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#4. Jens Pulver - former UFC lightweight champion
The UFC has had many great lightweight champions, with BJ Penn and Khabib Nurmagomedov largely being recognised as the best two.
Other champions like Frankie Edgar and Anthony Pettis are also well-regarded. However, the UFC's first lightweight champion, Jens Pulver, has somehow been forgotten.
'Lil Evil' is a name that probably doesn't elicit much of a reaction from today's UFC fans, but that really shouldn't be the case. Put simply, Pulver's accomplishments still hold up with the best 155lbers in the promotion's history.
Pulver debuted in the UFC way back in 1999. Three straight wins – including a violent KO of John Lewis – put him in line to fight in the promotion's inaugural lightweight title fight.
That fight saw him outpoint Caol Uno, becoming the UFC lightweight champion and the world's top-ranked 155lber in the process.
From there, 'Lil Evil' went on to defend his title twice, against Dennis Hallman and BJ Penn, respectively. However, a contract dispute saw him abandon the belt and leave the UFC for nearly five years.
His returns wasn't as successful. He lost to Joe Lauzon and then to BJ Penn in a rematch.. However, his record of two successful title defenses has only been surpassed by Penn, Benson Henderson and Nurmagomedov in the years that have followed.
That alone should make him worthy of far more respect from modern UFC fans, but somehow, that isn't the case.
#3. Frank Mir - former UFC heavyweight champion
The UFC has many legendary former heavyweight champions. While the likes of Randy Couture and Cain Velasquez are all well-regarded today, one name who deserves far more respect from fans is Frank Mir.
Mir's time with the UFC heavyweight title was admittedly brief, but the Las Vegas native remains one of just three men to hold it on two occasions. In fact, his first reign ended without him actually losing his title inside the octagon.
That reign began when he snapped Tim Sylvia's arm at UFC 48. However, an unfortunate motorcycle accident sidelined him for over a year, forcing him to vacate the title.
For a while afterwards, it looked like the injuries he sustained would ruin his career altogether. However, a resurgence saw him put together three straight wins, culminating in a victory over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira that made him the interim UFC heavyweight champion.
Mir lost that title in a unification fight with Brock Lesnar at UFC 100. However, despite being unable to reclaim his crown, his latter days in the octagon were still massively successful.
He departed the UFC in 2016, but his wins over fighters like Nogueira, Antonio Silva, Roy Nelson, Mirko Cro Cop and Cheick Kongo make him one of his generation's most accomplished heavyweights.
Quite why he doesn't get more respect from modern-day UFC fans is a bit of a mystery, but there's no doubt that he deserves it.
