The 5 Greats

[Mark]

In chronological order...

1) Bruce Lee (Jeet Kune Do is philosophically MMA before it was an actual idea)
2) Royce Gracie (for bringing a whole new conception of martial arts and BJJ to what had been just kickboxing/toughman contests)
3) Kazushi Sakuraba (for being a consummate innovator and ending the Gracie dominance)
4) Fedor Emelianeko (for being such a brutal yet balanced force in MMA)

[UKStu]

Royce Gracie
Sakuraba
Mark Coleman
Mo Smith
Mirko Cro Cop

Although not the best fighters ever, they all invented different styles of fighting, and therefore are influential.

[Reddragonorder]

Originally Posted by UKStu

Royce Gracie
Sakuraba
Mark Coleman
Mo Smith
Mirko Cro Cop

Although not the best fighters ever, they all invented different styles of fighting, and therefore are influential.

LOL.

Funniest one I saw.

[Madmick]

1) Royce Gracie
The innovator. The original UFC winner and one who persuaded millions that it was more important to learn how to fight on the ground than standing up. The truth has proven more complicated, but the respect and enlightenment for BJJ changed martial arts forever, and captured the imagination of a nation who then quenched for more style versus style. The winner? Martial arts focused on sparring. And that's his real legacy: don't be a pussy. Hit the mat. Step through the ropes. Get in the cage. That's the only way to truly hone your skill and become an overwhelming force.

2) Frank Shamrock
As much as I'm loathe to admit it, Frank changed the game forever. He showed how a complete fighter (one who was not only defensively capable grappling and striking, but offensively as well) was the most dangerous; an almost unsolvable riddle. He was all-around; do not doubt that. His skills merely declined, and the surge of MMA talent blew past.

3) Mark Coleman
Mark was an absolute beast, though perhaps with a bit too much muscle and a bit too little conditioning. He pioneered ground and pound: to be adopted by all future wrestlers and still the dominant style among American martial artists. He also proved the motto of the wrestler a formidable one: never be on your back.

4) Pat Miletich
Pat proved that the striking arts (when combined with takedown defense- and if that fails the ability to maintain on one's back) could win and hold a belt for a long time. All-around fighting is great, but perhaps the most dangerous fighter is one who maintains the appropriate imbalance of superiority in one style and the ability to survive if the others are imposed. He won against the likes of Townsend Saunders (Olympic Silver Medalist in Wrestling), Jorge Patino (BJJ Specialist), Chris Brennan (BJJ Specialist), and Mikey Burnett (3-Year College Wrestler) early on. And those are just the ground guys (although Burnett liked to throw shitty haymakers). Guys like Chuck Liddell pursued this strategy. And it once dominated the MMA world from his gym in Iowa.

5) Wanderlei Silva
Anderson Silva formed many of his tactics from his ringside seat at Wandy's old PRIDE fights. Wandy proved that the clinch game couldn't be ignored in a brutal fashion that inspired enough fear to swell the amount of Muay Thai training everywhere. He also showed why foot stomps and kicks to the head should be illegal. His prowess was the heart of the Chute Boxe gym that stole all the thunder from Team Couture, Miletich Fighting Systems, and especially Brazilian Top Team at those gyms' peaks.


Fedor, possibly the greatest fighter of them all, I do not see being the most influential. He proves that a man's size doesn't not limit his capacity for achievement. He also demonstrates how an unconventional but wisely customized set of styles can wildly confuse opponents and disrupt their gameplans. Or, possibly the thing Fedor changed most- at least in the West- was the obsession with conventional barbell and dumbbell type weights for conditioning. The novelties came from the past: swinging sledgehammers to gain power and using bodyweight movements to both strength and condition. Running out one's ass.

It also breaks my heart Sakuraba doesn't make the list but you specified "most influential", and Sakuraba isn't outstanding in any of those aspects. Like Fedor, he showed the potential for effectiveness in creative attacks and defenses, but I don't see that inspiring as much change as the above five fighters I named.

[chokingvictim]

Fedor
Wand
Royce
Sakuraba
Harold Howard

[RayRage]

Royce - His BJJ
Wanderlei - His aggressive standup style
Big Nog - His never say die attitude
Saku - Japans MMA icon
GSP - His training regime, to become the most complete MMA fighter
Others; Hughes, Shamrock, Fedor and Couture

[Eviltaxi69]

Originally Posted by Riffmeister11

Frank
Randy
Saku
Chuck
Royce

Wrote it here

MMA ALL DAY: Top 10 Most Influential MMA Fighters of All Time

Are you joking Chuck, Randy, and Frank over Fedor


The top 5 are
1.Saku
2.Royce(a couple mistakes put him under saku in my book)
3.Fedor
4.Tito(like him or not it's true he was the shit back in the day and made MMA in America)
5.Wand

[Eviltaxi69]

Originally Posted by RayRage

Royce - His BJJ
Wanderlei - His aggressive standup style
Big Nog - His never say die attitude
Saku - Japans MMA icon
GSP - His training regime, to become the most complete MMA fighter
Others; Hughes, Shamrock, Fedor and Couture

Are you friggin joking GSP(one of my favorite fighters), Big Nog(who Fedor destroyed twice), and Wand over Fedor...

[claddagh]

forrest needs to be on the list if the question is about influential fighters

[claddagh]

Originally Posted by Eviltaxi69

Are you joking Chuck, Randy, and Frank over Fedor


The top 5 are
1.Saku
2.Royce(a couple mistakes put him under saku in my book)
3.Fedor
4.Tito(like him or not it's true he was the shit back in the day and made MMA in America)
5.Wand

the question was about the most INFLUENTIAL, not the GOATs. calm down.