· MMA Future Stars: Welterweight Edition

The welterweight division may be dominated by UFC champion Georges St-Pierre, but talented young fighters like Tyron Woodley, John Hathway, Dong Hyun Kim, and Anthony Johnson plan to make sure that the pound-for-pound great has tough competition for years to come. Outside of the major promotions, there is an influx of young talent—many with international credentials in MMA and other sports—looking to break onto the big stage. Welterweight has always been one of the deepest divisions, and the following ten fighters are here to prove that.

1. Gunnar Nelson (6-0-1; 3 T/KO, 3 submissions)

A 21-year-old student of Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Renzo Gracie, the "Pride of Iceland" is already a highly decorated grappler and is becoming one of the top prospects in MMA. After breaking onto the MMA scene with a stunning submission wrestling victory over grappling legend Jeff Monson (a heavyweight who weighs close to 100 pounds more than Nelson), Gunnar took fourth place in the absolute division at the "2009 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships." The young fighter took all of 2009 off from MMA to concentrate on grappling, and it paid off with a silver medal in the brown belt category at the Mundials, gold at the Pan-Am Games (Gi), and gold and silver—in the absolute division—at the Pan-Am Games (No-Gi).

Refocusing on his MMA career at the start of 2010, Nelson made his debut in the British BAMMA promotion with a notable first round submission over Sam Elsdon. With incredible grappling skills and a connection to Renzo Gracie, expect to see this wonder kid on the big stage in the very near future.

2. David Mitchell (11-0; 9 submissions)

Mitchell, the current welterweight champion of the California-based Tachi Palace Fights organization, has become one of the fastest rising prospects in all of MMA since upsetting TUF veteran War Machine at the initial Tachi Palace event. Since then, Mitchell has earned consecutive first-round submission victories over King of the Cage champion Bobby Green, UFC and WEC veteran Tim McKenzie, and most recently a triangle choke over highly respected MMA veteran Poppies Martinez in just over 90 seconds.

A 30-year-old former soccer star that grew up in a California hippie commune, Mitchell is a highly marketable fighter who should not stay in the minor leagues too much longer.

3. Magomed Shikshabekov (6-0; 2 T/KO, 4 submissions)

The 2009 M-1 Challenge champion, “The Eagle” is 6-0 with all fights ending via stoppage in the first round. Originally scheduled to make his U.S. debut on the undercard at the Strikeforce and M-1 Global co-promoted “Fedor vs. Werdum” event before being forced off due to visa issues, Shikshabekov has been impressive since making his MMA debut in 2008 (in fact, M-1 Global claims a record of 11-0 for Shikshabekov with some of his fights not being recognized by fight databases as of yet).

With impressive submissions and a background in sambo, expect this near-replica of former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi to start making waves in the U.S. and on the international scene before long.

4. Yuri Villefort (6-0; 2 T/KO, 3 submissions)

The 19-year-old younger brother of IFL, WEC, and UFC veteran Danillo Villefort, Yuri is part of the next generation of MMA fighters that grew up learning jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai instead of playing soccer or basketball. Having competed in regional shows in Florida and once in the Bitetti Combat promotion in Brazil, the American Top Team product is far from a finished product.

Highly regarded because of his ATT affiliation and bloodlines, Villefort has already been touted as a possible future UFC champion and the next big thing in the sport. “Yuri has all the tools—he’s got charisma, he’s got the age, he’s got maturity, he’s got the support,” said ATT head coach Ricardo Liborio. “There’s two things that can stop Yuri: God, and Yuri himself.”

5. Rick Hawn (7-0; 5 T/KO)

Although 33-year-old U.S. judo legend and former Olympian Rick Hawn has been a mainstay in international competition for over two decades, he’s still a rising prospect in MMA. Despite a top-10 placing at the 2004 Olympics, multiple national titles, and multiple wins over well-known judo specialist Karo Parisyan, Hawn has finished five of his seven MMA fights via KO or TKO. Undoubtedly a testament to training with noted Muay Thai instructor Mark DellaGrotte at Team Sityodtong in Massachusetts, Hawn realized that he had to become a well-rounded fighter to compete in MMA.

He was set to take a step up in competition against 2009 ADCC Absolute Champion Braulio Estima at Shine Fights 3 in May, but the fight never happened as the event was canceled. Since then, Hawn came back with an impressive TKO over Northeastern veteran Dennis Olson and is currently looking for a bigger fight to advance his career.

6. Chris Lozano (5-0; 5 T/KO)

The current NAAFS middleweight champion, Lozano has exploded onto the MMA scene in 2010 with consecutive lopsided knockout wins over Strikeforce veteran Brandon Gaines and UFC and TUF 8 veteran Jason Dent.

Competing professionally for just over a year, the 27-year-old Ohioan certainly has a high ceiling. Having competed for most of his career at middleweight, the “Assassin” has mentioned his intention to cut to welterweight in the future.

7. Quinn Mulhern (12-1; 3 T/KO, 8 submissions)

A “Bully Beatdown” veteran and King of the Cage welterweight champion, 25-year-old rising star Quinn Mulhern has already earned impressive wins over the likes of tough Pride veteran Chris Brennan and UFC veteran Rich Clementi. A towering welterweight at 6-foot-3-inches, the New Mexico native uses his long limbs to aid in his impressive submissions and ever-improving Muay Thai.

8. Simeon Thoresen (12-1-1; 1 T/KO, 10 submissions)

A pupil of perhaps the best Scandinavian fighter to ever grace MMA in Joachim Hansen, 26-year-old Norwegian welterweight Simeon Thoresen is part of the new breed of European fighters that are not just Dutch kickboxers or Russian samboists, but rather complete mixed martial artists who can truly compete in the sport.

Originally a gymnast who picked up kickboxing, it is rather surprising that 10 of his fights have come via submission (six in the first round). A former member of the Norwegian military, Thoresen took a step up in competition in May when he defeated John Maguire in his debut for the BAMMA organization. The well-rounded fighter is quickly becoming an interesting prospect for the larger Japanese and American organizations.

9. Gil de Freitas (12-2; 3 T/KO, 2 submissions)

Rising Brazilian star Gil de Freitas made a name for himself when he defeated highly regarded prospect Edilberto de Oliveira in the main event of the first-ever Jungle Fight event to be shown on ESPN Deportes in May. The win in a welterweight tournament bout gave the aggressive fighter a leg up and made him the favorite to take the tournament, which will conclude at the next Jungle Fight event on July 31.

10. Andre Santos (21-2; 2 T/KO, 13 submissions)

It is not every day that you see a fighter with a record as impressive as “Chatuba,” but the Team Nogueira fighter has earned his keep by fighting in various shows across Brazil since his debut in 2006.

Well-known for his trademark anaconda choke, eight of his 13 submission victories have come via the vice grip hold. A luta livre fighter by trade, Santos has steadily improving striking and wrestling and looks to be a force on the MMA scene for years to come.

Other names to watch for: Jeremy Larsen (6-1; 2 T/KO, 3 submissions), Tie Quan Zhang (10-0; 3 T/KO, 7 submissions), Brock Jardine (5-0; 1 T/KO, 2 submissions), Tamdan McCrory (11-3; 6 T/KO, 4 submissions), and Yusaku Inoue (6-0; 2 T/KO, 1 submission).