6. Edson Barboza
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2NwBmMgNQg Edson Barboza would be top of this list if it wasn't for a certain Jamie Varner, who was a late replacement for Evan Dunham. Varner knocked Barboza out in the first round of their bout, with the Brazilian suffering his first loss as a professional. However, Barboza showed great potential prior to this fight and reinforced this by knocking out Lucas Martins after his first blemish as a professional. The infamous spinning wheel kick victory of Terry Etim (in the video below) was what skyrocketed fans' expectations of Barboza and one loss shouldn't make this invalid. At just 27 years of age and 5-1 in the UFC, Junior's future looks bright to say the least and a couple more wins over stiff competition could place him back on the brink of top-10 status. Edson has already proved himself against some of UFC's finest Lightweights, the Ross Pearson victory was particularly impressive whilst wins over Anthony Njokuani and Terry Etim showed that his striking is superior to some great muay-thai practitioners. With some of the most brutal leg kicks in the game and dexterity beyond measure, Barboza poses a threat for the best guys at 155. As Edson's next fight is already set for UFC 162 in July, my preferred next fight is irrelevant. Preferred next fight: John Makdessi