The Top Light-Heavyweights in the Northeast

The 205-pound weight class is mostly full of tough, brawler-types who could defeat each other on any given day. The lone exceptions to that rule, however, are IFL stars Andre Gusmao and Jamal Patterson. -Andre Gusmao- A capoeira stylist with some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu thanks to Renzo Gracie, Gusmao is an explosive striker and one-man wrecking crew. Want to see a sweet KO? Gusmao is your man. -Jamal Patterson- Patterson is an elite jiu-jitsu practitioner, and has shown off some solid submission chops by submitting four out of five opponents within the first round. He took a beating against Reese Andy, but seemed to emerge from that bout stronger than before. -Ricardo Romero- Heavy hands and wrestling. That's what enabled Romero to win the ROC "Beasts of the Northeast" tournament, and that's what's going to keep him on the winning track. -John Doyle- Cut from the same cloth as Romero, Doyle is a former Combat in the Cage champ and Beasts of the Northeast runner-up (he lost to Romero by TKO). Doyle just lost last weekend at the ShoXC event in Miami, but he's no less of a badass for it. -Brendan Barrett- Great on the ground and even better on the feet, Barrett is good for a three-round battle or a quick KO, and his only losses have come at the hands of Doyle and UFC fighter Tim Boetsch. Honorable mention: Philadelphia submission specialist Tim Carpenter.