ULTMMA

ULTMMA 2009 All Prospect Pro Team: Easton, Jansen & Tyron Woodley grab first team honors

2009 saw the rise and fall of many prospects in the sport of mixed martial arts. Below is the inaugural ULTMMA 2009 All Prospect Pro Team. For each of the eight weight classes a MMA prospect has been chosen based on how they performed over the last 12 months.

To be eligible a fighter must have started out 2009 unsigned by a national MMA promotion and competed a minimum of three times during the year.

The West region had three fighters make first team All Pro, with a total of seven fighters earning 2009 first or second team All Pro honors, the most of any of the four regions of the United States.

The Damian "Polish Pitbull" Grabowski put his name on the map early in 2009 by beating four other European heavyweights in a one night tournament in Austria. The 29 year old Grabowski is now tops in the always difficult to forecast heavyweight division.

LHW (205 pound limit) Ricardo Romero (09 record 5-0)

At 31 years of age Ricardo Romero established himself as one of the top MMA talents on the east coast in 2009. The former Rutgers University wrestler dropped down to 205 pounds after a successful run at heavyweight. 2009 saw Romero earn victories over notable UFC Ultimate Fighter cast members James McSweeney and Karn Grigoryan.

Jared Hess's remarkable run through the Bellator Fighting Championship 185 pound tournament validated his inclusion into the field. Though he would go on to lose to Hector Lombard in the finals, the 26 year old from Oklahoma had is hand raised five other times throughout the past calendar year.

Two-time University of Missouri All American Tyron Woodley, began 2009 as one of many decorated amateur wrestlers making the transition to mixed martial arts. After signing with Strikeforce in June and running off three consecutive wins for the California promotion, Woodley separated himself as one of the top prospects in all of MMA.

Following in the footsteps of his Team Quest stable mates Dave Jansen is the latest wrestler to have a successful run in MMA out of the Oregon hub. Jansen, only a pro since 2007, found his groove inside the M-1 Challenge ring in 2009 and would use it as platform to sign with the WEC in the fall. In his first WEC bout Jansen would earn a unanimous decision victory over former title contender Rich Crunkilton.

A little over 24 months into his MMA career Chad Mendes has already turned heads in MMA circles as a prospect to watch in 2010. 2009 saw Mendes steadily improve his level of competition while fighting exclusively for the now defunct Palace Fighting Championships than Tachi Palace Fights promotion. Following an October win over Mike Joy, Mendes signed a six fight deal with the WEC and will make his debut with the Zuffa promotion in the spring of 2010.

In 2009, bantamweight Mike Easton headlined three separate MMA events in the Eastern region of the United States. Could any other 135 pound fighter other than ex WEC champion Miguel Torres pull off such an amazing feat? Easton, a 25 year old fighter from Maryland, also continued to stockpile wins on the local circuit; including a controversial five round affair with former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe.

Though Pat Runez only competed in twice in 2009, both were title bouts and each time the Arizona Combat Sports trained fighter came out on the winning end. As the United States flyweight division continues to evolve, Runez has added his name to the list of American prospects in the 125 pound weight class.

HW (over 205 pounds) Brendan Schaub 4-1 (09 record 2-1)
LHW (205 pound limit) Rodney Wallace 9-1 (09 record 5-1)
MW (185 pound limit) Mario Miranda 10-0 (09 record 4-0)
WW (170 pound limit) Jim Wallhead 18-5 (09 record 3-0)
LW (155 pound limit) Karen Darabedyan 9-1 (09 record 5-0)
FW (145 pound limit) Brandon Visher 13-0 (09 record 5-0)
BW (135 pound limit) Frankhad Sharipov 9-3 (09 record 4-1)
FLW (125 pound limit) Jesse Riggleman 8-0 (09 record 5-0)

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