No one likes an underachiever. Elite level athletes and mixed martial artists are driven not by how good they are, but by how good they can possible be. They are constantly pushing forward, always evolving and trying to get a leg up on the guy in the gym over there.
When you are competing against the best in the world, you know you are good enough, so what makes a Jon Jones or Jake Ellenberger gut and sweat it out on the mats day after day after day? Potential.
The potential of the next big league or promotion and what it brings. The potential of the next big contract and payday and what it can do for your life. The potential to some day be the king of the mountain as the very best in your weight class. The potential to be a legend in your craft.
All the fighters on this list are damn good already but show the signs to be so much more in the future and one day possibly occupy the top of the mountain. There are so many young talents in the sport that there is no way to get them all. Here is a start.