# 10 Most Influential Figures in MMA



## The Elemental Warrio (Jul 8, 2006)

I know this discussion may of have been done to death, I still think with many events happening in MMA recently I thought this now a good time to discuss this. Remember this my opinion so * Post your own top 10 (starting from "lowest" 10 to "highest" 1) influential figures who helped create MMA. *

10. Tito Ortiz: When MMA was on the rise, Tito Ortiz was the man who was on everyone's mouth. 

9. Ken Shamrock: The first time I discovered MMA was because of Shamrock's venture in the WWF. 

8. Dan Severn: Truly a legend who proves pro wrestlers aren't wussies in MMA. He was the first to hold both a major Wrestling title (NWA) and a major MMA title (UFC) at the same time. 

7. Sakuraba: His legacy is what got me really interested in MMA, at the time he was the total package in MMA. 

6. Dana White: Love him or hate him, you have to respect his achievement and how he defended MMA against closedminded idiots like the Billy O'Reilly of Fox News. 

5. The Fertittas: They rolled the dice and came up big. They have turned this sport from a bloodsport being held in dingy convention centers, into the biggest draw in Vegas. 

4. Bas Rutten and The "Shooters": Bas Rutten is also an influential figure, he started in Pancrase and is now one of the best MMA fighters ever as well as the greatest Dutch fighter ever. Dreams of a MMA fed started to come true because of wrestlers who hated to job. Guys like Masakatsu Funaki, Akira Maeda, Sayama and Nobukio Takada who although not serious MMA fighters opened the door to MMA when they founded UWF which led to UWFi, Rings, Shooto and Pancrase. Along with them were shootfighters like Bart Vale who helped spread MMA in the US. Among those 5, I like Funaki better because he made the better effort when fighting in a real legit MMA fight while Takada totally screwed up in his matches. Also because i don't about Bart Vale's record or if he had any legit matches. 

3. Gotch, Inoki and Catch Wrestling: Catch wrestling is arguably the ancestor of modern professional wrestling and mixed martial arts competitions. Catch wrestling's origins lie in a variety of styles, most notably the regional wrestling styles of Europe, particularly the British Isles (eg. Collar-and-elbow, Lancashire catch-as-catch-can submission wrestling etc.) and Asia (eg. pehlwani). The term is sometimes used in a restricted sense to refer only to the style of professional wrestling as practiced in United States carnivals just before and after 1900. Under this stricter definition catch wrestling it is one of many styles of professional wrestling, specifically as practiced in carnivals and at public exhibitions from after the US Civil War until the Great Depression. Karl Gotch, a wrestler who was unforunatly ignored in the US because of his stiffness, Gotch spread Catch Wrestling into Japan that would help create Strong style wrestling. Catch would also create great MMA fighters like Sakuraba and the Shamrocks. One of Gotch's proteges is Japanese pro wrestling legend Antonio Inoki, who had a series of MMA matches (whether they were legit or worked isn't known) at the peak of his career in the 70's and 80's. Although Inoki's match with Ali was boring, it still should be considered an influence. Inoki had fought other MMA fighters, some say they were legit and others were worked. He also helped train good MMA fighters like Fujita and promotes MMA events like the highly successful Jungle Fight founded by Wallied Ismail. 

2. The Gracies and BJJ: Love them or hate them, gotta respect their legacy and the fact they helped put MMA where it already is now. Other BJJ fighters Walied Ismail are important to mention as well. 

1. Martial artists of all centuries including Bruce Lee: Bruce Lee was definetly the most influential Martial artist of the 20th century. The JKD process could be seen as the first MMA system. Although Lee wasn't the first to come up with crossing styles, he revived the idea as the idea has been around for centuries thats how different Martial art styles came to be, they borrowed from eachother plus there are ancient stories of MMA tournaments that took place pitting warriors of different styles against each other.however masters of different styles have too much pride in their styles in the later years to the point of looking down on each other's styles.


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## anton (Oct 15, 2006)

if you're going to mention bruce lee and inoki then this should be a list of martial artists...rather then mix martial arts.


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## The Elemental Warrio (Jul 8, 2006)

anton said:


> if you're going to mention bruce lee and inoki then this should be a list of martial artists...rather then mix martial arts.


I'm afraid I have to disagree with you sir, they have made a big influence of creating MMA.


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## dutch sauce (Sep 24, 2006)

bruce lee all the way


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## Unseen (Dec 25, 2006)

Bruce Lee could have very well been the first Mixed Martial Artist.


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## Suvaco (Mar 31, 2007)

Yes, I am a strong believer in the idea that Bruce Lee "invented" MMA with Jeet Kune Do.


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## Onganju (May 26, 2006)

UnseenKing said:


> Bruce Lee could have very well been the first Mixed Martial Artist.





Wawaweewa said:


> Yes, I am a strong believer in the idea that Bruce Lee "invented" MMA with Jeet Kune Do.


