Cyborg Justino and the 10 Best MMA Fighters to Never Step Inside the Octagon

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.

In addition, non-UFC women's MMA luminary Cris "Cyborg" Santos fought Friday night under the Invicta banner, blowing up opponent Charmaine Tweet in a mere 46 seconds. 

After Ronda Rousey's 14-second domination of Cat Zingano Saturday at UFC 184, Santos' win renewed calls for a Rousey and Santos megafight, as they are clearly the two most powerful forces in women's MMA history to date.

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.

Honorable Mentions

Bob Riha, Jr./Associated Press

Kazushi Sakuraba (left)

For various reasons, these fighters didn't quite make the list. The first three have UFC appearances, though they were relatively obscure and not all fans are aware of them.

Fighters appear in no particular order.

• Kazushi Sakuraba (fought in UFC, so technically ineligible)
• Hayato Sakurai (see above)
• Ikuhisa Minowa (see above)
• Ricardo Arona
• Melvin Manhoef
• Will Brooks
• Mario Sperry
• Sergei Kharitonov
• Mamoru Yamaguchi
• Pat Curran

10. Masakatsu Funaki

Age: 45
Status: Retired
Record: 39-13-2
Signature wins: Frank Shamrock, Ken Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Vernon White

As the creator of Pancrase, the first MMA promotion, Masakatsu Funaki is a bona fide pioneer of the sport. The, ah, concreteness of some of his early results, when pro wrestling and MMA were still separating, may be in some doubt. But he's still one of the most accomplished and best submission grapplers ever and deserves to be remembered as such. 

9. Bibiano Fernandes

Age: 34
Status: Active
Record: 17-3
Signature wins: Masakazu Imanari, Joachim Hansen, Joe Warren, Antonio Banuelos

Bibiano Fernandes might be one of the best bantamweights on the planet. After a rocky start to his pro career, he recovered by winning 16 of his next 17 en route to titles in DREAM and One FC, the latter of which he currently holds for the bantamweight division.

Fernandes, who literally spent part of his childhood living in the jungle, is also one of the best jiu-jitsu practitioners on Earth. But he blends the grappling with lightning quickness in all phases and a smooth approach to the full game that recalls one of his training partners: UFC flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson.

8. Ben Askren

Age: 30
Status: Active
Record: 14-0
Signature wins: Douglas Lima, Andrey Koreshkov, Jay Hieron 

It's true: Ben Askren hasn't faced the toughest competition.

Truth No. 2: That's not for lack of trying on his part.

Truth No. 3: That's true, to at least some extent, of pretty much everyone on this list.

Truth No. 4: He hasn't faced all cans, either.

Truth No. 5: He has never been seriously threatened.

The former Bellator welterweight champ vacated that title for greener (or at least different) pastures. But in a well-publicized decision, the UFC passed. Askren ended up with One FC, where he has, to the surprise of no one, continued to dominate.

Askren claims he's the best welterweight out there right now. Other people feel similarly. Will he ever get his chance to prove it? 

7. Patricio Freire

Age: 27
Status: Active
Record: 23-2
Signature wins: Wilson Reis (twice), Pat Curran, Georgi Karakhanyan, Diego Nunes

For a long time, this particular ranking set was dominated by the old guard. You'd see the same DREAM champions over and over again.

And hey, plenty of those guys still belong in this conversation and appear on this list. But the sport evolves and moves on, and Patricio Freire has done more than enough to end up here.

You don't just fall bass-ackwards into belts, regardless of the company name stamped on the gold. "Pitbull" Freire certainly earned his Bellator strap, reaching one featherweight tournament final before winning on his next try, only to lose to Curran in the resulting title match.

He would not be denied next time, mowing through the tourney and then decisioning Curran for the championship last fall. He also has already defended the belt once, submitting Daniel Straus after nearly four terrific rounds.

It's exciting to think what Scott Coker and the new regime at Bellator have planned for talents like Freire.

6. Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino

Age: 29
Status: Active
Record: 12-1 (1)
Signature wins: Gina Carano, Marloes Coenen, Shayna Baszler 

There must have been a fascinating lesson somewhere in Cris "Cyborg" Justino's first professional fight. Because she hasn't lost since.

The muay thai wrecking machine from Brazil seems tailor-made to serve as the culminating rival to American judo queen and general WMMA queenpin Ronda Rousey. Much like Rousey, Cyborg is rarely threatened. But while Rousey's signature move is the armbar, Cyborg's is more of a TKO by way of dervish, and she has 10 pro knockouts to prove it.

But she also has international-level jiu-jitsu chops. If it wasn't for Rousey, we'd probably be a lot more familiar with Cyborg.

