UFC: The 50 Most Important Fighters in UFC History

With the recent news of the UFC signing a seven-year deal with Fox, it is safe to say this 18-year-old sport is on its way to becoming "officially mainstream."

But in order to appreciate the now, we must look back—back to the multitude of fighters that got this sport through the dark ages of near-extinction and helped build the UFC into a new kind of sports organization.

Power ranking the 50 most important fighters in UFC history is not a job for mere mortals, at least not this one—so please forgive me for simply putting them in (roughly) chronological order.

Let the debate begin.

Royce Gracie

Say what you will about the Gracies being overrated and not being able to keep up with the sport (there is certainly something to those arguments), but the fact of the matter is that the Gracies—and their representative in the first few UFC events, Royce Gracie—were more responsible for creating the sport and giving the UFC life than any other fighter.

This is what makes him Hall of Fame worthy, the fact that it was he and his clan that enabled the existence of the sport itself, even if this was not his or their intention.

Art Jimmerson

Why is a guy who was 0-1 in the UFC important? Because through his loss fans learned of the limited nature of stand-up arts such as boxing. Without an Art Jimmerson to beat up on, there could be no Royce Gracie.

Ken Shamrock

Ken Shamrock was a fighter in the early days who had significant "mixed fighting" experience outside of the UFC before he came to fight there; he had been a King of Pancrase before he was ever in the UFC. 

Shamrock, despite losing to Royce Gracie at UFC 1, came back and ultimately was able to win the UFC Superfight championship against Dan Severn at UFC 6.

Shamrock was important because he was marketable (his face hadn't received a whole lot of wear and tear, and he had the body-builder physique that to many people signifies toughness) and helped create the UFC's first rivalries (Shamrock-Gracie, Shamrock-Severn) as well as one of the Zuffa-owned UFC's most successful rivalries with Tito Ortiz.

Shamrock was one of the UFC's first well-known icons and as such deserves to be one of the most important fighters in UFC history.

Fred Ettish

Fred Ettish is one of the most lambasted figures in the sport, but that practice won't continue here. Again, people may be upset to see a 0-1 fighter on the list, but the fact of the matter is that Ettish demonstrated what happens when a "black belt" from a questionable school gets into a fight when he met kickboxer Johnny Rhodes at UFC 2.

While he may not be significant in the grand scheme of the UFC, he is significant to the grand scheme of the UFC's legacy in the martial arts world (i.e. disproving the skill of guys like Ettish).

Thus, he does have his importance in some way.

Tank Abbott

David "Tank" Abbott was brought in to show that a street brawler couldn't beat a true martial artist. In fact, that is where his "Tank" moniker came from, after the brawler character Tank Murdock of Every Which Way but Loose fame.

Say what you will about a below .500 fighter being on a list of the most important UFC fighters, but the fact of the matter is that Tank Abbott really was one of the biggest draws of the time period.

He had a fighting style and churlish attitude that, at the very least, made people intrigued and got them to part with their cash for a ticket or a pay-per-view buy.

Abbott was one of the few celebrities of the early days and as such deserves a place as one of the 50 most important fighters in UFC history.

Marco Ruas

Marco Ruas is another forgotten name in MMA.

He was a Brazilian known as "The King of the Streets." Ruas managed to win the UFC 7 tournament by chopping down the massive Paul Varelans with leg kicks in the 13th minute of their bout.

He came up short in the Ultimate Ultimate 1995 semifinals to Oleg Taktarov and was never seen in the Octagon again.

Why is he important? Because in his fight against Varelans he showed that the true skill and technique of a martial artist will always win out against the raw power of a bigger, lesser skilled opponent.

Minoki Ichihara

Minoki Ichihara is the last 0-1 fighter on the list (I promise). Why was he so important? His loss to Royce Gracie at UFC helped demystify the legends that were karate black belts.

People thought that a black belt in "karate" was nigh invincible, and when you added that he was from Japan, it was a guarantee that he was tough.

Ichihara's crushing defeat at the hands of Gracie helped put this myth away. Even though it was Gracie who got the win, the lesson could not have been learned without Ichihara.

Keith Hackney

While Keith Hackney only achieved a 2-2 record in the Octagon, he performed better than any other striker did against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu's (or more specifically Gracie Jiu-Jitsu's) representative Royce Gracie.