Now, I'm a big fan of Bruce, but ummm... No. Those assertions would be grossly incorrect. His concepts were "revolutionary" at the time, but no where near brand new. Trying to base any claims as such would be giving the man way too much credit. I would agree that he's probably the single most influential martial artist of the 20th century, but I wouldn't credit the birth of MMA to him.


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## Unseen (Dec 25, 2006)

Not many Martial Artists, in the 60s, had as a diverse fighting stye as Bruce Lee.


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## IronMan (May 15, 2006)

My list of the top ten:

#10: Dan Severn _Really the first major wrestler and responsible for bringing the sport to the midwest. He has led to a huge succession of great wrestlers that have been titleholders in every organization._

#9: Bas Rutten _I know that alot of people would put him higher, and I think he gave alot to the sport. He added alot in terms of really bringing true Pancrase style to the US, but he's not the only one._

#8: Randy Couture _He proved that this sport was for athletes, not just for street punks. Athletic guys had come along before, but he helped alot of people see MMA as a sport, and not just a bloody spectacle._

#7: Mark Coleman _Father of the groundnpound. He really was the wrestling monster of the early days, much more than Couture or Severn, in my opinion. A fantastic fighter who defined the early groundnpound and had the charisma and passion that ignited alot of Japanese fans._

#6: Royce Gracie _Yes, the first UFC tournament winner needs to be on this list. He brought BJJ to the public and, obviously, brought submissions to the forefront of MMA. He also served, in the beginning days, as an example of a world class competitor in the sport._

#5: Ken Shamrock _He was, really the first figurehead of MMA. He debated John McCain on national television and whupped the senator's ass. A good fighter, but a great spokesman for the sport._

#4: Kazushi Sakuraba _How do I justify putting him this high on the list? Without him, Japanese MMA would probably have never taken off and we would still be living in under the Gracie Regime._

#3: Royler Gracie _Responsible for much of the funding of UFC 1, as well as the organizing and the inviting of all of the fighters. Without him, the UFC would never have become credible, and neither would the sport._

#2: Dana White _He brought the sport to the masses. Probably the greatest single achievement in the history of the sport._

#1: The Fertitta Brothers _They gambled on the UFC, they brought in Dana White and they did everything that they could to legitimize and legalize the sport. They definitely did more for the sport than any person, or even group of people, in the world._


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## Onganju (May 26, 2006)

UnseenKing said:


> Not many Martial Artists, in the 60s, had as a diverse fighting stye as Bruce Lee.


There was many of them that did. None of them had 6 internationally released movies acredited to their names. He wasn't alone (neither was he the first martial artist) when it came to cross training. Gene LeBell, Masatatsu Oyama, would also stand among those who would be named alongside Lee who tried to further their arts outside of the confines of their traditional styles. Hell, James Cagney was an amateur boxer and studied Judo. He showcased those skills in the 1945 movie Blood on the Sun. That would predate Lee by over a decade. I could probably name off a good handful of other martial artists from around the same time and earlier that fall under the same archaetype martial artist. Even if it did, I'm not downplaying his influence on the Martial Arts community for the last half century. Rather, I'd like people to keep things in a _realistic_ perspective.



IronMan said:


> #3: Royler Gracie Responsible for much of the funding of UFC 1, as well as the organizing and the inviting of all of the fighters. Without him, the UFC would never have become credible, and neither would the sport.


Don't you mean *Rorion* Gracie? If I recall correctly, isn't he the one who approached SEG about putting together the first 2 UFC's? I don't think Royler was in the states teaching yet at the time of the first UFC.


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## BigRandy (Mar 2, 2007)

I'm sorry, but I take exception when I hear or read someone saying that the UFC was the birth of MMA and especially when I hear how Dana White or the Fertitta Brothers created MMA. (Not that I am saying that anyone in this thread has said that. I do understand that people in this thread, especially the original poster was mearly stating they were influencial people in MMA which I am not disputing).

OK, a brief history of MMA ...

