MMA, non-UFC division, enjoyed a little bump this week.
First, heavyweight GOAT Fedor Emelianenko hit American soil (and the public eye) for the first time in quite a while. And it wasn’t just any American soil. It was Dave & Buster’s soil—a Dave & Buster’s in Connecticut’s soil.
He was there as part of a promotional thing for Bellator, designed to help drum up some buzz for Bellator 134, which takes place Friday night. So, mission accomplished on that front.
And then there was this little nugget, unearthed on Thursday. And non-UFC women’s MMA luminary Cris “Cyborg” Santos is fighting Friday night.
It all got us to thinking. Sure, in the MMA solar system the UFC is the sun. But there are still planets and asteroids and stuff. Not every great fighter is a UFC fighter (and vice versa, for that matter). So we gave it some thought and came up with the 10 best competitors to never set a formal foot in the Octagon.
Yes, Fedor is No. 1. Spoiler alert. But there are nine others as well, some of which may surprise or anger you. With that in mind, sit back and enjoy. A video is included for each fighter.