Under the Radar: 2013 UFC Breakout Talent in the Smaller Divisions. Part IV: Lightweight

Contributor: Josh Hall

To wind up this piece of the fighters to watch, we have the UFC’s largest division by number of fighters, with 78 in total.  This has to be the most interesting division right now in the company for hardcore fans, with a number of exciting and closely contested title fights in 2012.  The LW division has come miles from its early days, when no interest could be generated whatsoever, and the amount of talent in the UFC alone is remarkable.

•   Myles “Fury” Jury (11-0, 2-0 UFC): Myles Jury holds the rare distinction of being a TUF contestant twice, first on TUF 13 where he blew out his knee during taping of the first episode.  He reappeared on TUF: Live, losing a lackluster split decision to Al Iaquinta.  Two bad reality show appearances aside, Jury is one of the hottest young prospects in the LW division.  Currently sporting a perfect 11-0 record (the Iaquinta fight was technically an exhibition), Jury has redeemed himself in impressive fashion since his season of TUF ended.

  A 1^st round submission over Chris Saunders was his 10^th first round finish in a row, but it was in his second UFC fight that Jury showed his true potential.  Michael Johnson was a massive step up in competition for the young fighter, and he was on quite a tear himself.  It made no difference.  Jury took Johnson down at will, sapping his strength in a one sided ground clinic.  Johnson looked like a fish out of water on his back, and at the end of the day Jury had his 1^st win via decision, but his most impressive performance to date.  At a still young 24 years old, Jury has a long time to progress as a fighter, and he will no doubt be a fixture at LW for years to come.

•   Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov (19-0, 3-0 UFC): Khabib Nurmagomedov entered the UFC at the beginning of 2012 with a tasty looking 16-0 record, but against less than stellar competition, all in Eastern Europe.  He seemed to be a fighter that was in for a rude awakening upon entering the top MMA promotion in the world, but instead it was the fans that were in for a surprise.  His fight against Kamal Shalorus showed that Khabib was not out of his element in the Octagon.  He dropped Kamal with a left uppercut in the first round, and used his combat sambo background (2 time world champion) to dominate the fight on the ground until gaining a stoppage via rear naked choke in the 3^rd round.

  The Eagle was given a big step up in his next fight, and he won a lackluster decision against a legit a streaking Gleison Tibau.  It was not a pretty win, and one that the fans in attendance didn’t like, but they forgave Khabib quickly after his next fight.  The same wicked left uppercut from the Shalorus fight again found its home, this time against Thiago Tavares, and combined with some violent ground and pound Nurmagomedov gained another finish an improved his record to 19-0.  He is no longer a guy that has crushed a bunch of cans; he is a legit UFC LW who everyone should keep their collective eyes on.

•   Rustam “Tiger” Khabilov (15-1, 1-0 UFC): I will continue will the pleasant Russian surprises with the addition of Rustam Khabilov to the list.  The 2007 combat sambo world champion made his UFC debut against Vinc Pichel at the TUF 16 finale, and made one of the best first impressions imaginable.  Pichel had looked good on his TUF stint, but found out quickly that he was in way over his head against the hyper aggressive Russian.

  Khabilov got ahold of Pichel’s back, and proceeded to unleash the most amazing string of German suplexes that would have been more expected in a WWE ring.  The third and final suplex knocked Pichel completely unconscious on impact, and violent ground and pound ensued until the referee could step in.  In a “what have you done for me lately” type of sport, wins like this can propel a fighter up the rankings in short order, so look for Khabilov to face some tough opponents in 2013.

•   Tim “The Dirty Bird” Means (18-3-1, 2-0 UFC): The most interesting entry on this list, Tim Means has been through more at 28 years old than many will in a lifetime.  In 2004, Means began his pro career shortly after being shot in the leg after an alcohol fueled incident.  He would lose four years of fighting after serving time in prison (due to charges stemming from Means’ drug addiction acquired during his recovery from the shooting), but he somehow came back better than ever.  Since his release from jail, Means has gone 15-1-1, and finally got his chance at the UFC in early 2012.

  Means defeated Bernardo Magalhaes by unanimous decision in his UFC debut, but it was in his 2^nd fight with the organization that the 6’2 LW really made his mark.  Means took on Justin Salas in his sophomore fight with the UFC, and in 66 seconds he absolutely annihilated the much shorter fighter with punches and knees.  When the referee mercifully stepped in, Means became one of the new, hot prospects in the division.  This being said, Means still has faced more than his share of adversity.  He was supposed to face Abel Trujillo at UFC 151 before its stunning cancellation, and then, in an even stranger twist, suffered the first KO in his career at the hands of a slippery hot tub.  Even so, Means has seen worse, and will likely be a factor at LW for at least the near future.

•   TJ Grant (20-5, 7-3 UFC): If you happened to catch UFC on Fox 5, you already know about the force that is TJ Grant.  Since dropping to the LW division, Grant has become a far better fighter than most could have imagined.  Known for most of his career as a strong wrestler with a good submission game, Grant has evolved his striking to become a feared Muay Thai specialist on the feet.  TJ has amassed a 4-0 record in the LW division over some highly respected fighters.  A technical submission win via armbar over Shane Roller got him off to a good start, but his unanimous decision win over touted prospect Evan Dunham really got people’s attention.

  At UFC on Fox 6, Grant’s evolution as a fighter came full circle, as he dominated a gritty and tough Matt Wiman, brutalizing him with elbows on the feet before finally putting him away with 9 seconds to go in the first round.  Wiman is a high level gatekeeper, and this win showed that TJ Grant may be ready in this calendar year to challenge for the title.  There are a lot of contenders already in the division, but Grant can only be ignored for so long.

-When not manicuring his beard, Josh Hall can be reached @jhall282 or [email protected]