Sherdog’s Top 10: Best Fighters Never to Compete in the UFC

2. Shinya Aoki

At 32 years of age, Aoki still has plenty of time to someday join the ranks of the UFC. Until then, he will remain something of a mystery man to a wider audience.

One could make the argument that Aoki has established himself as the best ground fighter in the sport, as evidenced by the 25 submission victories on his resume. A black belt in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, he has run circles around many opponents on the mat. Aoki has put his talents on display in Deep, Shooto and Pride Fighting championships, compiling wins over Joachim Hansen, Eddie Alvarez, Caol Uno, Gesias Cavalcante, Vitor Ribeiro, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Caol Uno and Kazushi Sakuraba. He still has never lost back-to-back fights.

Currently on a nine-fight winning streak, Aoki holds the One Championship lightweight title. He has won previous championships in Shooto and Dream.

Number 1 » Fedor Emelianenko