Sherdog’s Top 10: Rising Stars, 2015 First Edition

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2. Aljamain Sterling
Division: Bantamweight
Record: 11-0 (3-0 UFC)
Age: 25

Matt Serra and Ray Longo do not train a massive crop of students -- American Top Team and Jackson-Wink MMA, by contrast, routinely have dozens of fighters at their pro classes -- but those in whom they invest tend to turn out well. Middleweight champ Chris Weidman is one, obviously, while rising lightweight and true character Al Iaquinta is another. However, Sterling might turn out to be the best of the bunch.

A Division III wrestler and elementary school teacher, Sterling’s style revolves around a potent and exceptionally effective mixture of wrestling and grappling interspersed with the occasional flashy kick. His style and New York background has drawn comparisons to Jon Jones, and while it is simply unfair to place that kind of burden on any up-and-coming fighter, there is no denying Sterling’s talent. Like Ben Askren, Sterling is a practitioner of “funk,” a style of wrestling that emphasizes unorthodox rolls, escapes and back exposures, and it blends seamlessly with Sterling’s Serra-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

His skills are outstanding, but what makes Sterling a star on the rise is his personality. He is affable, funny, charismatic, smart and understands the importance of working the media in growing his profile. With a victory over perennial top-10 fighter Takeya Mizugaki already under his belt, the thinness of the division essentially guarantees that Sterling will get an elite opponent in his next outing. With a little time and promotional investment, the “Funk Master” has a great chance of becoming a bankable asset at 135 pounds.

Number 1 » A promoter who cannot sell an undefeated Russian who wrestled a bear in childhood and who has made his way from one of the poorest, most economically depressed places in Russia to the cusp of stardom in the United States frankly does not deserve to be in business. He understands the importance of self-promotion, and his willingness to reach out to the media to make his views known has helped him rapidly grow his profile.