One of the earliest forms of widespread unarmed combat sports with minimal rules was Greek pankration, which was introduced into the Olympic games in 648 B.C. 
No-holds-barred events reportedly took place in the late 1800s when wrestlers representing a huge range of fighting styles met in tournaments and music-hall challenge matches throughout Europe. 
The first major encounter between a boxer and a wrestler in modern times took place in 1887 when John L. Sullivan, then heavyweight boxing champion of the world, entered the ring with his trainer, the Greco-Roman wrestling champion, William Muldoon, and was slammed to the mat in two minutes. The next publicized encounter occurred in the late 1890s when future heavyweight boxing champion Bob Fitzsimmons took on European Greco-Roman wrestling champion Ernest Roeber. Reportedly, Roeber suffered a fractured cheekbone in this bout, but was able to get Fitzsimmons down on the mat, where he applied an arm lock and made the boxer submit. In 1936, heavyweight boxing contender Kingfish Levinsky and the veteran professional wrestler Ray Steele competed in a mixed match, which Steele won in 35 seconds. In all three of these 'mixed-matches', the wrestler won. (So much for the Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki match in 1976 being the first)
Another early example of MMA combat was the martial art of Bartitsu, founded in London in 1899, which was the first martial art known to have combined Asian and European fighting styles and which saw MMA-style contests throughout England, pitting European and Japanese champions against representatives of various European wrestling styles. (So much for the theory that Bruce Lee developed the first MMA fighting style with Jeet Kune Do.)
Boxing vs. jujitsu contests were popular entertainments throughout Europe, Japan and the Pacific Rim during the early years of the 1900s. In Japan these contests were known as Merikan. Merikan contests were fought under a variety of rules including points decision, best of three throws or knock-downs, and knock-out/submission. 
Modern mixed martial arts are rooted in two interconnected movements. First were the vale tudo events in Brazil, followed by the Japanese shoot wrestling shows. Vale tudo (meaning 'anything goes') began in the 1920s with the famous "Gracie challenge" issued by Carlos Gracie and Hélio Gracie and upheld later on by descendants of the Gracie family. In Japan in the 1970s, a series of mixed martial arts matches were hosted by Antonio Inoki, inspiring the shoot-style movement in Japanese professional wrestling, which eventually led to the formation of the first mixed martial arts organizations, such as Shooto, which was formed in 1985. (1985, hmmm that beats the UFC by 8 years and it beats the Fertitta owned UFC by 16 years).
PRIDE Fighting Championships was initially conceived in 1997 by Kakutougi Revolution Spirits to match popular Japanese pro-wrestler Nobuhiko Takada with Rickson Gracie, the purported champion of the Gracie family of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners. The event, held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997 attracted 47,000 fans, as well as Japanese mass media attention. The success of the first event enabled its promoters to hold a regular series of mixed martial arts events, and a year later in 1998, promote a rematch between Takada and Gracie. With K-1 enjoying popularity in Japan, PRIDE began to compete with monthly showings on Fuji Television, as well as pay per view on the newly formed satellite television channel SKY PerfecTV. (Couldn't talk about MMA without mentioning Pride which enjoyed immediate popularity and never was saddled with the "Bloodsport" stigma that UFC and other US based companys faced in North America)


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## BigRandy (Mar 2, 2007)

I do however have to take issue with this statement...



The Elemental Warrio said:


> 5. The Fertittas: They rolled the dice and came up big. They have turned this sport from a bloodsport being held in dingy convention centers, into the biggest draw in Vegas.


 The International Fighting Championships became the first MMA promotion to enact rules that were recognized by a state athletic commission (Mississippi/1996). These rules have since been adopted by California, New Jersey, Louisiana, and Nevada. In Canada, the country that had once banned these events due to misinformation, the IFC rules are also the official rules for the province of Québec and IFC events have been viewed across Canada. IFC shows on RDS in Canada were the first to be a regularly scheduled MMA weekly network program anywhere in the world.
the International Fighting Championships secured the first U.S. sanctioned mixed martial arts event, which occurred in New Jersey on September 30, 2000.
UFC 28: High Stakes held on November 17, 2000 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey was the first UFC event to be sanctioned by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, held under the newly formed "Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts". 
(The UFC had already turned itself around and had already held a major sanctioned event at the Trump Taj Mahal [hardly a dingy convention center] prior to the Fertitta's purchasing the company, so they didn't turn anything around. They were able to, thanks to Lorenzo Fertitta ties to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, secure sanctioning in Nevada in 2001 and it was shortly thereafter, at UFC 33, the UFC returned to pay-per-view cable television. What I will give them credit for is the major explosion in popularity of MMA in the United States. This was due to their idea for the Ultimate Fighter reality TV series and their being willing to risk $10 million dollars to get it on the air. At this point the UFC was still losing money, so this was a major risk and you are right, they scored big time).


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## Umbravo (Feb 13, 2007)

Bruce Lee? Wasn't he an actor who had his own martial art style? Didn't know he was an MMA fighter or had anything to do with the sport today.


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## The Elemental Warrio (Jul 8, 2006)

BigRandy said:


> I'm sorry, but I take exception when I hear or read someone saying that the UFC was the birth of MMA and especially when I hear how Dana White or the Fertitta Brothers created MMA. (Not that I am saying that anyone in this thread has said that. I do understand that people in this thread, especially the original poster was mearly stating they were influencial people in MMA which I am not disputing).
> 
> OK, a brief history of MMA ...
> 
> ...


Good points, that what i meant by Martial artists of all centuries, greeks, mix tournaments...etc. However you have to take note that during Lee's time, martial artists were so proud in their own styles that they look down on the others'. So Lee didn't come up with the idea, he helped revive it.


