If you’ve followed this year’s report diligently, you’ve likely discovered a trend. Many of America’s top prospects have been born or bred in the Northeastern region of the United States. Aljamain Sterling, Claudio Ledesma, Joey Gambino, Tom DeBlass, and Kyle Cerminara to just name a few. Adding to the laundry list of great talent is 24-year-old heavyweight brute Chris Birchler (1-0).
Birchler was a two-time NCAA Division I national qualifier during his wrestling career at both East Stroudsburg University and Edinboro University. While he never attained the acclaim of a national championship or even a runner-up honor, NCAA Division I credentials are few and far between in MMA’s heavyweight division. Those credentials have put Birchler on a quickened path to success, helping him demolish his first three amateur opponents and defeating Wing Chun stylist Shawn Obasi in his debut at Ring of Combat 37.
Birchler was scheduled to appear in ProElite’s eight-man heavyweight tournament field along such greats at Ryan Martinez and Mark Ellis, and he was, at least from my own perspective, a heavy tournament favorite. Unfortunately, the contract terms weren’t good enough to gain his services.
Similarly to many of AMA Fight Club’s most prominent fighters, Birchler’s style is reliant on his wrestling skills bringing the fight to the ground. He already has the know-how to pass guard and move to better positions, allowing his hands to do the talking in the form of a vicious ground and pound attack.
At this stage in his career, it’s obvious that holes exist in his overall skill-set. His submission game is a work in progress, and his striking skills are lacking. Regardless of those issues, it’s difficult to believe Birchler won’t rise to the top of the talent pool, especially with the excellent training he receives at AMA Fight Club. As one of the larger fighters on our countdown with solid wrestling ability, 2012 could prove to be fruitful for Birchler if he can remain active. Look for interest to rise by the end of the year.
Watch Birchler in action as he takes on Marcus Taylor at Ring of Combat 39 on February 10.
Footage of Chris Birchler after the jump…
| Flyweight | Bantamweight | Featherweight | Lightweight |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 – #2 – #3 – #4 – #5 – #6 – #7 – #8 – #9 – #10 – |
#1 – Rony Mariano #2 – Aljamain Sterling #3 – Chris Holdsworth #4 – Josh Hill #5 – Fabiano Fernandes #6 – Claudio Ledesma #7 – Sirwan Kakai #8 – Kyoji Horiguchi #9 – Leandro Hygo #10 – Pedro Munhoz |
#1 – Hacran Dias #2 – Joey Gambino #3 – Brandon Bender #4 – Lance Palmer #5 – Jim Alers #6 – Anthony Gutierrez #7 – Max Holloway #8 – John Teixeira #9 – Cody Bollinger #10 – Bubba Jenkins |
#1 – Fabricio Guerreiro #2 – Alessandro Ferreira #3 – Adriano Martins #4 – Justin Salas #5 – Neilson Gomes #6 – Eduard Folayang #7 – Zorobabel Moreira #8 – Anton Kuivanen #9 – Jordan Rinaldi #10 – J.P. Vainikainen |
| Welterweight | Middleweight | Light Heavyweight | Heavyweight |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 – Andrey Koreshkov #2 – Dhiego Lima #3 – Brandon Thatch #4 – Nordine Taleb #5 – Hernani Perpetuo #6 – Brock Jardine #7 – Alan Jouban #8 – Mohsen Bahari #9 – Andre Santos #10 – Stephen Thompson |
#1 – Antonio Braga Neto #2 – Marcelo Guimaraes #3 – Claudio Silva #4 – Bojan Velickovic #5 – Ildemar Alcantara #6 – Michal Materla #7 – Elvis Mutapcic #8 – Tor Troeng #9 – Jack Hermansson #10 – Tim Ruberg |
#1 – Wagner Prado #2 – Phelipe Lins #3 – Tom DeBlass #4 – Misha Cirkunov #5 – Kyle Cerminara #6 – Robert Drysdale #7 – Artur Alibulatov #8 – Thiago Perpetuo #9 – Steve Bosse #10 – Juha Saarinen |
#1 – #2 – #3 – #4 – #5 – Chris Birchler #6 – Ruslan Magomedov #7 – Adam Parkes #8 – Richardson Moreira #9 – Jan Jorgensen 10 – David Oliva |
Chris Birchler vs. Shawn Obasi
Chris Birchler training footage
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