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The UFC’s roster has expanded like crazy over the years. These days, the promotion is home to twelve different weight classes and hundreds of fighters. With the UFC now boasting such a huge roster, it’s only natural that a number of fighters become underappreciated by the fans for a variety of different reasons.
Some of these fighters are underappreciated because they’re not quite good enough to contend for a UFC title. Others have quiet personalities that don’t exactly sell well.
Some even end up being underappreciated simply because they’ve been around for so long, fans forget quite how good they are.
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So with this considered, here are five of the most underappreciated fighters in the UFC today.
#5. Drew Dober – UFC lightweight contender
While not ever UFC fighters can climb the ladder into title contention, plenty become hugely popular simply by implementing an exciting fighting style. The likes of Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, Derrick Lewis and Dan Ige have all become fan favorites. This is due to their ability to put on exciting fights and finish their opponents, even if none of them have ever worn UFC gold.
However, one of the most exciting fighters on the UFC roster today – Drew Dober – somehow remains underappreciated by fans.
The reason for this is honestly a mystery. It’s true that Dober isn’t the most charismatic fighter on the roster, particularly on the microphone. Whenever the native of Denver, Colorado gets into action though, fireworks ensue.
An aggressive striker with a penchant for brutal knockouts, Dober has slowly evolved his game over recent years, something he attributes to training with former UFC interim lightweight champ Justin Gaethje.
While he hasn’t climbed into title contention just yet, his victories over the likes of Polo Reyes, Alexander Hernandez and Frank Camacho were wildly entertaining.
Despite losing his last two fights, it doesn’t look like Dober will change his straightforward, head-hunting style any time soon. This should mean he eventually becomes a fan favourite with UFC crowds. Until then, though, he’ll remain one of the promotion’s most underappreciated fighters.
#4. Magomed Ankalaev – UFC light heavyweight contender
Arguably the most underappreciated fighter in the UFC light heavyweight division is Magomed Ankalaev. While fighters such as Aleksandar Rakic, Johnny Walker and Jiri Prochazka have earned plenty of plaudits, the Dagestani fighter has somehow flown under the radar.
Ankalaev might not get much attention from UFC fans, but there’s no disputing his talent inside the octagon. After suffering a last-gasp loss to Paul Craig in his UFC debut, Ankalaev has reeled off six straight wins in impressive fashion.
It isn’t like the Dagestani isn’t exciting to watch, either. Four of his six wins have come via stoppage, with his knockouts of Ion Cutelaba and Dalcha Lungiambula being terrifyingly brutal.
Essentially, Ankalaev might be the most well-rounded fighter in the division. Like his countrymen Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, he’s a phenomenal wrestler with powerful takedowns, but he also possesses brutal striking skills to go with it.
Fighters like Makhachev, as well as Khamzat Chimaev and Zabit Magomedsharipov have all been labeled 'the new Khabib'. Why the same label hasn’t been thrown at Ankalaev remains a mystery.
This weekend sees Ankalaev face off against former UFC title challenger Volkan Oezdemir. If he can win impressively, he may not be flying under the radar for much longer. For now, though, he remains widely underappreciated.
#3. Francisco Trinaldo – UFC welterweight contender
The UFC’s roster might be huge these days – bloated, even – but it’s becoming ever-trickier for a fighter to stay on that roster for a lengthy period of time. Every week, it seems that the UFC cuts a number of fighters who’ve lost a handful of fights at recent events.
That’s why current welterweight fighter Francisco Trinaldo deserves far more appreciation from UFC fans.
Despite never quite climbing into contention for either the UFC lightweight or welterweight titles, ‘Massaranduba’ has been able to keep afloat in the promotion since June 2012.
During this time, Trinaldo has stepped into the octagon on 24 occasions, winning 17 of his fights while losing just seven. It’s not the greatest record ever, but it’s definitely not one worth sneezing at either.
‘Massaranduba’ has also proven himself to be an exciting fighter for the most part. His finishes of Jai Herbert, Evan Dunham and Chad Laprise were both highly memorable and highly violent.
More to the point, when Trinaldo made his UFC debut in 2012 against Delson Heleno, he was already 33 years old and probably should’ve been coming to the end of his athletic prime. Somehow though, despite being 43 years old now, he still seems as athletically gifted and explosive as ever.
Add in the fact that he’s the lone survivor of the first season of TUF: Brazil, and it’s safe to say that ‘Massaranduba’ deserves much more appreciation than he gets from UFC fans.
#2. Marlon Vera – UFC bantamweight contender
Undoubtedly one of the most exciting fighters operating in the UFC’s bantamweight division today, it’s safe to say that Marlon Vera deserves a lot more appreciation. In fact, it could be argued that ‘Chito’ is as underappreciated by the promotion itself as he is by UFC fans.
The native of Ecuador is currently ranked thirteenth in his division by the UFC. Despite falling to defeat in the majority of his biggest fights, he’s definitely one of the best in the world at 135lbs.
However, for the most part, ‘Chito’ remains underappreciated. Even when he took out highly touted prospect Sean O’Malley at UFC 252 in 2020, many fans – as well as O’Malley himself – chose to blame the result on an injury to ‘The Sugar Show’, refusing to give Vera his due credit.
In truth though, ‘Chito’ is a ruthless finisher who only needs a very small window of opportunity to put his opponents away. Vera has eleven victories in the octagon – with just two of them coming via decision.
Add in the fact that he’s a highly charismatic fighter who refuses to back down from any opponent and it makes no sense why ‘Chito’ isn’t a fan favourite right now. Essentially, he’s the very definition of an underappreciated fighter.
#1. Andrei Arlovski – UFC heavyweight contender
Most of the UFC’s former champions are largely revered as legends in their own right. This applies in particular to fighters who held titles before the UFC really soared in popularity fifteen years or so ago.
Fighters like Matt Serra, Rich Franklin and Sean Sherk are all fondly remembered. Somehow, Andrei Arlovski – a former UFC heavyweight champion – remains largely underappreciated by UFC fans, despite still ticking away in the division today.
It’s perhaps this extreme longevity that’s caused ‘The Pitbull’ to be underappreciated. Arlovski won the UFC heavyweight title back in 2005 after defeating Tim Sylvia. He then defended it successfully against Justin Eilers and Paul Buentello. Only one fighter – Stipe Miocic – has made more defenses of a UFC heavyweight title than Arlovski.
Most fans figured that the native of Belarus was finished at the top level when he lost four fights in a row outside the UFC from 2009 to 2011. However, an unexpected resurgence saw him return to the UFC in 2014. After beating the likes of Travis Browne and Frank Mir, he somehow wound up in title contention once again.
While Arlovski didn’t quite make it that far – and ended up on a five-fight slide at one point – he’s been able to turn things around again in the years that have followed.
While he seems to lose as many fights as he wins these days, the fact that he’s still plugging away at the age of 42 – beating much younger prospects like Carlos Felipe and Tanner Boser – means he warrants much more appreciation from UFC fans than he receives.