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## Onganju (May 26, 2006)

The Elemental Warrio said:


> Good points, that what i meant by Martial artists of all centuries, greeks, mix tournaments...etc. However you have to take note that during Lee's time, martial artists were so proud in their own styles that they look down on the others'. *So Lee didn't come up with the idea, he helped revive it*.


Good to see that someone sees what has been addressed. When it comes to Lee, most Martial Arts enthusiasts are usually too far on the extreme ends of the spectrum when they view his influence. Either they view him as a sham or fake because he became famous through Hollywood/Hong Kong movies, or they view him as the second coming embodied who came down and set all the TMA practitioners free of their styles while completely re-inventing the combat arts as we know it. The truth is that he falls someplace in between.


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## Randy GNP (Nov 24, 2006)

No particular order

Dana White
Frank Fertita
Lorenzo Fertita
Rorion Gracie
Royce Gracie
Bas Rutten
Dan Severn
Bruce Lee
Ken Shamrock
Sakuraba

As, far as bruce lee goes... he was one of the few people back in the day that mixed styles. Not only that, the fact that he was an actor and had alot of fans meant every one heard about Jeet Kune Do. So even if he didn't INVENT MMA he let people know about the importance of mixing martial arts (in america) and set the stage for the success of organizatons like the UFC.

Tito Ortiz... are you kidding? No offense but the guys was a little punk with out any real skills. He can wrestle a little, and he was an agressive puncher. That's all. The only reason he was so successful is because for some reason people like fighters who talk shit.

By the way. Good job Big Randy. I wrote like a fifteen page paper on MMA for a sociology course and your post was a very condensed version of that. All though those were all early forms of MMA competition the most influential figures in MODERN MMA were different. See, despite all of those competitions and such MMA never really became popular. For instance, even though it became clear that wrestlers beat boxers, boxing remained much more popular in America. I think my ten are responsible for spreading MMA in the world, more specificly the western world, and even more specificly America. And Amercia has been a womb for MMA's growth since the formation of the UFC. it is now becoming a mainstream sport.


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## Umbravo (Feb 13, 2007)

Randy GNP said:


> No particular order
> 
> Tito Ortiz... are you kidding? No offense but the guys was a little punk with out any real skills. He can wrestle a little, and he was an agressive puncher. That's all. The only reason he was so successful is because for some reason people like fighters who talk shit.
> .


WOW And the fact that Tito beat most of the fighters the UFC put in front of him? Wait wasn't he world champion at one point i don't know maybe i'm wrong :laugh:


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## TheGracieHunter (Dec 19, 2006)

This is coming from a self confessed Shamrock fan and Tito hater......Tito has to be in there. Love him or hate him he was the face of the rebirth of mma in the modern era. To claim he has no skills is ridiculous, he's a great fighter(albeit boring fighter) who has a great record against some fierce competition........I feel dirty now but i had to say it


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## BigRandy (Mar 2, 2007)

Im still trying to come up with my list for this thread, but I am a bit confused. Are we saying influential as in their accomplishments somehow changes MMA for the better or is it about popularity, as in they helped make MMA more popular? (and yes that is for the better, but I hardly find that significant to call them influenetial). example (not MMA) David Caradine played Kwai Chang Caine (grasshopper) in the 70's tv series Kung Fu. At the time, the man had absolutely no martial arts training, but, helped to make the martial arts popular in the United States. So, does that make David Caradine an influential figure in martial arts? I hope not. But I can even stretch this example question a little thinner and say since David Caradine helped to make the martial arts popular, and since Mixed Martial Arts is derived from that, can we then say that David Caradine helped make MMA popular and thus should be considered an influential figure in MMA? OK, that is getting pretty thin, but that is where I am having my problem making my list. anyway, end of example... Also, it looks to me that alot (not all) the posts, when they refer to MMA they are only talking about the UFC and they are limiting the discussion to America or North America. I find it hard to think of MMA and not atleast think of Japan and Brazil. And I have come to take this thread as meaning Modern MMA, the sport we enjoy today.
Hmmmm this is a hard thread to do justice to. But I definately like this thread and look foreward to reading more peoples ideas concerning this.


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## Punishment 101 (May 4, 2006)

Randy GNP said:


> Tito Ortiz... are you kidding? No offense but the guys was a little punk with out any real skills. He can wrestle a little, and he was an agressive puncher. That's all. The only reason he was so successful is because for some reason people like fighters who talk shit.



dude i dont know who this post is directed too... but this thread is a question based on 1's opinion, therefore you cant tell people who and who they havent been inspired by, stopp raggin on the guy. and as you can see people have many names on there lists that havent even fought mma before... inspiration doesnt just come from a fighters in ring performance lol, outside personality has alot too do with it too.... you can say what you want about tito, he talks shit cus he hypes fights up sells tickets , makes money simple . if you think hes like that outside of the octagon and outside of work, your an idiot. no offense


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## SuzukS (Nov 11, 2006)

I think that Ortiz should be on that list, while he lacked GREAT skills (and I don't like him either), it must be said that he was the most popular MMA Fighter back when MMA was less known.


