The 10: Europe's Finest

His first step in that journey came with a come-from-behind, overtime knockout of Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, and culminated with one of the more controversial victories in UFC history — a split decision win over Kevin Randleman at UFC 20. He was forced to retire due to persistent injuries before making one final appearance in 2006 — a first-round stoppage win at WFA: King of the Streets, which allowed Rutten to end his career on an incredible 22-fight unbeaten run.

Andrei Arlovski

Arlovski is 43 years old.

He’s made 38 UFC appearances and 23 UFC victories — tied for second-most in UFC history in each category — and he’s currently on a four-fight winning streak, having won six of his last seven overall.

He made the walk to the Octagon 29 times and every single one of them took place on the main card, including 14 main event appearances. He won the light heavyweight competition on Season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter, established himself as a divisional staple and perpetually polarizing (yet always compelling) figure in the middleweight ranks, and had an absolute fairytale moment when he captured UFC gold on short notice by knocking out Luke Rockhold at UFC 199.

Bisping is one of 10 fighters to earn 20-plus UFC victories, and for the better part of a decade, he was undeniably one of the faces of the company — a persistent figure hovering around the middleweight title picture before finally capturing the throne late in his career.

“The Count” rightfully took his place in the UFC Hall of Fame in 2019.

Alistair Overeem

Although he was never able to add the UFC heavyweight title to his collection, there is no denying the impact Overeem had on the landscape of the division and the fact that he was an ever-present threat during his 20-fight UFC career.

Overeem’s debut opposite Brock Lesnar at UFC 141 was as must-see as they come — a menacing force that had been dominating outside of the promotion for years colliding with the returning former champion in a bout that would instantly catapult the winner into the championship mix. Overeem won in less than half-a-round, and while things got rocky soon after, the Dutch striker reinvented himself and re-established himself as a threat in the heavyweight ranks.

He fought for the title at UFC 203, nearly catching Stipe Miocic in a guillotine choke that would have turned the fans in Cleveland apoplectic had their hometown hero lost, and remained a permanent fixture in the Top 10 until the very end. Overeem headlined eight events in 20 fights, including each of his final five appearances, and never stopped looking for ways to improve his game.

Overeem fought an elite collection of heavyweight title spanning multiple generations, and although he came up short in his quest to claim championship gold, he was always in the hunt.

Conor McGregor

From his debut to his lightweight title win at UFC 205, McGregor was an absolute force of nature — a mystic who predicted things and made them happen in the Octagon; the first “Champ-Champ” in UFC history, and one of the biggest sporting stars on the planet.

Going 8-2 in a division as deep and talented as bantamweight while ascending to the top of the mountain is an impressive enough feat to earn a spot in this collection, but also highlights that Yan’s case as one of the best European fighters in UFC history is likely only to continue improving as his career progresses.

Next up for the former champion is a date with Sean O’Malley at UFC 280 in October.

Alexander Gustafsson

Gustafsson is going to be remembered for his heartbreaking losses more than his impressive collection of wins, and that’s okay, because it’s in those setbacks that you really see just how good “The Mauler” was during the prime of his career.

The Swedish light heavyweight lost his second UFC start before rattling off six consecutive victories to earn the chance to face Jon Jones for the title at UFC 165, where he promptly pushed “Bones” to the brink, only to come up agonizingly short. Two years later, Gustafsson landed opposite Daniel Cormier with championship gold again hanging in the balance, and once more, the verdict didn’t go his way.

I was there in Houston at UFC 192 and his bout with Cormier remains one of the best I’ve seen in person — a tooth-and-nail back-and-forth battle where both were exhausted, yet neither was giving an inch. Only one person could win that night, but Gustafsson didn’t lose anything in defeat.

The 35-year-old is the quintessential “you had to be there to understand” fighter. I was there in person for a few of them, and watched all of the others, and no string of unfavorable results, no failure to claim championship gold will ever alter what I saw first-hand: that Alexander Gustafsson was one of the best light heavyweights of his generation and unquestionably one of the top European talents in UFC history.

Leon Edwards

Recency bias?

Maybe, but in addition to claiming the welterweight throne in dramatic fashion last weekend, Edwards’ thrilling win over Kamaru Usman also pushed his unbeaten streak to 11, and putting together that kind of run in a division as deep and talented as the 170-pound ranks shows this is more than just a “prisoner of the moment” pick for this group.