6. (tie) Forrest Griffin/Stephen Bonnar
On Apr. 9, 2005, American’s were treated with a free viewing of one of the most intense mixed martial arts fights of all time. Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar entered the octagon to fight for the first TUF championship.
What they left in the octagon was a higher standard in competition. Now, when most fans think about how they want a fight to go, they think of Griffin/Bonnar. Two fighters that left it all out there.
This event served to launch the popularity of the UFC to new levels with a new, younger fanbase who reveled in the fact that they didn’t have to pay $50 to see a good fight.
5. Matt Hughes
Matt Hughes was the UFC’s first long-time champ. Hughes’ long lasting career and welterweight title run lasted until current champ Georges St. Pierre took his rightful place on the throne, usurping the aging Hughes.
Hughes represented the good-old farm boy with the hardcore work ethic. He was, and still is, as American as apple pie and poorly built cars. He is at the end of his MMA career, but his impact and long tenure in the UFC showed that fighters could last and truly make a career out of being a mixed martial artist...or at least a wrestler that competes in mixed martial arts.
4. Randy Couture
The Natural, Captain America, Randy Couture, whatever name you use for him, they all mean the same thing: perseverance. Randy Couture has left a string of championships that go back to 1997. He has been both heavyweight and light heavyweight champion, and it wasn’t until the age of 45 that he seemed to finally come to his end as a champion.
His story and longevity have done wonders in creating buzz and viewership in the UFC from his immensely popular fights with Chuck Liddell to his ESPN covered fight with Brock Lesnar.
Couture is the model of work ethic and class who will leave a legacy for the future fighters of the UFC to try and live up to for years to come.
3. Royce Gracie
Yes, Royce Grace ranks third on the list. He was the first, second, and forth UFC tournament champion. He introduced BJJ to the majority of US fans. He showed that it isn’t the size of the fighter, it is the skill. His legacy just isn’t as great as people seem to remember.
The Gracie family have a fighting legacy that is long and untouchable, they have impacted the UFC greatly, just not as much as two other fighters. BJJ has it’s place in the UFC, but mostly just the submissions.
To this day, few fighters are able to display true examples of BJJ, often being overshadowed by top level wrestlers who are used to grinding out wins.
It has taken over a decade of fighters like Damian Maia and Nike Diaz to show a BJJ dominant fight plan that can actually produce success in the UFC.
2. Tito Ortiz
Much like Frank Shamrock, Tito is a love-him-or-hate-him fighter. However, regardless of how a person may feel about Tito the person, Tito the fighter was the new face of the UFC’s revolution. He was young, brash, and responsible for the first real drama in the UFC thanks to his feud with Shamrock’s Lion’s Den.
The Huntington Beach Bad Boy has since gone his own way after far too much disputing with Dana White and seems to be up s**t creek with EliteXC folding, but he can always hold onto the memory that he used to be the best and most recognizable fighter the UFC had to offer, not to mention the best fighter you could select on the first UFC video game.
1. Chuck Liddell
The Iceman. Thanks to Juliet Lewis, Chuck had fans before we even knew we were his fans. With his trademark mustache, close-cropped mohawk, and protruding stomach, Liddell long served as one of the best pure strikers in the UFC and MMA in general.
His reign as champ coupled with his explosive knockouts drew more fans to the UFC than any other fighter. He was blunt and easy to watch and love. His popularity brought in advertisers and his endorsements made him the first fighter to earn $1 million in a year.
His face was every any time the UFC was referenced. He was the UFC’s first true international superstar. What the UFC is today is thanks in the greatest part to Chuck Liddell.
All of these fighters had their stake in making the UFC what we see today. Ranks may very depending on the reader’s preference for the fighter; however, one thing is certain, no matter who you think had the biggest impact, if it weren’t for these 10 men, the UFC just wouldn’t be the same.
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