5 ranked UFC fighters who you've probably never heard of

#2. Sergei Pavlovich – ranked #15 in the UFC heavyweight division

Sergei Pavlovich has dropped out of the spotlight due to his inactivity, but he remains a dangerous heavyweight

The UFC heavyweight division has seen many solid prospects rise to fame in the past few years.

The likes of Tom Aspinall and Chris Daukaus have broken through while the best prospect – Ciryl Gane – now holds UFC gold. However, one ranked heavyweight whose name might not be that well known with UFC fans is #15 ranked Sergei Pavlovich.

There’s a simple reason why Pavlovich remains largely unknown with fans despite his obvious talents. The big Russian hasn’t fought since October 2019, where he defeated Maurice Greene via TKO.

That win was his second inside the octagon, and he followed that with a thunderous knockout victory over Brazilian prospect Marcelo Golm. Since then, though, Pavlovich has been on the shelf, with planned fights against Gane and Aspinall both falling through due to injuries.

Nevertheless, the Russian remains one of the more talented heavyweights on the UFC’s roster. At 6’ 3” and 238lbs, he isn’t the biggest fighter in the division, but he makes up for that with his speed and surprisingly heavy hands.

At the time of writing, Pavlovich is set to return to the octagon in December to take on Tanner Boser. As he’s still only 29, he could still climb the ladder to the top, becoming a much more known entity in the process.

---

#1. Sean Brady – ranked #13 in the UFC welterweight division

Sean Brady remains unknown despite being on the verge of the welterweight division's top ten.

The UFC’s welterweight division has traditionally been one of the promotion’s most stacked. So it should come as a surprise that any fighter ranked inside the top 15 might be flying under the radar with UFC fans.

However, #13 ranked Sean Brady would probably be a name plenty of UFC fans would not even recognise. That is despite the fact that he’s 4-0 in the promotion and 14-0 in MMA overall.

There’s a reason why Brady remains outside the conscience of casual UFC fans. None of his four victories in the octagon have come on the main card of a UFC event. While most of the promotion’s fights are televised these days, he has yet to secure a truly viral finish.

Nevertheless, there’s no denying the 28-year old, who fights out of Renzo Gracie’s camp in Philadelphia, has been impressive. Brady has finished his last two opponents. He has taken out Christian Aguilera and Jake Matthews via submission, and won a $50K bonus for the former victory.

Brady’s next fight could shine the spotlight on him. He’s pegged to face off with #7 ranked Michael Chiesa in his first main-card bout later this month. If he can win that one, he’ll definitely become more prominent in the eyes of UFC fans.

For now, he remains a somewhat unknown entity, which doesn’t sit well, considering his talent.