UFC 129: Ben Henderson and the 10 Most Underrated Fighters in MMA
There are just some fighters in MMA that, no matter what they accomplish or do in the sport, fans will not hesitate to criticize them or discount them as legitimate threats to the best fighters in their divisions.
Whether this is due to the fighters' attitudes or their fighting style, the following top 10 fighters are the ones who deserve more credit than they probably get from fans and other fighters alike.
No. 10: Yushin Okami
1 of 10
With a 10-2 record inside the UFC, Yushin Okami may finally get the next title shot against middleweight champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva.
If that wasn't hard enough, it will be even harder to get anyone to pick him to win the fight. Silva's last defeat was to Okami by disqualification for throwing an illegal upkick, but that isn't the reason Okami should get the next shot.
With his combination of wrestling and submission defense, he will be Silva's toughest test to date.
No. 9: Ben Henderson
2 of 10
Former WEC lightweight champion Ben Henderson isn't getting much attention, as he prepares to make his UFC debut against Mark Bocek at UFC 129.
The sad thing is, even as champion, Henderson wasn't getting that much attention anyway. He went 5-0 inside the WEC with two victories over Donald Cerrone before losing a five-round decision against Anthony Pettis at the final event in December.
A 5-0 record inside the UFC will be even more impressive and much harder for Henderson to obtain, but there's no doubt he is capable of pulling it off.
No. 8: Stefan Struve
3 of 10
It's tough to say this 23-year-old will go far in the heavyweight division because of the way his fights usually play out. They usually start with Struve taking an onslaught of punches before getting bloody and bruised and almost finished.
Yet, somehow he finds a way to make a comeback and get the better of his opponents.
His only two defeats inside the UFC are to Roy Nelson and Junior Dos Santos—both under a minute. He does have five victories inside the Octagon, and while the opponents are nothing too impressive, the fights are.
Struve still has a lot to learn and a while to grow so look out for the Netherlands-born fighter to make a strong statement in the coming years.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
No. 7: Michael Bisping
4 of 10
No fan can ignore the British fighter's post-fight antics against Jorge Rivera, and this has made his position as a fan-favorite fighter almost nonexistent.
Bisping may be a fight or two away from a title shot, and there's only one reason people want to see it—to see what kind of damage the Muay-Thai specialist Anderson Silva can do to him.
He does have a chance of beating the Brazilian though, and this could end up being one of the biggest upsets in UFC history if it happens. Bisping could beat every middleweight in the division, but as long as fans continue to hate him, he won't be given a chance by anyone to defeat the best fighter in the sport.
No. 6: Eddie Alvarez
5 of 10
Fans only have to look at this Bellator lightweight fighter's last victory to know why he is underrated. Despite absolutely destroying UFC veteran Roger Huerta in two rounds, it wasn't enough to make fans demand to see him against the UFC's best.
So why? Maybe it was because of just that—the fight wasn't in the UFC.
Until the 27-year-old finds his way to the biggest organization in the world, he won't be considered one of the best lightweights in the world. He is arguably the best lightweight outside the UFC, so until he gets there, he will be on this list.
No. 5: Carlos Condit
6 of 10
Until Condit's last performance, when he knocked out Dan Hardy with one punch, he wasn't given much of a chance with the welterweight elite. He had some close, hard-fought bouts before that to justify the possibility that he wasn't ready to face some of the elite welterweights.
Dana White said it best when he said "Georges St. Pierre made Dan Hardy look good," but Condit did the complete opposite, and it opened a lot of fans' eyes.
Still, Condit remains one of the best welterweights who isn't in discussion for a shot at the title. Every fight he has been in has been a war, and he is also one of the toughest fighters to finish. These two things alone get overlooked, but have taken him far in MMA.
No. 4: Rashad Evans
7 of 10
There haven't been many fights where Evans has been the favorite. With only one defeat to Lyoto Machida, Evans finds himself in the top five of this list due to fans' opinion that newly-crowned UFC light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones would have no trouble in taking out the former champion.
A lot of fans would pick both Rampage Jackson and Thiago Silva to beat Evans, even though he has two solid victories over them if a rematch was announced.
Evans is no stranger to being the underdog, and his fight with Jones will be one more fight where he has the chance to prove everyone wrong.
No. 3: Hector Lombard
8 of 10
Hector Lombard could fight in Bellator for his entire career and would still go largely unrecognized as one of the best middleweights in the world.
Yes, this Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt fighter's competition isn't that great, but look at what he is doing to his opponents. He is knocking them out in the first round and some in the first minute. He even has a victory over Jay Silva in six seconds.
His next fight will be against Falaniko Vitale at Bellator 44 where he will look to extend his 17-fight win streak.
No. 2: Antonio Silva
9 of 10
Any fighter who defeats Fedor Emelianenko is immediately worthy of recognition among the best heavyweights in MMA. It was an upset nobody saw coming—except him.
Silva, who was a five-to-one underdog before the fight, should be considered a legitimate challenge for any of the top heavyweights after Saturday night, whether they are in Strikeforce or the UFC.
His combination of size and skill is perfect in a division where we see most fighters who have one or the other and very few who have both.
In the following months after he takes on the winner of Fabricio Werdum vs. Alistair Overeem, fans will have another chance to see just how good his skills match up among the best.
If he succeeds in winning the tournament and becoming the Grand Prix champion, the UFC will be calling soon after.
No. 1: Jake Shields
10 of 10
Shields is the most underrated fighter in the sport, and being that his next opponent is welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, that distinction is boldly stated across the MMA community.
Shields practically made his welterweight title run in the middleweight division with wins over Dan Henderson, Jason Miller and Robbie Lawler. His current 15-fight win streak also includes victories over Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Mike Pyle and Paul Daley.
In his fight with current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson, he completely dominated the former two-time Pride champion for five rounds before winning a decision in one of the 2010's biggest upsets.
Does all of this mean he can beat one of the best fighters in the sport? No, but it does mean he is also one of the best in the sport and has the best chance of anyone to defeat St. Pierre.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
