When people think of the legends of MMA, they think Royce Gracie, Sakuraba, Couture, Coleman, Shamrock, Fedor....
But there are many other fighters whose innovations to the fight game changed the course of this sport forever. There are fighters who went through more than many of the competitors today would ever experience. My definition of legend (it is subjective and I realize that) are as follows: someone who introduced a new technique/style/philosophy which altered the sport, someone who may or may not have innovated new techniques but exposed them to a wide audience, someone who literally fits the definition of legend - a fighter whose exploits are often talked about but never seen.
My first two choices are:
Yuki Nakai
The Japanese brought Ju Jitsu to the Brazil, and Yuki Nakai brought the Brazilian modification to Japan. Yuki Nakai is the first Japanese BJJ black belt, and the story how is that of (you guessed it) legend.
Yuki Nakai was sent to the VTJ tournament as a representative of Shooto, the lightest competitor in the event. Yuki's first match up was against UFC 1 finalist Gerard Gordeau, a 50+ kickboxer from Holland. Yuki overcame his size advantage by relying on his already excellent ground game. But in that fight he was inflicted with an injury that would affect not only his career, but his life. Gerard decided that it would be a good idea to gouge Yuki's right eye in order to make the match more even in his favor. He failed obviously, but he didn't in permanently blinding Nakai's right eye. After 4 rounds, Nakai finally secured the heel hook. This was just the first fight of the night.
Yuki Nakai was treated with a 250+ pound wrestler in Craig Pittman as an opponent. The size was an obvious factor in the fight, but as a true tactician Yuki displayed superb technique over strength in getting Craig in a flying armbar. The 155 lb fighter, the smallest in the tournament, has just made it to the finals. His opponent? A legend himself: Rickson Gracie.
The fight was fairly competitive, but Rickson's size and technique were too much for Yuki when he fell to an RNC late in the first round. The term "samurai spirit" and the word "heart" are thrown around much on the MMA message boards, sometimes undeserving. But if we to choose one person to fit that definition above all other fighters, it has to be Yuki Nakai.
Yuki, impressed with Rickson's Jiu-Jitsu, went to Brazil and started training. He became the first Japanese black belt in BJJ, and his school, Paraestra, altered the Japanese MMA scene in bringing in a new breed of grapplers. His school has branches all over Japan, with their most recognizable team member (to westerners at least) being Shinya Aoki.
Yuki Nakai is a legend.
Jose 'Pele' Landi - Jons
I have no evidence to back this up, but I am willing to bet that more than 80% of the posters here has a Chute Boxe fighter as one of their favorites. Chute Boxe exploded on the international scene by Wanderlei Silva, showing the world in the UFC and Pride the explosive, aggressive Brazilian Muay Thai that is feared in MMA. A new, fresh young fighter named Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua has captured the fandom of many a MMA fan by his exciting fighting style, his most recognized weapon being his stomps. While we may all know Chute Boxe because of them and many more, we may never have even understood the concept if it wasn't for one man: Jose 'Pele' Landi.
Wanderlei put Chute Boxe on the map in the world, 'Pele' put Chute Boxe on the map in Brazil. The day is August 29th, 1993 in Brazil. Weeks prior, a rival Capoeira school is talking immense shit about Chute Boxe, and threating to jump fighters training under them. One of those fighters was an Afro-Cuban immigrant named Jose Landi-Jons. 'Pele' requested Rudimar to put on an event where the rivals could step or shut up. Well, they did step up, but they all got stepped on brutally. Chute Boxe ain't no bitch.
'Pele' himself had been training boxing and Muay Thai prior to his joining of Chute Boxe, and he had his own techniques which he perfected where we often see now a days. The stomps and soccer kicks we all love where perfected by 'Pele'. 'Pele' knew how to use knees like no other, where he would leave opponents along with training partners like Wanderlei and Anderson Silva bloodied and knocked out. That is another aspect about 'Pele' where we may not know about today (not your fault, but Chute Boxe's revisionist history): Pele's training of many of the top fighters today. Pele along with Rudimar and the rest of the Chute Boxe training we know today was just as if not more important as them. Pele personally trained fighters like Murilo Rua and Anderson Silva.
His exploits in the ring are made of legend. I consider both his fights with Macaco to be the most legendary in MMA (I have a thread on it so I won't post why here). If you know the name 'Pele' but you haven't seen him fight, you've probably read about his antics: dancing in the ring, taunting his opponents, head butts, and the infamous head humps. All of this, along with dominating the Vale Tudo scene made him a celebrity among the Brazilian MMA circle. He was a truly well rounded fighter, and he used all his weapons to his advantage. He never wasted a punch, a kick or a knee. 'Pele' exploited the rules to his advantage, and his strategy often lead him to be the victor.
His departure from Chute Boxe is one of the most talked about quasi-mysteries of MMA. Chute Boxe claims that they kicked Pele out because of his poor attitude and disregard for training. 'Pele' has never gone into detail, but his version of the story is that he was getting jipped in payments for fighting and training fighters, and favoritism and overall disrespect lead him to exit the camp on his own accord (such reasons speculated for the departure of Anderson Silva, Assuerio Silva and the near exiting of Shogun and Murilo). Whatever the story maybe, Chute Boxe wouldn't be a damn worth of anything if it wasn't for the success and innovations made by 'Pele' (which they refuse to acknowledge).
'Pele' is a legend.
Whoever else you may have, please post.
The Unspoken Legends of MMA 
