UFC Fighters Who Should Have An Exciting 2015

One of the best things about the UFC is that every year brings a steady stream of up-and-comers who are set on upsetting the veteran fan favorites from the previous year. 2015 should be an interesting year, since it will mark the return of several fighters who spent much of 2014 on the injured list. Here's a look at some of the fighters to watch in 2015 and we're focusing on fighters who are both talented and exciting to watch.

Neil Magny
The welterweight division isn't always the sexiest category of fighters. But Magny made news in 2014 when he went 5-0, improving his career record to 13-3. Even more impressive, those five wins tied a UFC record for the most wins in one calendar year. Granted, not all the 2014 wins were against contenders. But they still put Magny on track to be one of the fighters everyone will be watching this year.

CM Punk
Every so often the UFC signs a fighter that's more of a promotional gimmick than a legitimate contender. That certainly seems to be the case with this 36-year-old retired pro wrestler whose real name is Phil Brooks. He has absolutely no MMA experience and it's not clear if he even has that much knowledge of the sport. But he does have a large amount of ring experience and his story makes for some great headlines. Even if it's not clear he'll make it past his first opponent.

Holy Holm
While she has a career record of 7-0 as a women's bantamweight, the 33-year-old is probably still best known for being a former championship boxer who destroyed everyone unfortunate enough to climb in the ring with her. She was signed to the UFC in 2014, but an injury delayed her debut until this year. It's a testament to her reputation that she's already considered a favorite even though she has yet to complete her first UFC fight. In fact, many fans are already anticipating a match-up against current champ Ronda Rousey, even though Holm's has several fighters to face before that happens.

Khabib Nurmagomedov
Even discounting the movie "Rocky IV," Russia has always been one of the most fertile places to find world class boxers and fighters. That trend continues with Nurmagomedov, who sports an impressive 22-0 lightweight record. He's looking for a title fight against champ Anthony Pettis. He certainly has the skills to be a viable contender. The only real question is whether he's fully recovered from a knee injury that cost him a potential match-up with Donald Cerrone in 2014.

John Dodson
In recent years, the flyweight division has been dominated by Demetrious Johnson, a fighter who has amazing talent but the charisma of a damp piece of toast. The only fighter who seems to have a chance of beating him is Dodson, who unfortunately spent 2013 sidelined with an ACL injury. Not that Dodson is any fan favorite, given his goofball giggling and odd behavior during press conferences. But even with his quirks, many flyweight enthusiasts long for anyone who can possibly take down the boring and predictable Johnson.

Anderson Silva
Middleweight Silva is struggling to come back from a serious leg break that sidelined him for more than a year. Capped with two losses against Chris Weidman, Silva might seem like a longshot to make an impact on 2015. But he's fascinating to watch in the ring and even slightly off his peak he still is capable of being a sly and dangerous opponent.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk
This woman's strawweight fighter seems destined to fight current champ Cara Esparza sometime in 2015. But for all of her fighting talents, she also a controversial fighter who won at least one disputed fight in 2014. This Polish-born fighter has the strength to win the title and certainly has the cunning. But she's not well-liked by fans, which can play serious mind games with fighters who are working to win a belt.

Conor McGregor
Perhaps the hottest featherweight in 2014 was this fighter with a 16-2 career record. After a series of brutal wins, McGregor is expected to spend a great part of 2015 working towards a title fight versus current champ Jose Aldo. There's even been some talk of holding the title fight in McGregor's home country of Ireland, which would make for an insanely intense atmosphere for a fight that's likely to be filled with its own excitement.

Joseph "Irish Joe" Duffy
Back in the heyday of professional boxing, some of the most successful heavyweight boxers were Italian. So perhaps it's fitting that one of the most-anticipated new UFC fighters is a 26-year-old boxer-turned fighter. He's a veteran of Britain's Cage Warriors tour and his biggest advantage is his overwhelming strength. He's expected to take the UFC by storm in 2015 and has already publicly set his sights on a championship.

Brandon Thatch
Even though his career record is 11-1, Thatch had a difficult 2014. He sat out the entire year with complications due to a broken toe. And as a result, it's not yet clear whether he'll be back at his top form in 2015. But the muay thai fighter has been impressive in the past, most notably in 2013 when he beat the well-respected veteran fighter Paulo Thiago.

Kyoji Horiguchi
This may be the real sleeper fighter in the flyweight division. The 24-year-old is undefeated after four UFC fights and while he's still ranked eighth in his division, he's only one or two fights away from a title fight, most likely against Demetrius Johnson. Horiguchi is still off the radar of most UFC fans, but among the fighters he's seen as a potential champ in 2015.

Jon Jones
One of the interesting things about the UFC is that while it's primarily a young man's sport, a wily veteran can continue to be competitive well into his early 40s. That's certainly the case with Jones, who has battled his age, bad breaks and an infamous substance abuse problem to remain in contention for a chance at the Light Heavyweight belt. Jones beat veteran fighter Daniel Cormier in early 2015 and he seems on his way to a fight with current champ Anthony Johnson. That's quite an accomplishment for Jones, who has had a very up and down career since becoming the youngest UFC champion in history, when he first won the Light Heavyweight title.