Featuring Igor Vovchanchyn (46-9-1):



Igor was a Ukrainian fighter who found some acclaim in the early days of the Pride franchise. A striker with bricks for hands, his fights were always exciting. He combined fast and accurate punches and kicks with excellent takedown defense. At his peak, he had the best sprawl in mma. I can't say that he was the first fighter to use this style, but he was the first that I remember executing it so well. When standing, he was constantly striking. He would punish takedown attempts by climbing on his opponent's back and raining punches to his head and midsection.

Vovchanchyn never really broke into the top tier of Pride fighters. He was more of a gatekeeper; fighters who beat him were truly the best in the league. Everyone else was knocked out.

Also, he is actually 10-15 years younger than he looks! It's a hard life in the Ukraine.