Over and over we hear about the lack of star power currently residing in the UFC. Over and over, we hear about how the promotion tried to put the brand first, over the athletes, and failed. There's a lot of truth to that statement - but it also ignores the fact that the UFC is already rich with talented fighters full of personality who just need to be marketed the right way to really catch on with fans. If 2015 has a theme, so far it seems to be the Year of the Fighter. Look no further than the marketing campaign for Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz, a fight that is all about marquee value. It's not brand first, in fact that brand barely matters. Each fighter has their own promo in heavy rotation, with "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" being sung hauntingly over the Silva add, and the classic Diaz taunt "Don't be scared homie!" getting a bit of a horror movie makeover. On top of that, Conor McGregor got not one but five promo pieces recently between Fox and the UFC. Not sure who's fighting next weekend at UFC Fight Night 59? Then apparently you've been living under a rock as far as the fight world is concerned. This is great news for the company and for fight fans. As much as purists hate to admit, stories sell fights. So with that in mind lets take a look at ten fighters poised to make it big in 2015.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