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## seancarleton (Sep 4, 2006)

Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.

Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend. Bruce Lee

If you watch some old MMA it was Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or Kick boxing Submission or Brawling now MMA is about trying to be the best well rounded fighter you can be with no one style that is what Bruce Lee was about and that is why Dana White called Bruce Lee the Father of modern MMA.


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## BJJ Boy (Jan 21, 2007)

10 - Chuck liddell
9 - Okamoto ( Creator of street fighter):laugh: 
8 - ???
7 - The Fertittas
6 - Ken Shamrock
5 - Randy Couture
4 - Helio Gracie
3 - Dana White
2 - ???
1 - ???


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## The Elemental Warrio (Jul 8, 2006)

BigRandy said:


> Im still trying to come up with my list for this thread, but I am a bit confused. Are we saying influential as in their accomplishments somehow changes MMA for the better or is it about popularity, as in they helped make MMA more popular? (and yes that is for the better, but I hardly find that significant to call them influenetial). example (not MMA) David Caradine played Kwai Chang Caine (grasshopper) in the 70's tv series Kung Fu. At the time, the man had absolutely no martial arts training, but, helped to make the martial arts popular in the United States. So, does that make David Caradine an influential figure in martial arts? I hope not. But I can even stretch this example question a little thinner and say since David Caradine helped to make the martial arts popular, and since Mixed Martial Arts is derived from that, can we then say that David Caradine helped make MMA popular and thus should be considered an influential figure in MMA? OK, that is getting pretty thin, but that is where I am having my problem making my list. anyway, end of example... Also, it looks to me that alot (not all) the posts, when they refer to MMA they are only talking about the UFC and they are limiting the discussion to America or North America. I find it hard to think of MMA and not atleast think of Japan and Brazil. And I have come to take this thread as meaning Modern MMA, the sport we enjoy today.
> Hmmmm this is a hard thread to do justice to. But I definately like this thread and look foreward to reading more peoples ideas concerning this.


All I'm asking is to give your opinion who was a good influence in the creation of MMA. I personally think David Carradine doesn't really fit in the list.

I agree what you said about posters the discussion to American MMA. Unfortunatly, many of the new wave MMA fans in the West and other countries were introduced to MMA moslty because of UFC. Some would credit TUF reality show for that, you can see this is the terrible price of achieving mainstream fame, and the result of this created something of a war between UFC fanbase and the Pride fanbase that unfortunalty goes to the point of racial insults. Many of these new wave MMA fans also also look down on those that influenced MMA like the Gracies and Japanese "Strong Style" of pro wrestling where shoot-wrestlers like Akira Maeda and Takada originally started. They even look down on Fujita just because he was a pro wrestler despite his MMA accomplishment (he came close to beating Fedor than anyone else).


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## KOMIRKO (Apr 22, 2007)

*Your 10 Most Influential Figures in MMA*

Your 10 Most Influential Figures in MMA 

This thread may of have been done to death. But , I still think with many events happening in MMA recently I thought this now a good time to discuss this. Remember this is my opinion so Post your own top 10 (starting from "lowest" 10 to "highest" 1) influential figures who helped create MMA. 

10. Tito Ortiz: When MMA was on the rise, Tito Ortiz was the man who was on everyone's mind. 

9. Ken Shamrock: The first time I discovered MMA was because of Shamrock's venture in the WWF. 

8. Dan Severn: Truly a legend who proves pro wrestlers aren't wussies in MMA. He was the first to hold both a major Wrestling title (NWA) and a major MMA title (UFC) at the same time. 

7. Sakuraba: His legacy is what got me really interested in MMA, at the time he was the total package in MMA. 

6. Dana White: Love him or hate him, you have to respect his achievement and how he defended MMA against closed minded idiots like the Billy O'Reilly of Fox News and Jim Lampley. 

5. The Fertittas: They rolled the dice and came up big. They have turned this sport from a bloodsport being held in dingy convention centers, into the biggest draw in Vegas. 

4. Bas Rutten: Bas Rutten is also an influential figure, he started in Pancrase and is now one of the best MMA fighters ever as well as the greatest Dutch fighter ever. 

3. Antonio Inoki and Catch Wrestling: Catch wrestling is arguably the ancestor of modern professional wrestling and mixed martial arts competitions (Josh Barnett). Catch wrestling's origins lie in a variety of styles, most notably the regional wrestling styles of Europe, particularly the British Isles (eg. Collar-and-elbow, Lancashire catch-as-catch-can submission wrestling etc.) and Asia (eg. pehlwani). The term is sometimes used in a restricted sense to refer only to the style of professional wrestling as practiced in United States carnivals just before and after 1900. Under this stricter definition catch wrestling it is one of many styles of professional wrestling, specifically as practiced in carnivals and at public exhibitions from after the US Civil War until the Great Depression. Karl Gotch, a wrestler who was unforunatly ignored in the US because of his stiffness, Gotch spread Catch Wrestling into Japan that would help create Strong style wrestling (a true pioneer). Catch would also create great MMA fighters like Sakuraba and the Shamrocks. One of Gotch's proteges is Japanese pro wrestling legend Antonio Inoki, who had a serious of MMA matches at the peak of his career in the 70's and 80's. Although Inoki's match with Ali was boring, it still should be considered an influence. Inoki had fought other MMA fighters, some say they were legit and others were worked. 

