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

8. Sergei Kharitonov

A massive Russian heavyweight who has the look of an action-movie villain, Kharitonov is a lethal striker with devastating knockout power. He burst on the MMA scene in Pride, where he racked up four quick wins, all by KO or submission in the first round. When he knocked out eventual four-time K-1 World Grand Prix winner Semmy Schilt, it set up a showdown with an all-time great in Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the 2004 Pride heavyweight grand prix semifinals. Though Kharitonov suffered his first defeat to the Brazilian legend, his star was on the rise.

Kharitonov went on to score key victories over Murilo Rua, Pedro Rizzo, Andrei Arlovski, Alistair Overeem and current UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum. However, he has yet to win a major mixed martial arts championship. Now 35, Kharitonov signed with Bellator MMA in February.

Number 7 » Igor Vovchanchyn