UFC: Brock Lesnar and the 10 Most Underrated Fighters in MMA

While former champion, Brock Lesnar was widely considered one of the most overrated fighters in MMA because of the fans' unwillingness to accept him as a legitimate fighter. However, Dana White recently called Lesnar the most underrated fighter in the UFC.

Has the public dislike for Lesnar gone so far that the most famous MMA fighter in the world could be considered underrated.

It's possible, but here are ten fighters who receive even less credit than they deserve in comparison to Lesnar.

10. Joe Warren

Like Brock Lesnar, Joe Warren has only fought seven times in his MMA career. Warren has also quickly risen to the top as Lesnar did. In his last fight, Warren defeated Joe Soto to become the Bellator Featherweight Champion.

Warren has also bested Patricio Freire, Norifumi Yamamoto and Chase Beebe in his short time as a professional. The only loss of Warren's career came against former Dream Featherweight Champion Bibiano Fernandes.

9. Tatsuya Kawajiri

Tatsuya Kawajiri will have the opportunity to earn some much-deserved respect if he is able to defeat Gilbert Melendez in their upcoming rematch. With a win over Melendez, Kawajiri would become the new Strikeforce Lightweight Champion.

A former Shooto champion, Kawajiri's only losses in the last eight years have come against elite lightweights Takanori Gomi, Gilbert Melendez, Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki. In his last fight, Kawajiri defeated former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Josh Thomson.

8. Cole Konrad

Another fighter with only seven professional fights, Cole Konrad has also quickly reached the top of the totem pole in Bellator's heavyweight division. Konrad earned the Bellator Heavyweight Championship with a win over Neil Grove in his last fight.

However, it is not what Konrad has accomplished in MMA that makes him underrated. Instead, it is the potential greatness of this two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Champion, which makes him under appreciated in the sport.

7. Ben Askren

Amazingly, Ben Askren is the third fighter on this list to capture a Bellator belt in his seventh, and most recent fight. In addition to dethroning Lyman Good, Askren beat Dan Hornbuckle to win the Bellator Season 2 Welterweight Tournament.

Now, Askren will fight Nick Thompson at Bellator 40 in April 2011. With a win, Askren would extend his unbeaten record to 8-0.

6. Hector Lombard

In slightly under five years, Hector Lombard's only loss has come against Gegard Mousasi. Currently, Lombard is on a 17-fight winning streak.

Lombard's next fight will be against Falaniko Vitale at Bellator 44 in May 2011. However, Lombard's Bellator Middleweight Championship will not be on the line against Vitale.

5. Ronaldo Souza

After losing in his professional debut, Ronaldo Souza has managed to only lose one other fight in his 17-fight career. In September 2008, Souza was knocked out by a Gegard Mousasi up-kick, which cost Souza the vacant Dream Middleweight Championship.

Souza rebounded from the loss though and went on to capture the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship with a win over Tim Kennedy. After that, Souza successfully defended his belt against Robbie Lawler. Souza also holds wins over Joey Villasenor, Matt Lindland and Jason Miller.

4. Gegard Mousasi

After losing his belt three fights ago, Gegard Mousasi is on his way to reclaiming the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship. The loss to Muhammed Lawal in his first attempted title defense was Mousasi's only loss in more than four years.

Mousasi's next fight will be against Mike Kyle in April 2011. With a win, Mousasi will earn a title shot against current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion Dan Henderson.

Mousasi holds notable wins over Hector Lombard, Ronaldo Souza, Renato Sobral, Melvin Manhoef and Evangelista Santos.

3. Jake Shields

Fighting Georges St-Pierre for the UFC Welterweight Championship, Jake Shields is finally getting some long-overdue credit for his accomplishments. However, Shields is still being underrated by many who are not giving him any hope to beat St-Pierre.

Shields has won 15-straight, which include triumphs over Martin Kampmann, Paul Daley, Dan Henderson, Jason Miller, Carlos Condit and Yushin Okami.

2. Eddie Alvarez

While Eddie Alvarez is considered one of the best fighters outside of the UFC, he is still not getting recognized as a fighter on the level of his training partner, Frankie Edgar. Alvarez's record clearly shows that he could be on that level.

In 23 appearances, Alvarez's only losses have come against Shinya Aoki and Nick Thompson. Meanwhile, Alvarez has defeated fighters such as Roger Huerta and Tatsuya Kawajiri. Alvarez will now fight Pat Curran at Bellator 39 this weekend.

1. Gilbert Melendez

Like Eddie Alvarez, Gilbert Melendez is respected, but not to the extent that he should be. In his 20 professional fights, Melendez has only lost to Josh Thomson and Mitsuhiro Ishida. Melendez has since avenged both of those losses and become Strikeforce Lightweight Champion.

Melendez also holds wins over Tatsuya Kawajiri and Clay Guida. Next up for Melendez is a rematch with Kawajiri in April 2011.

The Ultimate Fighter 13: Results, News and More

Sean Smith is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @BR_Sean_Smith