Sherdog’s Top 10: Fighters of the 1990s

1. Royce Gracie

The man credited with putting the Ultimate Fighting Championship on the map also helped spread the Brazilian jiu-jitsu gospel across America. As such, his importance to MMA cannot be denied. With submissions of Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Kimo Leopoldo, Keith Hackney and others, Gracie won tournaments at UFC 1, UFC 2 and UFC 4. He was the odds-on favorite to win the tournament at UFC 3, too, before an injury necessitated his withdrawal from the competition following his quarterfinal victory over Leopoldo. Gracie faced Shamrock in the UFC’s first-ever super fight on April 7, 1995, but because there were no judges present, the fight was declared a draw after 36 minutes. It remains the longest bout in UFC history and marked Gracie’s final appearance of the decade. On Nov. 21, 2003, the lanky Brazilian became the first member of the UFC Hall of Fame.