Man cannot live on Chael Sonnen alone. That’s why the prospect scene is so important in MMA. For if the great draw of MMA is its athletic purity, then truly must we look beyond the news cycle when attempting to discover its true essence.
Plus, following the prospect scene allows you to smugly wag your finger at somebody when you’ve heard a name they haven’t. That is another great truth.
So as May begins and all those top-skimmers roll around in Cain Velasquez’s prerecorded soundbites and Ronda Rousey’s magazine covers, let us true fans take a deeper focus.
The Beaten Path has previously provided a series of interviews with some of the sport’s brightest prospects. That will continue. But now, we’re adding this new series: five non-UFC prospects to watch in a given month, including quick capsules on why each one is noteworthy and where and when you can watch. Let the Kiperization begin. Fighters listed in no particular order.