8. Junior dos Santos
Dos Santos burst onto the Ultimate Fighting Championship scene in 2008 and quickly began picking off elite-level contenders. By the time he finally received his shot at the title, he had already beaten Fabricio Werdum, Stefan Struve, Mirko Filipovic, Roy Nelson and Shane Carwin. None of those fights were competitive. “Cigano” challenged the heavily favored Cain Velasquez for the heavyweight crown in the UFC’s debut on Fox in November 2011. In just 64 seconds, he obliterated Velasquez with an overhand right to complete his ascent in stunning fashion. Dos Santos successfully defended the belt with a technical knockout of Frank Mir six months later, only to lose it in his UFC 155 rematch with Velasquez. The 33-year-old has gone 3-2 since, most recently picking apart Ben Rothwell across five rounds. Dos Santos will get another chance to reclaim the heavyweight title in the UFC 211 main event on May 13, when he attempts to dethrone Stipe Miocic -- a man he defeated in 2014 -- at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
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