UFC Legends and thier place in history - Fight Forum - MMA - UFC - Boxing - K1

The Phenom · 02-16-2006, 11:33 AM

I was just sitting back thinking about all of the recently retired(Couture)/should retire(Shamrock, Kimo, Tank Abbott)/or UFC legends that have gone elsewhere(Belfort) and what thier place in UFC history is. Here's my top ten of UFC fighters in history.

* This is based on titles won, strenghth of opponenets and taking in to consideration the way the UFC has chaged over the years.

1.) Randy Couture
2.) Royce Gracie
3.) Matt Hughes
4.) Chuck Liddell
5.) Ken Shamrock
6.) Tito Ortiz
7.) Vitor Belfort
8.) BJ Penn
9.) Rich Franklin
10.) Pat Millitech

Notables: Don Frye, Mark Coleman, Kimo, Tank Abbott, Oleg Taktrov, Andre Arlovski, Marco Ruas, Pete Williams, Dan Severn, Pedro Rizzo

Thats the best top ten I could think of. Let me know what you guys think.

RebLMunkE · 02-16-2006, 12:04 PM

I'd stick with the same people pretty much but reorder them.

1.) Randy Couture
2.) Matt Hughes
3.) Royce Gracie
4.) Dan Severn
5.) Chuck Liddell
6.) Ken Shamrock
7.) Vitor Belfort
8.) Pat Millitech
9.) Pedro Rizzo
10.) BJ Penn

My Notables:
Tito Ortiz, Andre Arlovski, Tank Abbott, Guy Mezger, Frank Mir, Kimo, Marco Ruas , Ricco Rodriguez

Based just off what I think of them

Jras0001 · 02-16-2006, 02:32 PM

for the most part, i agree. i think there is grounds to argue that royce gracie could be in the number 1 position. He won the 1st ufc, he was undefeated in the ufc, and hes pretty much what the ufc was in its earlier stages. a true legend of the octogon.

i think i could also put don fry in the top ten but unsure as to just how high yet.

on a side note, anyone know what oleg taktrov is doing now? is that guy still fighting anywhere or what? i remember a match where his oponent ran across the ring at him and he just stood there, when he got to him, he grabed him, fell backwards and held onto his head and choked him out in like 12 secs of the fight. one of the coolest things i had ever seen in the ufc. just wondering where he went to after the ufc. i still remember him choking out tank abbot...

rhtufts · 02-16-2006, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jras0001

on a side note, anyone know what oleg taktrov is doing now? is that guy still fighting anywhere or what? i remember a match where his oponent ran across the ring at him and he just stood there, when he got to him, he grabed him, fell backwards and held onto his head and choked him out in like 12 secs of the fight. one of the coolest things i had ever seen in the ufc. just wondering where he went to after the ufc. i still remember him choking out tank abbot...

He has been in a lot of movies... mostly small parts but he had a big part in "15 minutes" with Roboert Deniro and did an awesome job. Oleg is my favorite fighter from the early UFC's.

AikaImmortal · 02-16-2006, 05:28 PM

My top 10 of the old(er) school, in no order.

* Mark Coleman
* Don Frye
* Pat Miletich
* Dan Severn
* Marco Ruas
* Pedro Rizzo
* Frank Shamrock
* Ken Shamrock
* Oleg Taktarov
* Carlos Newton (not as old as some of these guys but hey)

Jras0001 · 02-16-2006, 05:41 PM

i really like your list AikaImmortal except for one thing, i sure would have royce gracie in there instead of newton and possibly frank shamrock...other than that, your list is pretty much dead on. all those guys were the ufc when it started and help make it what it is today....

AikaImmortal · 02-16-2006, 06:02 PM

Gracie fought guys who mostly had no idea what MMA was in the early days of the UFC. Sure, he was an innovator, but its like saying the ENIAC is a better computer than the pentium class PC you are using to post on fightforum simply because it was one of the first

Jras0001 · 02-16-2006, 06:25 PM

thats partially true...but he did take on wrestlers and other people that did jui jitsu and ken shamrock, who was very well versed in subs at the time as well. one match in particular was against a 6 foot 5 inch (or close to that) guy with short blond hair. not sure where he was from but he was a jui jitsu practioner and was way bigger than gracie and joyce took him out. im not saying that the fighters back then were as well versed in subs and the techniques as they are todya but some of them were and i think gracie is very deserving of a top ten rating for ufc legends and fighters.

RobOne · 02-17-2006, 05:00 AM

OK how does Frank Shamrock not make any of your lists? IMO he is the first true MMA fighter. The dude was out muscling, out striking, and out grappling everyone.

ok just noticed Frank on 1 list, but still he should be mandatory on everybodys list.

