I figure I’d start my top 10 lists with Under Rated fighters.

10.  Jason “Mayhem” Miller: He’s had a good run in MMA and is still running.  At his UFC debut he went 3 full rounds with current UFC Welterweight Champ Georges St. Pierre.  Mayhem fought a tough opponent in one bloody match.  Mayhem went on to fight in smaller organizations, winning the ICON Sport Middleweight Champion, and fighting for the vacant Strikeforce Middleweight Title against a tough Jake Shields.  Besides fighting Mayhem finds time to appear on Bully Beatdown, a reality show, and a weekly spot on Jason Ellis’ radio show on Sirus Radio.

9.  Jake Shields:  The self-proclaimed leader of the “Scrap Pack” from Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Shields has been undefeated in his past 13 bouts while fighting tough competition. The current Strikeforce middleweight champ, people seriously doubt him against Dan Henderson.

8.  Mike Pyle:  UFC Fighter Pyle is one of the best submission specialists in the UFC welterweight division.  Out of his 27 professional fights, he has won 15 of them by submission and usually in the first round.  In his first professional fight he went the distance with fellow newcomer and former Pride and UFC champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.  Any one of Jacksons 37 opponents will tell you that it is not an easy task.  Pyle also recently co-starred in the third installment of Universal Soldier: Regeneration alongside Andrei Arvloski and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

7.  Heath Herring:  Any man who can KO another man before the fight starts is okay in my books.  But I guess his excessive career in MMA also helps.  He’s faced the best, and whether he’s lost or won, he always seems to display excellent skill.  He is the only man to go the distance with Brock Lesnar, after having to step in for Mark Coleman.  I’m still waiting for his long overdue return to the Octagon.

6.  Eddie Alvarez:  He may be one of the least known fighters on the list, but his record will prove otherwise.  Alvarez holds multiple titles in 2 weight classes from Bellator and MFC.  He’s only gone the distance twice, out of his 21 professional fights, from which he has won.  He may not have the best laundry list of fighters he’s stopped, he has stopped them and in devastating fashion.  His only two losses have come from Nick Thompson and #2 Lightweight in the world Shinya Aoki.  Alvarez is a force to be reckoned with, and it’s only a matter of time until we see him dominating Strikeforce, WEC, or even the UFC.

5.  Shinya Aoki:  Unless you’re a hardcore MMA fan, you’ll probably recognize Shinya Aoki from “Hello Japan” on youtube.  Not to well known on the American market, Shinya Aoki has been dominating Japan since 2003.  Sherdog and MMA Weekly have even called him the #2 Lightweight fighter in the world.  The American market may be ready to see him on TV, as rumors have been circulating about a possible Strikeforce deal, and a possible fight against Lightweight Champ Gilbert Melendez.

4.  Yushin Okami:  Probably one of my favorite fighters in MMA, he holds notable wins over Evan Tanner, Anderson Silva, and Mike Swick.  Fans and critics alike tend to criticize Okami’s show and tell in MMA.  Regardless of his lackluster fights and slow starts, he finishes fights and in excellent fashion.  After only his second loss in the UFC against #1 contender Chael Sonnen, he will step back in to fight Lucio Linhares.

3.  Evan Tanner:  The self taught MMA fighter has had a string of wins in MMA, and even held the UFC Middleweight title at one time.  He’s fought many veterans including Heath Herring twice, Phil Baroni, Rich Franklin, and Tito Ortiz.  During his career, Evan Tanner had a serious alcohol problem, which he expressed after his fight with Kendall Grove, but he always managed to show promise in the UFC.  Sadly he was taken too soon from us, and we can only imagine how his career would have been.

2.  Dan Severn:  The man is 51 years old and still showing he can stand and fight with the young ones.  A UFC hall of famer, UFC 5 and Ultimate 95 Tournament winner, UFC Suprefight title, and 13 National AAU wrestling championships are only a few of his many accomplishments.  He’s scheduled to face Buddie Dixon at KOTC Calgary on March 18^th, 2010.  Expect this MMA writer to be there just for the one fight.

1.  Ryan “The Real Deal” Ford:  This man is so under rated it’s not even funny.  He may not be in the UFC or Strikeforce, but he’s a deadly force in MMA.  Hailing from Edmonton, Alberta he has been dominating the scene in Edmonton and across Canada.  A deadly force standing and on the ground, he’s finished most of his fights by either KO or submission.  His most recent fight came with a 13 second finish against John Walsh this past December.  It’s only a matter of time before we see Ryan “The Real Deal” Ford in big leagues.