15 European Fighters Who Could Sign for The UFC in 2014 (Part 1)
by Chris Houten - @mrhouts
2014 is set to be the busiest year in the UFC's history with between 40 to 50 cards planned for the year. The UFC are looking to expand in a big way this year, and with Garry Cook at the helm as Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Europe, 2014 is set to be a huge year for European MMA.
With a minimum of 6 European cards planned for 2014, Joe Silva and Sean Shelby will need to book around 72 fights just for Europe - that's 144 fighters! With all of these cards expected to take place on the UFCs new online subscription service Fight Pass, its likely Silva and Shelby will be looking to add local talent to these cards, to not only sell tickets but to keep the cost of the cards down.
With so many talented fighters in European, we look at some of the names which the UFC could add over the next year. Starting with our first 5 names, in NO particular order.
Jan Blachowicz - Poland
The first of several Polish fighters on this list, 30 year old Jan Blachowicz has established himself as one of the best light-heavyweights in the world not signed to the UFC. At 17-3, Blachowicz has not lost a fight since 2011. Since then he has defeated four UFC vets in a row - Sokoudjou, Mario Maranda, Houston Alexander and Goran Reljić on route to earning and defending the KSW light-heavyweight title.
Popular in his native Poland, Blachowicz is no doubt on a far better contract than the UFCs standard 6k & 6k, but with the growing trend of light-heavyweights dropping to 185 - Machida, Mousasi, and Te Tuna all in recent months, and a proposed UFC debut in Poland this year, Blachowicz would be an excellent addition to the promotions 205lb division.
Max Nunes - Sweden
Had Max Nunes not lost to Jason Jones at Bamma 13 for the first pro loss of his career, it's likely the Swedish fighter would have already been signed to the UFC.
After suffering a set back against Jones, Nunes bounced back by dropping to middleweight and picking up a unanimous decision victory against Ion Pascu. With several Scandinavian's already booked for UFC London, the UFC may look to add to their roster for their annual return to Sweden. At 12-1 with 11 finishes, Max Nunes would be a worthy addition a UFC card in Sweden particularly if the 24 year old can pick up another win or two before then.
Mamed Khalidov - Poland
Easily the fighter most worthy of a place on the UFC roster on this list, Khalidov is a top 10 middleweight with an outstanding 28-4 record which includes an impressive 27 finishes. What's more 12 of those victories are over former or current UFC fighters.
A huge star in Poland, the KSW champion is Poland's equivalent of Conor McGregor, appearing on various national adverts and TV talkshows, and could easily headline a sold out arena when the UFC make their debut in Poland this year.
A stumbling block however could be the reported $30,000 Khalidov earns per fight, and the sponsorship deal Khalidov could lose by joining the UFC, these were the reasons sited in 2012 when Khalidov turned down a UFC contract. With a card planned in Poland in 2014 though, it would be worth the UFC matching Khalidov's current contract just for the revenue he would bring to that card alone.
James Brum - UK
James 'Job Done' Brum has been doing just that - getting the job done for 2 years straight. Currently on an 8-fight win streak, Brum has not lost since Bamma 7 in September 2011 when he was defeated by current UFC bantamweight Erik Perez.
Currently Europe's highest ranked bantamweight not signed to the UFC, Brum has fought all of his Cage Warriors fights outside of the UK showing the ability to win and make weight around the world making James Brum a great addition to the UFC's Bantamweight division.
Neil Seery - Ireland
The UFC will make their long awaited return to Ireland this year and will no doubt be in the market for some of the finest local talent, and Neil Seery is one of the finest fighters Ireland have to offer right now.
While Seery may not have the best record in European MMA, Seery is popular, and has put together a 4 fight win streak on route to winning the Cage Warriors flyweight title; a division the UFC certainly could do with adding to.
Seery would be a popular addition amongst local fans to UFC Dublin 2014.
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