He also provided two great highlight-reel moments: toppling a massive sumo wrestler that outweighed him by several hundred pounds and obliterating the poor genitalia of Joe Son. These were some of the most memorable moments in UFC history, so not including Hackney would be almost criminal in nature!

Plus, like Marco Ruas, Hackney showed that size doesn't matter when skill is involved.

Dan Severn

Dan Severn was the first fighter in the UFC to showcase wrestling's dominance as a combat sport. This alone is enough to make him one of the most important fighters because wrestling has become so prevalent in the UFC.

Severn is also famous for performing a series of neck-crushing suplexes against Anthony Macias and even stymieing Royce Gracie for a significant amount of time before being submitted.

He won two tournaments (UFC 5 and Ultimate Ultimate 1995) and the UFC Superfight championship against Ken Shamrock in the infamous "Detroit Dance" at UFC 9.

Gary Goodridge

While Gary Goodridge is only 4-4 in his UFC career, his brutal beatdown of Paul Herrera at UFC 8 gained the UFC the ire of people who sought to destroy the sport.

People may say, "Isn't that a bad thing?" In the short term it was, but in the long term, the long arm of the law attacking the UFC was ultimately a good thing. It forced the UFC to regulate itself and make the sport more progressive. This would be invaluable for shedding the UFC's "bloodsport" image in the future.

Don Frye

Don Frye was one of the toughest of the early UFC fighters (as well as one of the most well-rounded)—with the most powerful mustache in MMA to complement his grizzled attitude.

He was a two-tournament winner (UFC 8 and Ultimate Ultimate 96), and he made it to the finals at UFC 10.

His personality and ability to strike and wrestle made him one of the premier fighters at the time and one of the most important fighters to ever grace the Octagon.

Steve Jennum

Steve Jennum is one of the most infamous names in UFC history.

He managed to capture a spot in the UFC 3 tournament finals due to Royce Gracie bowing out from exhaustion and Ken Shamrock getting injured.

Jennum was pitted against Canadian karate stylist Harold Howard. The fight wasn't competitive, and Jennum won the tournament as an alternate that only had to fight once.

From that point alternates were made to fight one another to earn the alternate spot.

Jennum never went on to do anything of note in the Octagon again. He is only on this list because he did in fact win a championship and force a dramatic rule change, making him at least somewhat important (at least back then anyway).

Guy Mezger

Guy Mezger is one of the unsung heroes of MMA history. He has a 4-1 record in the UFC and managed to win the UFC 13 tournament, choking out Tito Ortiz in the process.

He went on to fight in Japan but unfortunately lost most of his high-profile fights. Perhaps that is why he has been unfairly forgotten.

Nevertheless, Mezger was one of the few fighters in the early days to be well rounded in all areas, and he deserves to be remembered as an important fighter for it. In addition, he should be remembered because him handing Ortiz defeat may have provided the young "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" with increased motivation and fire to get in the cage and dominate.

Pedro Rizzo

Pedro Rizzo was a feared Brazilian heavyweight striker in the late days of the pre-Zuffa UFC.

He has an impressive highlight reel and a few impressive victories, but he ultimately fell short of the most important thing: a UFC championship belt.

Nevertheless, he was an important fighter throughout his five years with the UFC; he was one of the only few stars to help keep the company going in the "dark ages" of the sport and produced many memorable fights for the organization.

Maurice Smith

Maurice Smith was one of the few UFC fighters in the early days to have substantial experience in mixed martial arts (although he had a losing record) before coming to the UFC.

He won the UFC heavyweight title from Mark Coleman and defended it against Tank Abbott but eventually lost it to Randy Couture. He didn't do much else with his career afterwards.

Still, Smith is important because he showed the increasing importance of being a well-rounded fighter (specifically in his fight against Coleman), an aspect that would become crucial in mixed martial arts.

Oleg Taktarov

Oleg Taktarov was one of the few people of the pre-Zuffa days (especially in the first 10 events or so) that had an advantage tantamount to bringing brass knuckles in the cage with you.

What was that advantage? Knowing how to grapple.

Taktarov won the UFC 6 tournament and contended for the first UFC Superfight championship. He also fought in the finals of the Ultimate Ultimate 1996 tournament.

Vitor Belfort

Vitor Belfort was aptly nicknamed "The Phenom" in part for the phenomenal beatings he was putting on fighters in the early UFC events.

