Between Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort challenging Chris Weidman at UFC 184 for the middleweight title and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson’s recent thrashing of former top 205-pound contender Alexander Gustafsson, The Blackzilians ought to be feeling good about themselves.
The Blackzilians are a unique mixture of former champions and electric up-and-comers. Started by several former members of American Top Team in 2011, The Blackzilians began picking up world-class talent left and right including former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans, Belfort and Johnson.
Notoriety gained through the camp’s performances in the cage has led to reports of both The Blackzilians and ATT facing off on the next installment of The Ultimate Fighter, according to Greg Savage of Sherdog.
In a mixed martial arts landscape that has been dominated by fighter factories such as American Kickboxing Academy and Jackson’s MMA for arguably a decade, the Blackzilians have earned their place among the world’s most talented fight camps.
Here are the five best fighters that the gym has to offer, but before that, we list a couple of honorable mentions. Previous accolades, upside and skill are all taken into account in this ranking.