In case you haven’t noticed, the legends of the UFC aren’t quite what they used to be. Some old standbys are fading fast whole some others are well into retirement. Guys like Matt Hughes, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, BJ Penn, Kenny Florian and Randy Couture aren’t walking through that cage door. It’s up to the next generation now.
The younger crop, the group the UFC managed to expertly build around a strong core from The Ultimate Fighter series, is starting to grow up into an arsenal of fighters that will certainly kill more legends down the line.
Can Rashad Evans stop Jon Jones from rocketing his way to super stardom with a reality check Saturday, or will his performance bump him up to No. 1 on this list?
Jones is more than confident he can win, leaving only one message for Rashad: “Bring it.”
“Why not believe I could be the greatest fighter who ever lived?” Jones asked the audience of UFC Primetime this week.
He is calm, he is cool, and just a little bit cocky, but every fight he’s had in the UFC so far, Jones backed it all up with results. Rashad Evans is no slouch either, and it comes down to experience vs. youth.
Evans wants to stand and bang with Jones and match his superior boxing with the dynamic striking of Jones. The UFC Light Heavyweight Champion will be tested, but will a win Saturday be enough to unseat the leader of this list?
Two other fighters on this list will also fight on Saturday. They are young, they are hungry, and they rarely ever lose. These are the top 7 UFC fighters 25 years old or younger.