Junior Dos Santos

Junior 'Cigano' dos Santos is one of the greatest heavyweights in UFC history and arguably the best pure boxer the division has ever seen. Crisp footwork, a snapping jab, and concussive uppercuts carried him to the heavyweight title with a stunning 64-second knockout of Cain Velasquez in 2011, on the UFC's first network-television main event.

His rivalry with Velasquez defined the era, with the trilogy turning into one of the sport's most brutal. JDS remained a top contender for years afterward, taking on the division's best, before a late-career slide against a new generation of giants led to his departure from the UFC.

For new fans, dos Santos is essential viewing: a humble, beloved former champion whose technical striking and highlight-reel knockouts shaped a golden age of heavyweight MMA. Go back and watch his title win - it still holds up as one of the most iconic moments in the division's history.