5. Shinya Aoki

Age: 31
Status: Active
Record: 37-6 (1)
Signature wins: Eddie Alvarez, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Rich Clementi, George Sotiropoulos 

It's hard to believe Shinya Aoki is only 31 years old. The fiery competitor and rubber-limbed submission artist has enjoyed a loyal following for a solid decade now.

The guy is just never at a loss for a move. And he's pure mercilessness. It's a thing to watch. Think a B.J. Penn for the Asian continent, and you'll have your approximation.

The reigning One FC lightweight champion and former DREAM and Shooto titlist has a lot of high-profile names on his resume. But it seems he might be running out of worthy opponents, given his seven-fight win streak and unbeaten status in One FC. Surely, there are plenty of fans who'd love to see him go against UFC competition, should he ever want to go there.

In the meantime, how about a One FC bout with Fernandes? Even at catchweight, that could seriously move the needle.

4. Mamed Khalidov

Age: 34
Status: Active
Record: 30-4-2
Signature wins: Melvin Manhoef, Kendall Grove, Maiquel Falcao, Matt Lindland

Mamed Khalidov, in his own way, might be the saddest case study on this list. At least for fans anyway. He seems perfectly happy.

Eleven knockouts, 17 submissions. That's about as neat a summation as any stat can provide for an MMA fighter. The native Chechen was mowing down UFC veterans well before the mainstream MMA world had heard of many fighters out of Russia's North Caucasus region. In retrospect, Khalidov helped pave the way for the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Rustam Khabilov and plenty of others.

Khalidov essentially rules the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions in Poland's small but respectable KSW promotion, which purportedly treats its fighters fairly well. That—combined with Khalidov's strict Muslim devotion—is probably what kept him from making the leap all these years.

In any event, watch this guy if and when you can. KSW events are not always the easiest to find or watch, but if he is on the card, it's worth it.

3. Igor Vovchanchyn

Age: 41
Status: Retired 
Record: 55-10 (1)
Signature wins: Kazushi Sakuraba, Mark Kerr, Gilbert Yvel, Yuki Kondo

I want you to do one thing right now. What I want you to do is, I want you to give it up. Give it up for Igor "Ice Cold" Vovchanchyn.

When the Gracies were on the verge of throwing a permanent pre-emptive triangle choke around the mixing aspect of mixed martial arts, Vovchanchyn was among those who stood up. Literally. 

In the early years of the sport, the Ukrainian was a trailblazer in something that would come to be known as takedown defense. And once the fight stayed on the feet, Ice Cold knew what to do. He put away 29 opponents by knockout and was a demon with soccer kicks, back when such moves were widely legal.

I understand why his kicks were so brutal. Look at those thighs, bro. It's clear from watching his old fights (I definitely recommend this highlight reel) that when Vovchanchyn hit you, it really hurt. 

2. Rickson Gracie

Age: 56
Status: Retired
Record: 11-0
Signature wins: Masakatsu Funaki, Yuki Nakai

Rickson Gracie is usually the most controversial figure anytime he appears in any historical discussion of pretty much any kind. He's overrated, he's underrated, he's this, he's that.

His pro MMA record is a little sparse, but there's no question he is the stud of the Gracie family. Items in Rickson's maybe column include his possibly being the greatest practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu since his father co-founded the discipline, possibly never having lost a fight of any kind and possibly being the greatest athlete to ever compete in a combat sport.

Those are pretty heavy statements. But they don't look so burdensome around the neck of Rickson Gracie. Some of the questions may never get answered, but that's part of the mystique (the designed mystique) around this man. To coin a phrase, it is what it is.

1. Fedor Emelianenko

Age: 38
Status: Retired
Record: 34-4 (1)
Signature wins: Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Coleman (twice), Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (twice), Mark Hunt, Ricardo Arona, Semmy Schilt, Renato Sobral, Kevin Randleman

I openly mentioned this in the intro. So, right. Sort of a muffled trumpet blast here.

But it's the way Fedor would want it. Let the fanfare be of him, but not in him. Let him supply the power, but let everyone else convert it into energy.

With Anderson Silva slowly, inevitably descending back to Earth, Fedor is ascending while standing still. That GOAT conversation is not as cut and dried as it was before those Chris Weidman fights. And don't forget: Fedor (38) is actually younger than Silva (39). 

Could the sambo master with the stone fists and iron will be set for a comeback? Bellator has said nothing on the matter. But they sure seem to be getting friendly over there in that Dave & Buster's booth.

Scott Harris covers MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, or to berate Scott, follow Scott on Twitter.