thompson can simply do things on the feet that other fighters can't do. He lands shots out of nowhere from impossible angles and uses elite footwork to get out of the way of potentially damaging strikes. The big concern will be when he faces an elite wrestler, but he often trains with UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman and I suspect his ground game is better than we think it is. As is, he can beat any welterweight in the world in a striking battle.
Middleweight
Josh Samman: Samman is yet another talented fighter with a career that has been derailed by injuries. All he needs to turn his career around is to simply get healthy, but that has proven to be a daunting task. He has fought just three times since February 2012. Since arriving in the UFC in April 2013, Samman is 3-0 with three stoppage wins. Samman is long, aggressive and a terrific athlete. He will welcome Tamdam McCrory back to the UFC in December in a fight that has "Fight of the Night" written all over it.
Elias Theodorou: Theodorou gets a lot of flack for his good looks and jokes about his terrific hair, but the guy can really fight. He won The Ultimate Fighter: Nations in April 2014 and has gone on to defeat Bruno Santos and Roger Narvaez in his two fights since the show ended. His biggest asset is his elite cardio. Theodorou seemingly never gets tired. It was just announced that Theodorou would face Thiago Santos in December. It will be his most difficult task to date. Santos is coming off back-to-back first-round KO wins. If Theodorou can get this fight past the first round, I like his chances of winning.
Light Heavyweight
Misha Cirkunov: It is difficult to place a guy who made his UFC debut less than a month ago on this list, but Cirkunov has that kind of potential. Cirkunov put that on display when he obliterated Daniel Jolly in Saskatoon on August 23. Extremely physically strong, Cirkunov has big-time power and is a formidable wrestler. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Cirkunov's biggest weakness is his submission defense. That is the only area of his game that really needs to be cleaned up. He has a real chance to go from virtual unknown to a star in the shallow light heavyweight division.
Patrick Cummins: I am a bigger fan of Cummins than most. I still think that there is another level to his game that UFC fans have yet to see. We all know about his world-class wrestling skills, but I think he has more power in his hands than he's been able to display so far. Cummins can hang with anyone in the division in a straight wrestling match, but it's the other areas of his game that are a concern. My biggest apprehensions about Cummins are his chin and the fact that he is already 34 years old. On the bright side, he keeps himself in terrific shape. Cummins is currently a +275 underdog for his fight against Glover Teixeira in November. I'm not sure I'd pick Cummins against a guy who is currently a top-five light heavyweight, but I think he has a far better chance of winning than those odds would indicate.
Heavyweight
It pains me to say this, but there isn't one young fighter in the heavyweight division that I think is a long-term potential title threat. All the biggest contenders, guys like Andrei Arlovski, Stipe Miocic and Ben Rothwell are veterans. Younger fighters like Todd Duffee and Jared Rosholt have both displayed significant weaknesses in their games. The heavyweight division is in better shape than it was a year ago, but it still lacks future star power.
If you think I missed anyone in this column or the original, please feel free to fire away in the comments section. Otherwise, you'll hear from me next the week of UFC Fight Night in Japan on Sep. 26.
