With the long awaited UFC debut of lightweight Eddie Alvarez taking place at UFC 178 on Saturday, September 27, 2014, we take a look at some of the best fighters who are not in the UFC.
Ben Askren: There is no good reason as to why Ben Askren is not already in the UFC. Askren is easily the most dominant welterweight who is not in the UFC. The former Bellator and current ONE FC Welterweight Champion is 14-0 with his last four fights not making it to the judges’ scorecards. The outspoken Askren has had some less than positive things to say about the president of the UFC, Dana White. The timing and situation of his release from Bellator certainly has not helped his ultimate goal of proving that he is the best welterweight in the world. The UFC should want the best welterweights in the world to be in their promotion regardless of some of the things they have to say. It could very well be that ‘Funky’ Ben Askren is the best welterweight on the planet and if he’s not, he definitely could beat many of the guys in the top 15 of the UFC rankings. Ben Askren belongs in the UFC because he is one of the best there is.
Michael Chandler: With Eddie Alvarez fighting at UFC 178, there is no way that Michael Chandler does not make this list. Chandler and Alvarez had two of the best fights in Bellator history where they each picked up a victory. Chandler, who is the face of Bellator, is one of the best lightweights in the world and many would argue that he should be 2-0 vs Alvarez, as well as still being undefeated. Chandler possesses a 12-2 record with five out of his last six fights being for the Bellator Lightweight Championship. Coming off of back-to-back split-decision losses to Eddie Alvarez and Will Brooks, the Alliance MMA fighter looks to take back his title when he faces Brooks at Bellator 131 on November 15, 2014. Regardless of what promotion he is in, Michael Chandler is one of the best fighters that there is.
Marlon Moraes: The only World Series of Fighting guy to make the list is bantamweight phenom Marlon Moraes. In a division where the UFC lacks contenders, it should not be long until we see Moraes in the octagon. The Brazilian has compiled a record of 14-4-1 with nine of his wins coming by way of knockout or submission. Riding an eight fight win streak as well as being 6-0 in WSOF, there are not many bantamweights who look better. Also, training with former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar can only make a fighter better and Moraes still has yet to reach his ceiling. Marlon Moraes is one of the best bantamweights in the world who is not in the UFC.
Pat Curran: This may be one of the more surprising choices for this list, but Pat Curran has been an elite MMA fighter for many years now. Having just lost his Bellator Featherweight Championship to Patrício Freire and being just 1-2 in his last three fights, Curran is not at the highest point of his career. At just 27-years-old, Curran still has a while left in this sport and has already put together a record of 20-6. Curran has fought for the Bellator Lightweight Championship where he lost to Eddie Alvarez, but he found his most success in the featherweight division where he was able to become Bellator Featherweight Champion twice and successfully defended it two times as well. Pat Curran may have come up short in his last fight, but he is still an elite featherweight and one of the better featherweights to not be in the UFC.
Cristiane Justino: When talking about women’s MMA there are two names that come to mind, ‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey and Cristiano ‘Cyborg’ Justino. Before there was Ronda Rousey, ‘Cyborg’ was considered the best women’s fighter on the planet, which many still believe she is. ‘Cyborg’ has been calling out Rousey for a long time now, but fights at 145, whereas Rousey competes at 135. ‘Cyborg’ wants to be considered the best fighter in the world and is dropping down to 135 in hopes of eventually being able to face Rousey. ‘Cyborg’ has yet to have an opponent announced, but the Invicta FC Featherweight Champion is expected to make her bantamweight debut at Invicta FC 10 in December. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt under André Galvão has not lost since her MMA debut back in 2005. Since then, she has 12 wins and one no contest which was originally a TKO win, but overturned due to testing for a banned substance. Having 10 of her wins coming by knockout, ‘Cyborg’ is considered one of if not the best striker in all of women’s MMA and is certainly the best female fighter not in the UFC.
Honorable Mentions: Will Brooks; Jessica Aguilar; Bibiano Fernandes; Daniel Strauss; Eduardo Dantas; Patrício Freire; Alexander Shlemenko.
