6. Chris Weidman
Weidman still has time to raise his stock further, provided his body cooperates and he steers clear of another scalp-splitting flying knee. A blue-chip prospect the moment he set foot in the mixed martial arts arena, the Serra-Longo Fight Team standout was a two-time NCAA All-American wrestler at Hofstra University and flourished under the guidance of former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra and striking guru Ray Longo. Weidman won his four fights, three of them finishes, and captured the Ring of Combat middleweight title before signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2011. Consecutive victories over Alessio Sakara, Jesse Bongfeldt, Tom Lawlor, Demian Maia and Mark Munoz propelled the Baldwin, New York, native into a showdown with Anderson Silva for the middleweight crown at UFC 162 on July 6, 2013. There, he ended the historic reign of “The Spider” with a stunning second-round knockout. Weidman made two successful title defenses -- he subdued Lyoto Machida and then routed Vitor Belfort -- before ceding the throne to Luke Rockhold in 2015. A devastating knockout loss to Yoel Romero followed, leading some to wonder if the 32-year-old had already peaked. Weidman can put those doubts to rest at UFC 210 on April 8, when he faces Gegard Mousasi at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
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