In the pre-Zuffa days he went 5-1 and won the UFC 13 heavyweight tournament. In the Zuffa era, Belfort is only 4-3 but has won the UFC light heavyweight championship (over Randy Couture at UFC 46) and contended for the UFC middleweight championship against Anderson Silva.

Belfort will always be remembered for his devastating hand speed and power, but more importantly for what can happen to a young prospect if you put him against top competition too soon (see: Charles Oliveira).

Mark Kerr

"The Smashing Machine" was at one time considered one of the best fighters in the world.

He won back-to-back UFC tournaments (14 and 15) and is one of only three fighters on this list to have done so. His "Smashing Machine" moniker was no exaggeration. He was one of the most feared fighters in the history of the UFC. 

Unfortunately, Kerr's life hit hard times, and his career was ultimately a disappointment; his record is now 15-11 after starting 12-0.

Mark Coleman

Mark Coleman was one of the most dominant wrestlers UFC had seen. He was big, muscular, strong and vicious—a real animal.

He is often credited with being the first fighter to perfect and make "ground and pound" his primary strategy and is thus called "The Godfather of Ground and Pound" by many.

He won back-to-back tournaments (UFC 10 and UFC 11) and was the first ever UFC heavyweight champion. Although afterwards his career did briefly hit a rough point, his importance in the history of the UFC cannot be exaggerated.

Frank Shamrock

Another fighter with a wealth of experience before entering the UFC, Frank Shamrock too made use of this knowledge to dominate the competition that was still trying to catch up.

He became the first UFC light heavyweight champion at UFC Japan, defended it four times and then dropped the belt due to lack of competition. Had he stuck with it, maybe he would be even more important in the grand scheme of things.

Jens Pulver

Jens "Lil' Evil" Pulver was a pioneer of the lightweight division and the very first UFC lightweight champion.

He was the first man to defeat BJ Penn, and his presence at lightweight helped keep the then thin division from falling apart. Once he left the UFC the first time, Penn and Caol Uno fought to a draw in a lightweight title fight, and the title was retired for several years.

Pat Miletich

"The Croatian Sensation" Pat Miletich was just that back in his day.

Miletich already had 19 fights and a 17-1-1 record by the time he entered the UFC in 1998.

He won the lightweight tournament at UFC 16. Miletich then became the first-ever UFC welterweight champion at UFC: Ultimate Brazil and had four successful title defenses—all of which took place while the UFC was owned by SEG.

Militech would lose his title to Carlos Newton in Zuffa's second UFC event, UFC 31. Miletich only had four bouts in his career after losing his title.

Nevertheless, he deserves a spot on a list of the most important UFC fighters for his accomplishments.

Tito Ortiz

Love him or hate him, Tito Ortiz was one of the most crucial figures in the history of modern American MMA.

He was one of the most dominant UFC light heavyweight champions in the organization's history, and he helped to garner the UFC and MMA as a whole many fans thanks to the feuds created by his brash personality.

Chuck Liddell

Simply put, "The Iceman" was the very face of mixed martial arts during his prime in the UFC. When someone thinks of a "cage fighter," they think of Chuck Liddell.

Liddell was a UFC light heavyweight champion and successfully defended his belt four times before losing it.

Say what you will about the later days of his career—Liddell was a living legend in his day and could still probably beat up any keyboard warrior who criticizes him.

Andrei Arlovski

Some fans may think Andrei Arlovski is naught but a has-been now, but back in his prime UFC days he was one of the fiercest competitors in the organization.

Arlovski had the look (muscular, long hair and vampire fang mouthpiece), the fighting style and the whole "foreigner" mystique about him. When he became UFC heavyweight champion, many felt he would stay the champ for a long, long time.

However, the next fighter on the list put a stop to that.

Tim Sylvia

Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia has become sort of a laughingstock now, but back in his day he was a feared striker.

In addition to being a title holder, he was on the wrong side of two very well-known moments in MMA: Frank Mir's breaking of his arm and Randy Couture's successful emergence from retirement to capture the UFC heavyweight crown.

Matt Hughes

Matt Hughes was one of the most dominant champions in the history of mixed martial arts.

He defended his UFC welterweight title seven times and has the most wins in the UFC of any fighter in the organization's history at 18.

