Sherdog’s Top 10: Might Have Beens

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2. Rickson Gracie

Gracie went 11-0 in documented mixed martial arts bouts from April 25, 1980 to May 26, 2000, defeating each of his victims by way of submission. According to the man himself, Gracie was undefeated in more than 400 jiu-jitsu, freestyle wrestling, sambo and no-holds barred matches, though that figure is not universally accepted. What is known is that the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt was not significantly tested in officially recorded bouts.

Although he debuted 14 years earlier, Gracie truly began to make a name for himself by dominating the tournament in the Vale Tudo Japan Open in 1994. However, the field -- Yoshiniri Nishi, David Levicki and Bud Smith -- was woefully overmatched against the Brazilian, who was generally regarded as the Gracie family’s foremost practitioner of BJJ.

In fact, he was touted by his UFC tournament champion brother, Royce Gracie, as the greatest Gracie of all. He would continue to build his legend in the Far East by besting a pair of beloved Japanese professional wrestlers -- Yoji Anjo behind closed doors at his academy in Los Angeles and Nobuhiko Takada at the inaugural Pride Fighting Championships event in 1997. Gracie had a rematch with Takada under the Pride banner a year later, and he once again prevailed in decisive fashion.

While no one can dispute Gracie’s grappling credentials and his contributions to the sport, one still has to wonder how he would have fared against some of his more accomplished contemporaries. Most famously, Gracie claims to have turned down $5 million to face Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba in Pride. Over time, Gracie has been criticized in some circles for valuing his unblemished record -- whether it be 11-0 or 400-0 -- over facing worthwhile competition in a more public arena.

Number 1 » The Law Won