Nissen Osterneck is one of the up-and-coming talents within the worldwide Middleweight talent pool. In an era in which the division is seeing a drop in talent, Osterneck stands out as a potential workhorse in the division and could see big paydays in the future. The WEC also thinks he's the future, but it looks like they may be trying to stunt his growth.

Osterneck confirmed on Tuesday that the WEC had offered him a multi-fight deal with the organization and a chance at Chael Sonnen in his first matchup.

Seems pretty damn good, right? Wrong. Fortunately for Osterneck, he seems to be taking a passive tone and commented on mulling over his other options before deciding.

So, why the animosity toward such a deal? First and foremost, Osterneck is only 5-0. With only five professional fights under his belt, the WEC wants to throw him in with an Olympic caliber wrestler who nearly put away arguably one of the best Middleweights in the world in Paulo Filho.

Secondly, Osterneck has a chance to be a real talent in any Middleweight division. Experience and gaining more practice in your skillset is definitely #1 in the priority column right now. Taking on better fighters is a good idea, but going from Freddie Espircueta to Chael Sonnen is a huge leap.

More wins, more offers... wait it out

My advice... take a few more fights in the HDNet promotion. It's a non-exclusive contract open for you to explore other options and other venues to fight, and when the time is right, move to the WEC or potentially the UFC. 5-0 is a great start, but get some tougher opponents under your belt before taking on a talent like Sonnen who is very underrated by many fans.