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mkess101 · 07-03-2008, 01:00 PM

1. Royce Gracie. He started it all and proved a skinny little guy could use technique to beat bigger, stronger guys and that there were no "magical" karate kicks that would work in real fights.

2. Chuck Lidell. Was a key component of bringing MMA into mainstream America through coaching on TUF and became the most popular MMA fighter of all time.

3. Fedor Emelianenko. Dominated the HW division, beating a who's who of top HW's and showed it's not always the baddest looking guy who's the best in the world.

4. Randy Couture. Like Lidell, was key in bringing MMA into the mainstream and showed that through hard work and taking care of your body, success even well into a person's 40's was possible even in the most demanding sport on the planet.

5. Tito Ortiz. His brash, in-your-face attitude and successful run in the LHW division kept the UFC afloat (though barely) before TUF came along and actually made it profitable.

I just realized I left Sakuraba off my list. Though I don't necessarily think he's MORE influential than any of the guys I listed, he needs to be mentioned. He was integral in growing the popularity of the sport in Japan, and is one of the most popular fighters of all time.

07-03-2008, 01:00 PM	#15 (permalink)
mkess101 Brown Belt Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 4,380	1. Royce Gracie. He started it all and proved a skinny little guy could use technique to beat bigger, stronger guys and that there were no "magical" karate kicks that would work in real fights. 2. Chuck Lidell. Was a key component of bringing MMA into mainstream America through coaching on TUF and became the most popular MMA fighter of all time. 3. Fedor Emelianenko. Dominated the HW division, beating a who's who of top HW's and showed it's not always the baddest looking guy who's the best in the world. 4. Randy Couture. Like Lidell, was key in bringing MMA into the mainstream and showed that through hard work and taking care of your body, success even well into a person's 40's was possible even in the most demanding sport on the planet. 5. Tito Ortiz. His brash, in-your-face attitude and successful run in the LHW division kept the UFC afloat (though barely) before TUF came along and actually made it profitable. I just realized I left Sakuraba off my list. Though I don't necessarily think he's MORE influential than any of the guys I listed, he needs to be mentioned. He was integral in growing the popularity of the sport in Japan, and is one of the most popular fighters of all time. __________________ Yep, still on the Mir warwagon.