Crashsti · 02-17-2006, 06:59 AM

i don't think i could put together a list. the UFC has gone through so many changes and will continue to do so. i have favorites of course but since there is no numbers fighters can put up besides wins and losses and method of win or loss its really a difficult job to judge a fighters place in history. if there is a rising star on the list it Chuck Liddell.

subgenius · 02-17-2006, 07:58 AM

I think it could be looked at as two eras or periods in MMA (or the UFC) history. There is the period from 1993-1999, and then there is the 2000 to present day period. The Pre-Rules era and the Rules era, if you like... Although, they had rules back then, I mean that since 2000 they have been fighting MMA in the UFC as we now know it (three five minute rounds, restrictions on certain holds and actions, etc).

I mean, Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock are likely among the best of the 1993-1999 period. There were/are other greats, but those two leap off the page for being well known back in the 1990s. Now, it is harder to say who is the best today and who is Hall of Fame Legend material in the 2000 to present day era. There are a lot of greats out there now.

GSPALLTHEWAY · 02-17-2006, 08:15 AM

if tito ortiz is not on everyones list theres a huge problem... just kinda shows bias against which is a bit ridiculous... he obviously was a major champ that the face of the UFC for years

Crashsti · 02-17-2006, 08:18 AM

thats true, you could very easily split the UFC bewteen the Tourney years and the one fight/rounds years. some fighters really flourished in the tournaments while others just could'nt pull it off.

The Phenom · 02-17-2006, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GSPalltheway

if tito ortiz is not on everyones list theres a huge problem... just kinda shows bias against which is a bit ridiculous... he obviously was a major champ that the face of the UFC for years

He's on my list. I think that he's definitely a top ten fighter just because of the dominance he had over the Light heavyweights a few years ago. Couture is on the top of my list just because of what he has done in 2 different weight classes. I definitely think that it's hard to distinugsh between the two era's of UFC, but thats the fun part about making a list like this.

RebLMunkE · 02-17-2006, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobOne

OK how does Frank Shamrock not make any of your lists? IMO he is the first true MMA fighter. The dude was out muscling, out striking, and out grappling everyone.

ok just noticed Frank on 1 list, but still he should be mandatory on everybodys list.

I was going to put him on mine I just forgot while I was thinking of some of the fighters :P

[Danny] · 02-17-2006, 06:05 PM

Tito was the poster boy during the dark ages and should get recognized for getting the UFC through that.

subgenius · 02-18-2006, 08:40 AM

My pal has been talking with me about some of this again. Here is what we came up with as far as UFC legends and places in UFC history. This is not a top ten list or anything...

During the first three years, two fighters stand out as the best.

1993-1995:
Ken Shamrock (20-4-2 UFC)
Royce Gracie (11-1-1 UFC)

The second period is the post-Royce period and pre-modern UFC.

1995-1999:
We argued too much about this period.
Any suggestions?

The last period is the last five years.

2000-2006:
Randy Couture (13-5-0 UFC)
Chuck Liddell (13-2-0 UFC)
Matt Hughes (12-2-0 UFC)

Ken Shamrock has gone 6-6 since Royce Gracie left the UFC. That is 6-6 in ten years. That is pretty sad compared with his 20-4-2 record in just three years. He fought six fights in 1993. Twelve fights in 1994. And eight fights in 1995. Imagine what his record would be like had he continued at that pace for 13 years. If Horn can rack up 86-14-5 in ten years, then Shamrock ought to have been able to do that as well. However, that type of fighting takes its toll on the body and the mind...

Jras0001 · 02-18-2006, 12:50 PM

just some suggestions for the '95 - '99 era...

oleg taktrov
don fry
(a slim possibility - tank abbot) not sure how much he fought in that time though...

gilitine · 02-20-2006, 09:21 PM

1a. Tito Ortiz...the man dominated the sport and defended the belt, what 5 times? It's harder to defend a title than to win!!!
1b. Matt Hughes...same as Tito.
3. Frank Shamrock...would've been #1 had he stayed longer.
4. Randy Couture...impressively was champ @2 weight divisions, but unsuccessful @ defending LH title(against Vitor and Chuck).
5. Chuck Liddel...rising fast on my list. could be #1 w/ a couple more title defenses.
6. Rich Franklin...same as Chuck.
7. Andre Arlovski...same as Chuck and Rich, however, HW division is kind of weak at the moment.
8. B.J. Penn...beat Matt Hughes and dominated LW division.
9. Royce Gracie...pioneer. however, he fought in a time where BJJ was still new to the NHB/MMA world.
10. Ken Shamrock...same as Royce.

DrumzCT · 02-20-2006, 09:38 PM

I definitely like Aika's list. Even though I really don't like Tito, I would put him at the 10 spot instead of Newton because as far as UFC, most of the big names on his list besides Miletich are losses. Tito does have Silva, Tanner, Shamrock and Vitor (debatable but we'll not go there).