Hughes was once the unstoppable force at welterweight until he met the immovable object, Georges St-Pierre.

Wanderlei Silva

Even though Wanderlei Silva's career hit a severe slump when he went to the UFC and many are calling for him to retire, he will always be a legend in the sport of MMA.

Silva was the winner of the 2003 Pride middleweight grand prix and was one of the most feared fighters in the world during his prime.

Unfortunately, as with many legends, Silva fell from his prime, which caused many to deride and doubt him. "The Axe Murderer" will always be a legend in the sport and one of the most important fighters in the UFC despite the harsh musings of keyboard warriors.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was a former Pride and UFC champion who most certainly deserves a spot as one of the most important fighters in the UFC for the same reason Wanderlei Silva does: He is a legendary figure even if most of his accomplishments were outside of the UFC.

He has gone an impressive 32-6-1 (1 NC) in his career so far and has become a legend for his ability to absorb punishment yet come back with a submission victory.

He is also one of the leading members of the famous Black House stable and is the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor of Anderson Silva.

Nogueira isn't the strongest, smartest or most skilled on the list, but he certainly has the most heart of any fighter in the history of mixed martial arts or just the UFC.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua is another legend from Pride (where he was the Jon Jones of his day) whose legacy has been wrongfully tarnished because of lackluster fights in the UFC against Forrest Griffin, Mark Coleman and Jon Jones.

Nevertheless, Rua is a former Pride and UFC champion who defined an era not only in Pride but in mixed martial arts as a whole.

Dan Henderson

Dan Henderson is one of the most highly decorated fighters in the history of the sport and was the only man in MMA to have titles in two separate weight classes simultaneously (the Pride middleweight and welterweight titles, which roughly correspond to light heavyweight and middleweight in the UFC respectively).

Henderson also won the UFC 17 middleweight tournament and is the current Strikeforce light heavyweight champion.

When he came into the UFC, it was one of the most anticipated debuts in the company's history, and he didn't disappoint. He had two legendary fights with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Anderson Silva, and even though he lost, the significance of the fights cannot be overlooked.

He further added to his legacy by defeating the once revered Fedor Emelianenko at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson.

While he didn't accomplish much in the UFC, if other Pride legends are on the list, Henderson deserves it too.

Rich Franklin

Former UFC middleweight Rich Franklin was a marketable figure in his time and helped to maintain and increase the UFC's popularity during the post-Ultimate Fighter season one era until he ultimately lost to Anderson Silva and moved to light heavyweight.

Even there, Franklin provided several memorable fights.

Frank Mir

Frank Mir was a UFC heavyweight champion and was one of the fighters who helped keep the heavyweight division going when the ranks were thin.

In addition, he helped give shape to Brock Lesnar's career by having two action-packed fights with the former WWE star.

Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar

Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar put on one of the most exciting fights in UFC history on perhaps the most important night in the company's history: the finale of The Ultimate Fighter season one.

The fight is credited with putting the UFC "on the map," and it could not have been possible without both fighters.

Griffin is a bit more important than Bonnar overall, though, since he did manage to earn the UFC light heavyweight title as well as coach The Ultimate Fighter for one season; he also wrote several books and is a fan favorite.

Matt Serra

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra is one of the most important men in the history of the UFC, not only because of his stunning upset victory over Georges St-Pierre at UFC 69 but also because of the implications of that fight, as well as his contributions to MMA as a whole.

By losing to Serra, St-Pierre was shown that he needed to take training more seriously. It was a critical moment in St-Pierre's career, as he used the fight as motivation to propel himself to the success he enjoys today. Thus, Serra helped to make St-Pierre the champion he is today.

Serra even impacts the UFC outside of the cage by running his two academies on Long Island, New York, where he guides the next generation of champions such as Chris Weidman and Costantinos Philippou.

Michael Bisping

Many criticize UFC middleweight Michael Bisping, but the fact of the matter is that Bisping was a large part of the UFC's successful expansion to the UK. How could the UFC do well there without a native fighter to market?

People will say that any other English fighter could've achieved Bisping's popularity, and while that may well be true, any other English fighter didn't achieve marquee star status—Bisping did.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

None can deny that Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, the man who ended the Chuck Liddell era and captured UFC light heavyweight gold with one punch, is one of the most important figures in the UFC's history.

