5 best fighters outside the UFC in 2022

The UFC is the biggest organization in all of mixed martial arts. However, with the wealth of talent that exists in the sport at the moment, there is truly elite talent competing in other organizations across the planet.

In the USA, the biggest competitor to the UFC is Bellator. Bellator used to be known as a home for out of prime UFC stars, however, that reputation has changed. These days, the promotion is home to great young talent and boasts some weight classes that are stacked enough to rival their UFC counterpart.

Asia's biggest organization is likely ONE Championship, which dominates the MMA landscape. UFC fans may primarily know about the promotion for the famous trade of Ben Askren and Demetrious Johnson but they now boast a wealth of talent, particularly in their flyweight division.

Fighters outside the world's biggest promotion are able to gain valuable experience and often earn bigger paydays than they would under the incredibly competitive UFC banner. With the wealth of talent that now exists outside the UFC, they are also still able to compete against world-class opposition.

Here are the 5 best fighters outside of the UFC in 2022:

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#5. Patrício Pitbull - Bellator

Patrício Pitbull holds a record of 32-5

At the start of last year, Patrício Pitbull might easily have found himself in the number one spot on this list.

At that point, he held both Bellator's featherweight and lightweight championships and while he holds neither belt today, the Brazilian remains one of the most dangerous men outside of the UFC.

Pitbull's fortunes took a turn in 2021 when his seven-fight win streak came to an end at the hands of a man who will feature later on this list. He lost his featherweight title in that fight and has since relinquished his lightweight title as he targets a rematch with the man who ended his run as champ-champ.

However, he didn't get into that position by coincidence and one loss should not take away from his larger body of work. Pitbull remains a massive threat at both 145 and 155lbs and is a fighter to watch in 2022.

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#4. Demetrious Johnson - ONE Championship

Demetrious Johnson holds a record of 30-4-1

Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is now heading into his fourth year competing under the ONE Championship banner. While 'Mighty Mouse' won his first three fights under the promotion, he fell short in his most recent bid for the ONE flyweight championship. Adriano Moraes knocked out the former UFC champion in one of the biggest upsets of 2021.

While the loss came as a surprise to many, Johnson's skills cannot be debated given his impressive resume. 'Mighty Mouse' won the inaugural UFC flyweight championship in 2012 and put together a historic reign with the UFC belt, successfully defending it 11 consecutive times.

It will be interesting to see how Johnson rebounds from his recent loss. With that said, should the talented flyweight rediscover the form he showed in the UFC, he will be tough to stop in 2022.

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#3. Adriano Moraes - ONE Championship

Adriano Moraes currently holds a record of 19-3

Next on the list is the man who beat Demetrious Johnson last time out, Adriano Moraes. The 32-year-old is already in the midst of his third reign with the ONE flyweight championship and looks set for a big year in 2022.

While three title reigns are impressive, they also show that he is beatable and somewhat inconsistent. During his previous tenures with the belt, Moraes won the gold, defended the title once and then lost his championship the next time out.

If that pattern repeats itself, Moraes is due to lose his belt in his next bout.

However, if Moraes is able to break that cycle and put together a lengthy run with the title, he could cement himself as one of the elite flyweights on the planet. He is in a great position to do so, having knocked out a UFC great in his most recent fight.

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#2. Vadim Nemkov - Bellator

Vadim Nemkov holds a record of 15-2

Vadim Nemkov is a big reason why many pundits feel the UFC and Bellator's light heavyweight divisions are very evenly matched.

In a stacked division featuring names like Phil Davis, Ryan Bader and Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson, the Russian has managed to rise to the very top.

Nemkov is in the midst of a nine-fight winning streak, with eight of those wins coming via finish. His next fight will be against former UFC contender Corey Anderson in the finals of Bellator's light heavyweight world grand prix.

That bout may well be his biggest challenge yet, however, should he manage to secure another victory he will start turning more heads. Nemkov is still young at 29 years old and if he continues to churn out one impressive performance after another, don't be surprised if the UFC try and get their hands on him.

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#1. A.J. McKee - Bellator

A.J. McKee holds a record 18-0

You can make a very strong case that A.J. McKee is the best talent in the world outside of the UFC. The featherweight phenom is undefeated in 18 fights. McKee, in his last fight, also won the Bellator title with a stunning first round submission of Patrício Pitbull.

McKee has consistently produced highlight reel finishes since debuting in 2015 and has earned his spot as the pound-for-pound king of Bellator.

'The Mercenary' is such a talent that fans are already discussing how a potential bout with UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski would play out.

While any potential move to the UFC is still some way off yet, look for McKee to continue racking up wins in Bellator in the meantime.

With 2022 now upon us, he truly seems to be the best fighter in the world who's not currently competing for the UFC.