2. The Gracies and BJJ: Love them or hate them, gotta respect their legacy and the fact they helped put MMA where it already is now(in the words of Royce "I built this house). 

1. Martial artists of all centuries including Bruce Lee: Bruce Lee was definetly the most influential Martial artist of the 20th century. Lee's process could be seen as the first MMA system. Although Lee wasn't the first to come up with crossing styles, he revived the idea as the idea has been around for centuries thats how different Martial art styles came to be, they borrowed from each other plus there are ancient stories of MMA tournaments that took place pitting warriors of different styles against each other. However, masters of different styles have too much pride in their styles in the later years to the point of looking down on each other's styles.


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## M_D (Apr 8, 2007)

Is this most influentional to us or the sport?

Ken Shamrock: he was the man that got me watching the ufc, this was way before his wwf days. He made me a fan of the sport and also I belive is the guy taht did more for ufc then anyone. 

Royce Gracie: the man did way to much for the ufc not to be on the list and his ground game was just great. plus I liked his foot stomps. 

these are the only 2 that I would say were really influentional. Randy is getting there for the sport aspect though,and yeah bruce lee but I think he is a given


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## kamikaze145 (Oct 3, 2006)

Genki Sudo showed people how to think outside of the box and completely altered my personal fighting style
Ken Shamrock got me into MMA also. No matter what he does from now on i am still a fan
Randy showed me how important following a gameplan can be
Royce and the Gracies- Showed the world BJJ
Vitor- Showed what can happen when an explosive, well - rounded athlete does MMA
There are a few of mine


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## Asian Sensation (Oct 9, 2006)

tank abbot, hate him or love him he attracted alot of fans


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## M_D (Apr 8, 2007)

I really liked watching tank fight


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## IcemanCometh (Mar 9, 2007)

Here we go my list:
10. Jean Claude Van Damme: The movie Bloodsport the reaction amazing. Introduced to me that there is a world of underground fighting that goes on.

9. Ken Shamrock: Made UFC and MMA popular. See WWF run and "feud" with Royce Gracie.

8. Royce Gracie: Introduced the world of BJJ to MMA and started the evolution of the sport from different types of martial arts to well rounded fighters.

7. Victor Belfort: As mentioned showed what a "well rounded" fighter could do, having striking, submission, ground game.

6. Evan Tanner: one of the first champions across different wieght classes.

5. Tito Ortiz: Was there for MMA starting to blow up and took it to the next level.

4. Dana White: Has become a great poster boy for the sport.

3. Sakakibara: Headed up PRIDE FC and we all know what Pride has done for us. 

1&2. The Fertitta Brothers (Lorenzo and Frank III): Picked up UFC in 2001 and have pumped money into a dying organization to bring it back from the brink of extinction. As well as buying Pride FC forcing Zuffa and the MMA to go global.

In conclusion this list was a lot harder to make then I thought it would be.


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## Asian Sensation (Oct 9, 2006)

IcemanCometh said:


> Here we go my list:
> 10. Jean Claude Van Damme: The movie Bloodsport the reaction amazing. Introduced to me that there is a world of underground fighting that goes on.
> 
> 9. Ken Shamrock: Made UFC and MMA popular. See WWF run and "feud" with Royce Gracie.
> ...


vitor's ground and sub game aint that great and he only became champ by a fluke and tanner never became a champ at any weight other than middle and he never successfully defended it and lasty i dunno if you could really call dana white a poster boy...


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## IcemanCometh (Mar 9, 2007)

Thanks, I couldn't remember if Tanner had or not and Vitor I wasn't sure about either..may edit later.


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## Josh3239 (Mar 4, 2007)

aznmaniac0909 said:


> vitor's ground and sub game aint that great and he only became champ by a fluke and tanner never became a champ at any weight other than middle and he never successfully defended it and lasty i dunno if you could really call dana white a poster boy...


Vitor is a black belt under Carlson Gracie, but other than that I agree.


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## americanfighter (Sep 27, 2006)

i cant think of ten that really efected me but heres 5

Belive it or not Iron Mike Tyson. I actual bought the tyson holyfeild fight and watched tyson take a bite out of the compitition lirerly! People started saying It would be great if the put him in mma just to see him get his ass kicked. I thougt what is this mma everyone is talking about? 

ken shamrock was the first guy i ever heard of in the mma and thought I would check it out because of him.

Rich franklin Because when I met him I really got into it and wanted to watch him fight.

