UFC Best Ever Series: Best Fighters Not in the UFC

Zak Drapeau
5 days ago
5 min read

by Zak Drapeau

Sportz Nation 3/25/2026

Photo by Fayez Nureldine/ AFP via Getty Images

Honorable Mentions:

Paul Hughes (PFL)

Lightweight MMA

14-3

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Samet Agdeve (ONE)

Heavyweight MMA

18-0

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Thad Jean (PFL)

Welterweight MMA

11-0

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Anatoly Malykhin (ONE)

Middleweight, Light Heavyweight

and Heavyweight MMA

14-1

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Top-10

10. Yuki Yoza (ONE)

Bantamweight and Flyweight

Kickboxing and Muay Thai

22-2

The only ONE Championship fighter to crack my list and only NON-MMA fighter, Yuki Yoza is criminally underrated in the MMA community. 3-0 in the PFL, Yoza defeated "one of" (if not THE best) kickboxers in Superlek last November to extend his multi-promotional win streak to 13.

Almost exclusively a kickboxer, Yoza is only 28 and challenging for the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing Championship next where he is the favorite. This guy is probably someone you've never heard of but I'm putting you on to game right now... go watch the tape.

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9. Corey Anderson (PFL)

Light Heavyweight MMA

20-6

Anderson is one of those guys who had a very good UFC career, but an even better career outside of it. 7-1 in the PFL, Anderson's only loss is to the #2 fighter on this list where he almost won.

A legit Mixed-Martial artist, Anderson is the current LHW champ in PFL and on a 4-fight swin streak currently. At 36-years old, his career is entering it's twilight and yet he's shown no reason to believe he's ready to give up his spot atop the Light Heavyweights.

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8. Francis Ngannou (FA)

Heavyweight MMA

18-3

Francis may be #1 on this list if we are taking in account of everything from his Lineal Heavyweight Championship claim to not losing an MMA contest since 2018. However, he also has only competed in 1 of those contest since 2022 in an albeit, impressive first round finish of Renan Ferreira.

Francis will return at the MVP Promotion's MMA Event on May 16 vs Phillipe Lins. It'll be interesting to see if the "ring rust" is visible or not but if we get the old, 2020-UFC version of him I will have to re-assess and put him higher.

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7. Timur Khizriev (PFL)

Bantamweight and Featherweight MMA

18-0

Khizriev probably has the craziest entry on this list so get ready.

After an unblemished 18-0 record including a flawless win of the 2024 PFL Featherweight championships, Khizriev was among the Top-5 of this list but was shot multiple times in Russia and hasn't competed since.

Likely to return by mid-to-late 2026, Khizriev will likely get a fight with the best of either the 145 or 155-divisions and if he comes back to a win will shoot up this list.

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6. Johnny Eblen (PFL)

Middleweight MMA

16-1

Before July of last year, Eblen would have made the Top-3 of this list. In July the then-16-0 Middleweight champion lost for the first time to Van Steenis via a cinematic 5th round Submission in a fight he was winning.

Before that Eblen had a 5-fight, Title fight win streak that was the stuff of legends, beating names like Mousasi, Edwards and Kasanganay. Eblen should no doubt get back on track in 2026 and likely get his rematch with Van Steenis where this ranking will be on the line.

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5. Ramazan Kuramagomedov (PFL)

Welterweight MMA

14-0

A perfect 14-0 record puts Kuramagomedov in the Top-5 of this list but if we're being critical, he hasn't fought too many elite fighters yet. His title reign began by defeating Jason Jackson and his most impressive win was in February in a UD win over then-undefeated Shamil Musaev.

Before the Musaev fight, Ramazan would have been closer to the back of this list but now as a true claim to the elite status. Another fighter trained by Khabib, we are just starting to see his career blossom at only 29-years old.

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4. Costello Van Steenis (PFL)

Middleweight MMA

18-3

Van Steenis has only been Middleweight Champion in PFL for less than a year but has proved he is among the most lethal Martial Artists in the world over the last 5 years.

Defeating Fabian Edwards twice and Johnny Eblen by submission in a Classic comeback win to win the Championship, Van Steenis has soared up the rankings over his current 4-fight win streak all but finishes.

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The GOATs

3. Dakota Ditcheva (PFL)

Woman's Flyweight MMA

15-0

So far ahead of any other Woman not in the UFC, Dakota Ditcheva is arguably a Top-5 female fighter in the World today including the UFC. 10-0 in the PFL including wins against 3 of the other Top-4 fighters in her promotion.

Before her most recent win in July of 2025, Ditcheva was on a 9-fight knockout streak including 7 in the First Round. A former Muay Thai and Kickboxing World Champion, think about a PFL-Valentina but only 27-years old. This girl is the future.

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2. Vadim Nemkov (PFL)

Heavyweight MMA

20-2

After getting bored of the Light Heavyweight division with a 4-fight title defense streak of his championship, Nemkov decided to make the move to Heavyweight where he continued his dominance and became Champion in a little over a year.

Currently on a 13-fight win streak over guys like Ferreira, Anderson, Romero, Davis and Bader, Nemkov has the most impressive resume on this list. His only 2 losses were in RIZIN when he was 23 and includes Jiri Prochazka. Since that time Nemkov has become one of the best Heavyweight jiu jitsu artists in history and has shown no indication that is reign is in any danger of falling.

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1. Usman Nurmagomedov (PFL)

Lightweight MMA

21-0

The gap between Usman Nurmagomedov and the rest of the fighters on this list is huge. The best version of a fighter from the famous Dagestani camp that is not in the UFC, since beating the champion in 2022 Usman has taken on and dismantled everyone who dared challenge him in the Lightweight division.

Still only 27 years old, Usman has taken on 6 of the best Lightweights in the world in championship fights and beaten them all. It seems destined that Nurmagomedov will make the jump to the UFC as all of his teammates have done especially now that the UFC's Lightweight division no longer has Islam Makhachev running it.

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