Sherdog's Top 10: Greatest Fighters Never to have Competed in the UFC

1. Fedor Emelianenko

Emelianenko garners a record fourth gold medal on a Sherdog top 10, adding to distinctions as the No. 1 heavyweight, Pride fighter, and martial artist of the 2000s. Moreover, this one was completely unanimous, with everyone having the Russian legend in the top spot. Fedor was essentially undefeated in his first 32 fights, and his time as king lasted for an amazing seven years and 19 straight victories after first triumphing over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at Pride 25 in early 2003. Sure, there were plenty of weak touches during that time, like Wagner da Conceicao Martins, Hong Man Choi and Yuji Nagata, but Emelianenko also dominated the trilogy against Nogueira, finished four former UFC heavyweight champions all in the first round (Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, Kevin Randleman, and Mark Coleman twice) and won the “Fight of the Century” against Mirko Filipovic in that span, too.

How did Emelianenko manage to stave off defeat for so long? It wasn't always easy, but in addition to lightning hand and foot speed for a heavyweight, enormous punching power, a great judo and sambo-based grappling and submission game, his incredible cardio, heart and intelligence, combined with his then very tough chin and good recuperative powers, allowed him to avoid many perilous situations, whether against Kazuyuki Fujita or Mark Hunt. Fedor's time at the top ended when he was about to turn 34, knocking down and hurting Fabricio Werdum early in their fight, but then being caught in a triangle the BJJ ace threw up off his back. He had fought off many similar situations against Nogueira, but Werdum's BJJ was a little bit better and Emelianenko had just gotten that little bit slower, in addition to his luck perhaps finally running out. Still, even with Fedor's injuries mounting and his chin becoming very brittle, he has continued to have a good career and defy the odds, knocking out two more former UFC champions in the first round in Frank Mir and Quinton Jackson, and in his 40s, shockingly disposing of tough veteran Tim Johnson. Fedor is clearly the best fighter never to have competed in the UFC, and given its current prominence, this could hold true for many years to come.