He is famous for unifying the Pride and UFC light heavyweight belts and being arguably the UFC's most most memorable character.

BJ Penn

BJ Penn is considered the greatest lightweight fighter of all time and is one of only two men to earn titles in two separate weight classes in the UFC.

Penn has a veritable "who's who" of beaten opponents, which includes former UFC champions Jens Pulver, Matt Serra, Sean Sherk and Matt Hughes and former PRIDE champion Takanori Gomi, as well as wins over contenders over Caol Uno, Renzo Gracie, Kenny Florian and Diego Sanchez.

Dan Hardy and Jon Fitch

Why are these two grouped together? The truth is that British striker Dan Hardy and American wrestler Jon Fitch represent different sides of the same (important) coin and are equally important figures.

Dan Hardy represents being an "entertainer" over just a fighter as well as the marketability aspect of MMA as a whole; if Hardy weren't British and didn't like to "bang," would he still have a job with the UFC after four straight losses?

Jon Fitch, on the other hand, represents the "athlete" side that seeks to win at all costs—no matter how "boring" the fans who can't appreciate the intricacies of grappling think it is.

Both of these men are extremely important because they each highlight the extremes of the "exciting vs. effective" issue so well.

Junior dos Santos

Brazilian heavyweight slugger Junior dos Santos will be one of the most important fighters in UFC history even if he doesn't capture gold from champion Cain Velasquez at UFC 139. At 26, dos Santos is young enough to have a bright future even if he loses.

With his amazing striking ability as well as his well-rounded game overall, dos Santos will definitely be a force at heavyweight for some time to come and will most certainly be one of the best heavyweights of all time in the UFC.

Chael Sonnen

In the short time that Chael Sonnen has been in the spotlight, he has made a legacy that will last forever.

His trash talking is legendary, but most importantly, he managed to save Anderson Silva's popularity with it and provided one of the most spectacular fights in UFC history at UFC 117 against Silva but came out on the losing end.

Brock Lesnar

While he may be disliked by many fans, former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was ultimately a boon to the UFC for bringing a massive number of fans and much more public interest to the sport and the heavyweight division.

Jose Aldo

Jose Aldo was and still is the first ever UFC featherweight champion. He brought highlight-reel moments to a division that sorely needed it since it lacked a significant amount of mainstream recognition and credibility, the WEC notwithstanding.

Jon Jones

If the hype is true, then current UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones will be one of the most important UFC fighters due to the fact that he is the harbinger of the next generation or era of mixed martial arts.

Jones is technically undefeated (with the only loss coming by way of controversial disqualification) and is one of the most feared men in MMA today.

Cain Velasquez

Cain Velasquez is the current UFC heavyweight champion, and if he stays healthy and successful, will be one of the most important fighters because he will aid the UFC in finally captivating the Mexican and Latin American demographics once and for all.

Anderson Silva

Again, this one sort of goes without saying. Current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is considered the pound-for-pound best fighter and greatest of all time by many people, including UFC president Dana White.

Silva is on an unreal 13-fight winning streak, the last eight fights of which have been successful title defenses (which is a record as well). Silva also has the record for longest title reign at just shy of five years (he won the title in October 2006).

He has never lost in the UFC and is literally a living legend for the amazing antics and maneuvers he has pulled off in his fights, as well as his unbelievable accolades.

Georges St-Pierre

This one sort of goes without saying, since many people are familiar with St-Pierre's status as UFC welterweight champion and one of the pound-for-pound best fighters of the modern era.

St-Pierre has had six straight title defenses and is approaching his seventh against Nick Diaz at UFC 137. He is currently on a nine-fight winning streak and is 17-2 in the organization overall.

Randy Couture

What can be said about former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Randy Couture that hasn't been said thousands of times already?

He is/was one of the most legendary figures in MMA and the UFC. In fact, an entire article was written about why he is the most important UFC fighter of all time. Instead of not giving the article justice by summarizing it, the full piece is linked here.

Upset your favorite fighter or a fighter you think is important isn't on the list? Please post in the comments below, but keep in mind just because the fighter isn't on the list doesn't mean that fighter is bad or overrated or what have you.

Matt Saccaro is a Bleacher Report featured columnist and avid fan of MMA. For more articles like this and for 140-character insights into MMA, follow @mattsaccaro.