Anyway, let's get to the blog. This time I'm blogging about what is possibly my favorite sport, and that's just because it's year round and not seasonal like college football. Greatness is always a relative term, but some would argue that it's even more so in the sport of mixed martial arts. What defines greatness? Is Royce Gracie the greatest because he brought the sport to the eyes of the public back in 1993 at UFC 1? Does Ken Shamrock deserve the title because he helped provide a foe for Gracie and because he was first popular American fighter? What about Dan Severn or Bas Rutten, fighters who were also extremely talented and popular in the early days? Of course you also have to include the prominent Japanese fighters, including guys like Kazushi Sakuraba. Do guys from the later era get more credit for taking the sport to new heights? If so, then you have to consider guys like Dan Henderson, Chuck Liddell, and Fedor Emelianenko.
But really, this question comes down to finding a guy who fits both the early and late eras and is a great fighter that just rises above the rest. When thinking about this idea, two guys came to mind. First, I thought of Matt Hughes. Hughes is perhaps one of the greatest wrestlers to ever compete in the sport, but his career has significantly tapered off at just 34 years of age, so his longevity in the sport may come into question.
The next guy that came to mind was Randy Couture. Randy started in the sport at UFC 13 as a Greco-Roman wrestler with hardly any other MMA skills. He still won the heavyweight tournament that night. He then developed ground and pound skills, ala a guy from the even earlier days, Dan Severn. But Couture did what Severn could not, and that was to eventually find a way to develop his striking. Randy continued to evolve all of his skills during his early career, and then he became a freak of nature with conditioning and training, which is what has kept him in the sport for so long.
Even with his eye cut, he still looks tough
After winning the tournament at UFC 13, Randy then faced "The Phenom" Vitor Belfort five months later for a shot at the heavyweight title. Randy TKO'd the heavily favored Belfort, who was on a four-fight win streak at the time. Randy defeated heavyweight champion Maurice Smith two months later, but then he couldn't come to terms on his UFC contract and ended up being stripped of the title before he left the UFC.
Randy went 2-2 outside of the UFC over the next two years before returning at UFC 28 to defeat Kevin Randleman for the heavyweight title. Randy defeated Brazilian Pedro Rizzo twice in 2001 before losing to Josh Barnett for the title at UFC 36 (Barnett later tested positive for anabolic steroids and the title was vacated not long after). Randy then faced Ricco Rodriguez for the vacant title at UFC 39 and was in control for much of the fight before being stunned by losing via TKO in the fifth round.
After his second consecutive loss in the heavyweight division, the now 40-year-old Couture moved down to the light heavyweight division to face Chuck Liddell for an interim title, as champion Tito Ortiz was holding out for a bigger contract (or dodging Liddell, depending on who you talk to). Randy upset Chuck in that fight, and then he went on to defeat Ortiz 3 months later to win the undisputed light heavyweight title, making him the first fighter to win titles at two different weight classes in the UFC. Randy lost his title to Vitor Belfort at the beginning of the next year due to a cut in his eye; he came back seven months later, however, and took his title back from Belfort.
Randy dominated Tito Ortiz, becoming the first fighter two win titles in two different UFC weight classes
Randy then took the opportunity to coach up-and-coming fighters on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, and he would face the opposing coach, Chuck Liddell in a rematch for his title after the conclusion of the show. Randy was knocked out by Chuck at UFC 52, which was the biggest Pay-Per-View in the history of the sport, building on the publicity of the event and the reality show. Randy then defeated an opponent in a come back fight, establishing himself as a contender yet again in the light heavyweight division. Couture got his third shot at Liddell ten months after being knocked out during the second fight, but he unfortunately lost again. Randy then announced his retirement after the fight saying, "This is the last time you'll see these shorts and these gloves inside this Octagon."
Not exactly. Call it an itch or whatever, but Randy returned a little more than a year later when UFC President Dana White was looking for a legitimate contender for his 6'8" heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia. It didn't matter that Couture was now 44 years old and hadn't fought in more than a year - he wanted that title. So on March 3, 2007, Randy "The Natural" Couture completely dominated the behemoth champion for five rounds, even refusing to use his wrestling background, standing with the man who had seven inches on him for almost the entire five rounds. Randy won a unanimous decision, becoming the first man to be a five-time UFC champion. Randy then went on to defeat Gabriel Gonzaga five months later, even after breaking his arm in the first round of the fight.
Randy came back at UFC 68 to show why he is the greatest
Randy has since come into a legal battle with the UFC, stating that they failed to get Fedor Emelianenko for him to fight and that he wasn't paid as much as he signed for just nine months earlier. It's sad that Randy's career might end this way, but he will always be remembered in the heart of fans as "Captain America" and a true fan favorite. Whether the fight with Fedor will ever happen is anyone's guess, but if it does, I just hope that nobody counts Couture out. True champions never die - they only keep evolving.
Others might say:
2. Matt Hughes - He's the most dominant welterweight in UFC history, and although he has failed to evolve in his later career, he's still a legitimate fighter and future UFC Hall of Famer.
3. Royce Gracie - This man defined the early days of the sport before disappearing after a draw with Ken Shamrock at UFC 5 showed that he was merely mortal. He has since returned to the sport, but never with as much flare as the early days of the UFC, when he won three tournaments where he was always the smallest guy in the Octagon.
4. Fedor Emelianenko - This man dominated the heavyweight division in Pride for much of the company's inception, losing only once because of a cut. The past year or so has made his career lost some of its luster, as he is fighting vastly inferior fighters, presumably just looking for a pay day and hoping not to lose.
5. Kazushi Sakuraba - I rank Sakuraba, known as "The Gracie Hunter" for being the only man to defeat four Gracies, higher than a lot of others would, but Japan is a big part of this sport, and he's the best Japanese fighter that ever fought in the sport.
6. Chuck Liddell - The man who made the overhand right famous started out making $500 per fight as a kickboxer but developed into much more than that on his way to becoming a fan favorite and sure-fire hall-of-famer.
7. Ken Shamrock - Ken would be higher on this list if he would have known when to hang it up a few years ago, as the constant losses later in his career are taking a toll on his legacy. But he was still the man who made Royce look human, and that alone earns him a spot on this list.
8. Bas Rutten - "The King of Pancrase" was active in the sport in Japan before the UFC was even formed - as was Shamrock - and he was dominant in Pancrase and the UFC before he retired in 1999.
9. Dan Severn - He turned the UFC on its heels after debuting at UFC 4 and almost defeating Royce Gracie and evolved into more than a ground and pound fighter during his years in the sport. He's still one of the most active fighters today at the tender age of 54.
10. Dan Henderson/Tito Ortiz - It was tough for me to decide which fighter deserved this spot more, but I realized that they both do. Dan became the first fighter to win two championships at the same time in Pride before coming the the UFC and losing them both, but he's still one of the best athletes and wrestlers to ever fight. Tito dominated the light heavyweight division for a few years before coming back down to earth because of a few losses. I would love to see these two men fight, and now that they are both in the UFC, it looks more and more possible that both future hall-of-famers could step into the Octagon at the same time.
I know that this is not a perfect list, and I want you to feel free to disagree, as always.
Other sports:
Boxer - Muhammad Ali
NBA Player - Michael Jordan
NFL Coach - Bill Walsh
CBB Player - Lew Alcindor
CBB Coach - John Wooden
UFC 83 Wrapup
more
