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

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6. Kelvin Gastelum
Division: Middleweight
Record: 11-1 (6-1 UFC)
Age: 23

Arizona’s Gastelum came out of nowhere to defeat a stacked field of competitors and win the 17th season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” A high school wrestler with little professional experience, he was the consummate dark horse, and as the last pick, he flourished under the instruction of Chael Sonnen. He upset Uriah Hall at the finale, shutting down a hype train that had reached epic proportions in the weeks leading up to the event.

Gastelum did not stop there. He ran off five consecutive wins to open his UFC career, capping his streak with a first-round submission victory over Jake Ellenberger in November. Disaster struck, however, when Gastelum failed to make weight for a bout against Tyron Woodley in January and had to be hospitalized. Gastelum turned in a listless performance and suffered his first professional defeat; and since that was the second occasion on which he had missed weight, the UFC forced him to fight at middleweight until he could prove that he could safely make 170 pounds.

As he was expected to do, Gastelum ran through Nate Marquardt with ease at UFC 188. Still, he looked soft at the weigh-ins, and real questions about his dedication and maturity remain as reports about his inability to stick to a proper nutritional program continue to swirl. The skills are real -- he boasts an outstanding pressure game and slick transitional acumen -- and so is the athleticism, but welterweight is the right division for him. Unless he gets his weight under control, he will be hamstrung at middleweight by a lack of size.

We can only hope Gastelum gets back on track, since he is exceptionally marketable and is undoubtedly an elite talent.

Number 5 » When he is motivated, a run at the top of the division seems like pure destiny. His wrestling is obviously world-class, his athleticism and physical tools are outstanding and he has shown much better striking than anybody anticipated.