Chuck bcause of tuf when the ufc came to cable tv that is when I was hooked.

Randy My favorit fighter Watching him fight was awsome and he is a great guy in and out of the ring Anything with him in it I was sure to watch. and because he was on tuf.


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## ID06 (Dec 31, 2006)

Didn't you make this exact thread word for word before?


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## CroCopPride (Jan 13, 2007)

in my list i would put cc cuase he got me into this sport


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## KOMIRKO (Apr 22, 2007)

Iron Daisy06 said:


> Didn't you make this exact thread word for word before?


no. having deja vu?


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## ID06 (Dec 31, 2006)

no, just the thing about Tito looks so familiar from a thread like this, oh well


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## asskicker (Aug 27, 2006)

I know for a fact this exact thread has already been made. Your not crazy, IronDaisy


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## asskicker (Aug 27, 2006)

http://www.mmaforum.com/mmaforum-general-discussion/11196-10-most-influential-figures-mma.html#post147363

Found it. You stole his thread and its almost word for word. Whats up with that? O well Im merging them


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## The Elemental Warrio (Jul 8, 2006)

OMG! KOMIRKO!

I can't believe you copied my entire list word for word.


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## Punishment 101 (May 4, 2006)

its prolly the same dude , just with a different username


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## The Elemental Warrio (Jul 8, 2006)

Punishment 101 said:


> its prolly the same dude , just with a different username


Nope, I only have this username.


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## TheZar (Sep 23, 2006)

need to add Mark Coleman...he was the first fighter to introduce/ effectively practice GnP in the UFC, almost acting as a forefather for all other wrestlers making the transition from amateur wrestling to MMA...


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## TheSuplexor (Jun 2, 2006)

KOMIRKO said:


> no. having deja vu?


First you steal the thread, then you lie?
Rush/mma freak is that you?


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## The Elemental Warrio (Jul 8, 2006)

Maybe I've should have added Mas Oyama in the "Martial Artists of All Centuries", I mean he did create Kyokushin style from other styles like Muay Thai.


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## americanfighter (Sep 27, 2006)

Here is my list
Not in this particular order.
1.Ken Shamrock Put all the styles together. Lions den produced dominate fighters. Made mma know to wwf fans.
2.Frank shamrock 
3.Royce Gracie Bjj 
4.Dan Severn one of the origonal dominate fighters in mma
5.Dana white saved ufc
6.Randy Couture TUf 1 on spike 
7.Chuck Liddell TUF 1 on spike 
8.Tito Ortiz Ravalry with the lions den
9.Don fry Rivalry with ken
10.Bas Rutten


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## Onganju (May 26, 2006)

I don't think I've replied to this thread, but let me throw in my two cents with a few concrete reasons as to why. There are a lot of really "influential" figures in MMA, but I'm going to try to name a few that influenced MMA as a whole and not just what occurs in-ring.

1) Rorion Gracie - Rorion was the marketing and conceptual impetus behind the first 2 UFCs, back when it was known as *NHB* (*N*o *H*olds *B*arred) fighting. His premise was simple, take the same thing that the Gracies had become infamous for in Brazil, and present it to a world-wide audience. Well, _14 years and 70 events later we find ourselves entrenched within a new rennaisance_ in combat sports and Martial Arts in general.

2) Royce Gracie - If you were picking through the line-up of competitors for a winner in the initial UFC, you probably would not have given the young 180lbs grappler in a gi a chance. However, through artful technique and dogged persistance, Royce became an icon after the event and help revolutionize everyone's general perception of fighting. As a result, _Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu (and submission skills in general) is a staple component that needs to be in each MMA competitor's tool box_.

3) "Big" John McCarthy - This large speciman of humanity has been a UFC mainstay since the second UFC event back in 1994. Not only is he the most recognizable face in MMA refereeing, but he is _the_ defining bar of officiation when it comes to MMA. Not only the best in the business, but Big John was there from the beginning when the unified/NJ rules were put into place. If anyone has questions on the rules, Big John is your definitive source--*he helped write the book*!

4) Ken "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Shamrock - Now this may vex some as to why I place him here on this list. Ken has had a long, storied career that spans the long gone glory days of Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling, to the UFC, to the WWF/WWE, back to the UFC and now in the IFL and has had less than stellar outings as of late. So why do I place him here? Simply put, _Ken Shamrock is the defining archeatype for a marketable champion and is the UFC's first bona fide "super star."_ He had the look, the charisma, and an admirable set of skills and talent to back it up. There is a reason why CBS chose him to spotlight on the "World's Most Dangerous" list, and (like him or not) his personage has been a pioneering and driving force for MMA for a long time now.

