Sherdog’s Top 10: Fighters of the 1990s

7. Igor Vovchanchyn

Easily one of the most exciting fighters ever to compete in MMA, Vovchanchyn remains a favorite within the hardcore community. The “Ice Cold” Ukrainian was a wrecking machine when the Ultimate Fighting Championship was still in its infancy but never set foot inside the Octagon. Instead, he separated opponents from their senses across various other organizations, most notably in Pride Fighting Championships. Vovchanchyn enjoyed an unimaginable run of success in his prime: Between Jan. 28, 1996 and July 4, 1999, he won 32 straight bouts, 27 of them finishes. At his peak, Vovchanchyn took on two-time UFC tournament winner Mark Kerr at Pride 7, the showdown pitting two of the era’s premier heavyweights against one another. He knocked out the exhausted Kerr in the second round but landed a few illegal knees in the process, resulting in a no-contest. The Vovchanchyn highlight reel is something to behold and includes one of the greatest finishes in Pride history -- a first-round knockout of Francisco Bueno at Pride 8 in November 1999. He retired at the age of 32 in 2005.

Continue Reading » Number 6