Sherdog's Top 10: Greatest Fighters Never to have Competed in the UFC

10 (Tie). Bibiano Fernandes

Brazilian champion Fernandes makes his first Sherdog top 10, just barely sneaking into a tie for the last spot, thanks to the last voter's list. Fernandes had tremendous pedigree as a five-time BJJ world champion but didn't seriously dedicate himself to MMA until his late 20s. This presents a question of how much greater he could have been, because Fernandes was a natural at MMA, developing excellent wrestling and solid striking. Initially, he started just 1-2, but one has to consider the opposition; Fernandes' second fight was against one of the best fighters in the sport then, Urijah Faber, and his third against another legend in Norifumi Yamamoto! Fernandes soon joined the top Japanese promotion of the time, Dream, and realized his title aspirations, winning its inaugural Grand Prix and becoming featherweight champion, decisioning leg-lock specialist Masakazu Imanari and needing just 42 seconds to armbar wrestling world champion Joe Warren, who would go on to have plenty of MMA success himself. After winning a split decision over Joachim Hansen, he lost his title to Hiroyuki Takaya.

That would be the last time Fernandes would lose for almost eight years and 14 fights, a streak that included winning the One Championship bantamweight title and defending it an incredible seven times in a row. The foes Fernandes defeated were decent, but nowhere near the caliber of top contenders in major North American promotions. Thus, no one really knew how good Fernandes really was or how he would stack up against the best of the UFC or Bellator in the 2010's. At any rate, he decisioned Masakatsu Ueda, submitted Kevin Belingon in the first round and won a split decision over Martin Nguyen among more notable triumphs. Finally, age seems to have caught up to Fernandes, as he lost a split decision in a rematch against Belingon at the age of 38. However, he wasn't done, beating Belingon by DQ to regain his crown and then decisively defeating him in their fourth meeting with a rear-naked choke in Round 2. Fernandes lost his championship, likely for good, against fellow Brazilian John Lineker a few weeks shy of turning 42, but it had been an outstanding career. Who knows how well he would have done in the best Western promotions in his prime?

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