5) Mark "The Hammer" Coleman - _Mark Coleman was the driving force behind the amateur wrestler's presence in MMA._ As a heavyweight, "The Hammer" was not only a domineering visage, but he was also dominant in his early career. He showed that a wrestler's ability to take down and ride an opponent out while punishing them was a valuable tool. While Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn had used "ground and pound" tactics in fights they had before, it was Coleman's vicious implementation of the style that gained its coined monicker. With Coleman's entrance into the UFC, he gave a lot of competitive grapplers an avenue to keep competing outside of the collegiate realm and it opened the doors for many an aspiring MMA competitor (Mark Kerr, Kevin Randleman, even Randy Couture - just to name a few).

6) Maurice Smith - "Big Mo" is to strikers what Mark Coleman is wrestlers. With 75 professional kickboxing matches spanning over 11 years (62W/45kos, 9L and 4D), his striking pedigree is probably the best in all of MMA to date. However, no one gave him a chance once he stepped into MMA to compete. Grapplers were all the rage and they were viewed as unbeatable monsters by the grand majority of NHB followers, and with good reason (Art Jimmerson, Milton Bowen, Ron Van Clief, and the list goes on). After his stunning TKO win over Conan Silviera, those with their ears to the ground began to take notice. After his win over Mark Coleman, people were wondering what had just happened. _Maurice Smith had single-handedly put the striker back on the MMA landscape_, showing that a fighter who is primarily a striker is dangerous when trained correctly and confidently opened the doors for other strikers like Chuck Liddell, Mirko Fillipovic, Mark Hunt amongst many others. 

7) Frank Shamrock - This man needs no added nickname. Love him or hate him, you cannot deny his presence in the MMA ring. What made Frank Shamrock such a force? Was it his grappling skill? Was it his striking skills? Was it his unparalleled conditioning? Well, to be completely honest, it was all of those things. He wasn't an elite "master" in any single discipline. Rather, he was excellent at all of them. As a result, he was dangerous in all fight situations: Standing and striking, taking his opponent down and wrestling, fight off his back with submissions, and was strong from the beginning of the fight all the way into the later minutes. *Frank Shamrock is the archaetype that defines what a modern MMA competitor needs to be*, a jack-of-all-trades that is competant (and dangerous) in all fighting situations.

8) Kazushi Sakuraba - If you bring up Sakuraba's name to many newer fans, you may be met with ambivalence. However, you bring up Sakuraba's name to MMA competitors and you will be met with never ending praise and respect. It isn't just because he's a nice guy. Rather, Sakuraba is one of the fiercest and most cerebral of competitors that has ever stepped into MMA. When the Gracies were completely untouchable, Sakuraba proved that the "riddle of BJJ" could be solved and not only beat them, but he did so in dominant fashion. But his accomplishments were not confined to simply being "The Gracie Hunter," as _he faced a wide variety of opponents (many of which were much larger than him) and brought something new to the table each and every time_. A large number of techniques were considered completely ridiculous within the MMA realm before Sakuraba showed that it could be done and utilized regularly and lethally (turning side kicks, jumping stomps and punches, the cartwheel guard pass, the mongolian chop, amongst many others). Further, his showmanship was apparent inside and outside of the ring, which proved that fighters could be more than just voiceless machines (Sudo, "Mayhem" Miller, "Rampage" and many others can thank him for that). Above all else, Sakuraba proved that tons of heart and a quick mind were indispensible to the modern MMAist.

9) Randy Couture - Randy is very unique on this list as he has been present through both the "Old" and "New" UFCs, and has been highly competitive and successful while doing so. While his W15/8L record isn't stellar in mathematical terms, the accomplishments he has garnered while building that record are phenomenal. He is the first 5-time UFC World Champion, and the only UFC champion to win belts in multiple weight classes. He has done all this while competing with athletes a decade or more younger than himself which is unheard of in combat sports. Further, he continues to be one of the most modest and stellar ambassadors for the sport of MMA. Above all else, Randy has proven time and again that the modern MMA competitor has to train dilligently and must be able to change his gameplan for each and every opponent to be successful. While many MMA competitors fall into routine fight plans and depend on a select set of tools fight-in and fight-out, _Randy has proven over and over that you have to continuously learn and expand your game to stay competitive_. That is the biggest reason why Fedor is a stalwart Couture fan.

10) Dana White - Whether you love him or hate him, you have to respect Dana White. As a reformed boxing promoter, Dana had a vision for the UFC (and MMA in general) that eclipsed the simple promotion of a martial arts style. _When Dana White re-launched the UFC under the Auspices of Zuffa, he did it with hopes to legitimize MMA as a sport._ Fast forward 41 events and 6 years later, the UFC is now one the hottest items on PPV, has a weekly cable show, is holding international events, and is now being embraced by ESPN and Sports Illustrated. Now, everyone knows that the Fertitas front the money, but the planning, marketing, and management efforts have been handled (for the most part) by Mr. White. Love him or hate him, MMA would not be where it is if he was not part of it.

Now there are many others out there that can definitely be mentioned, but doing so will make this already long post even longer. That's my list (for now). I hope it didn't bore you.


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