In the MMA world, UFC is the biggest promotion right now. It is watched all over the world and is also more popular than other MMA promotions. Although there have been competitors like PRIDE FC, Bellator, and Strike Force that have made a dent in UFC’s dominance, they have not had any close competitors for years. Whenever a fighter gets the opportunity to fight in the UFC, they jump on it. However, there were some fantastic and talented MMA fighters who never made it to the UFC, or at least haven’t had the opportunity yet.
Gina Carano
Gina is one of the best female fighters who never stepped inside the UFC Octagon. She was a part of several women’s first fights, in addition to being a part of the first women’s fight in Nevada, she was also a part of the first nationally televised women’s MMA fight. She defeated some notable fighters, such as Tonya Evinger, Kaitlin Young and Julie Kedzie, during her career. Her only loss was to Cris Cyborg for the Strikeforce Featherweight Championship, which was also her last appearance in the cage.
Yaroslav Amosov
The Ukrainian fighter Yaroslav Amosav is currently 30 years old and one of the greatest fighters in the MMA world. He hasn’t lost a single professional bout in his career until now and is sitting on an unbeatable record of 27-0. He signed with the Bellator welterweight division in 2018 and is going on with an impressive stint. “Dynamo” has already dominated Erick Silva, Douglas Lima and Gerald Harris. He has won most of his bouts by submission.
AJ McKee
McKee is a phenomenal young athlete in MMA. He is the son of former MMA fighter Antonio Makie. AJ has made some great strides in Bellator after making his debut at the age of just 20 in 2015. “Mercenary” has dominated every contest since then. He has only lost one fight in Bellator, which was last year against Patricio Bull. AJ is a former Bellator Featherweight Champion and is currently on a record of 20-1.
Vitor Ribeiro
Ribiero was once one of the best wrestlers in the MMA world. “Shaolin” rose to prominence in the early 2000s, first in WFA promotion and then in Japan’s Shooto rings. During his time in Shooto, the Brazilian got major wins over fighters such as Tatsuya Kawajiri, Joachim Hansen and Mitsuhiro Ishida, while his only loss came in a rematch with Kawajiri. Ribeiro also fought in promotions like Strikeforce and retired in 2013. After retirement, he became a referee for UFC events starting in 2015. Currently, he is a BJJ constructor at his academy.
Joe Warren
For a very brief time, Joe Warren was not only called the greatest featherweight but also one of the best bantamweights in the world. When Warren was a young fighter, he competed in the Bellator season two featherweight tournament and won the entire tournament. He defeated Joe Soto to win the featherweight title. Before deciding to move up to bantamweight, Warren lost his title to Pat Curran after a few fights and took the 135-pound bantamweight crown after defeating Eduardo Dantas at Bellator 128. He had some of the major wins against Patricio Pitbull, Chase Beebe, Marcos Galvao and Chase Beebe.
Kayla Harrison
Olympic and World Champion Kayla Harrison is one of the most accomplished Judokas of all time. She announced her move to MMA in 2016 and signed with the PFL. Since then, she has had an amazing MMA career and is already a PFL Lightweight Tournament champion. Six years into MMA and Kayla is already one of the greatest female fighters who has never fought in the UFC. She has only suffered one loss since her MMA debut, which was the previous year against Larissa Pacheco in the final of the PFL Lightweight Final. This was her second time reaching the finals.
Douglas Lima
Arguably the best welterweight outside the UFC promotion, Douglas Lima is a sensational fighter. The Brazilian is a multiple-time Bellator welterweight champion who has defeated some of the best MMA fighters, such as Michael Page, Rory MacDonald, Andrey Koreshkov and Lorenz Larkin. Although Douglas Lima has never entered the UFC, his brother Dhiego Lima was on the UFC’s roster from 2017 to 2021.
Shinya Aoki
The Japanese fighter Shinya Aoki was a great wrestler in the MMA world, but the strange thing is that in his 59 professional fights, “Tobikan Judan” never stepped in the UFC octagon. Aoki has spent the majority of his career in Asia-based promotions such as RIZIN and ONE Championship, and during that time, he has defeated some of the greatest fighters. He has won over the likes of Kazushi Sakuraba, Eddie Alvarez, Caol Uno and Eduard Folayang. His current record is 47-9-1.
Patricio Pitbull
Patricio Pitbull is the best fighter in the history of Bellator and has been the greatest featherweight outside of the UFC for a long time. He has been competing in the Bellator since 2010, where he is the current three-time featherweight champion and former Bellator Lightweight Champion. He went undefeated in the promotion for five years, from 2016-2021 until he lost to AJ McKee at Bellator 263. Pitbull has defeated amazing fighters like Michael Chandler, Emmanuel Sanchez, Daniel Straus and Daniel Weichel in his illustrious career.
Fedor Emelianenko
Febor Emelianenko is one of the greatest fighters of all time. He came close to signing with the UFC several times, but it was never finalized. Despite this, of all the weight classes, he is without a doubt the greatest ever. He has won over seven former UFC champions including Sylvia, Arlovski, Nogueria, and more. Fedor has also defeated the likes of Mirko Cro Cop, Chael Sonnen and Mark Hunt. It still surprises many that, despite being such an incredible fighter, Emelianenko never stepped inside the UFC octagon.
Also Read:- Great MMA fighters who never won the UFC title
