Whilst this had been done in MMA before, it requires a much more advanced skillset for you to know what your opponent is going to do and have them do it anyway. Almost every opponent she faced would receive a variation of a hip throw and then be armbarred on the floor in the first round. Rousey had an extremely one-dimensional style in the cage which was both her success and downfall. Coached by the legendary duo of Gene LeBell and Gokor Chivichyan, it’s really no wonder that a woman with the talent of Ronda Rousey rose to the top of the rankings undefeated. There have been many martial artists in MMA history using judo to great effect, but none more so than Ronda Rousey.Ī former judo Olympian, Rousey had already had success outside of the cage but was extremely dominant during her stint in the UFC. Ronda Rousey – Judoīefore Ronda Rousey entered the Octagon, everyone already knew that judo was a fairly effective martial art, but they didn’t know just quite how good it was. Not only this, but Taktarov was the first fighter who highlighted the skills and lethality of sambo on the world stage for the first time. Whilst Khabib Nurmagomedov is often touted as a sambo specialist, he uses far more freestyle wrestling. Taktarov has 17 wins, 6 of which came by way of leglock, which is an incredibly high percentage. Sambo combines a mixture of throws that were not really used by western fighters at the time, with leg locks which are still somewhat under utilized in MMA, but gradually becoming more popular. When Taktarov defeated the much larger Tank Abbott by rear naked choke to win the tournament, people were not as shocked as they were in UFC 1, but still stood up and paid attention. Back in 1995 at UFC 6, Russian martial arts were still very secretive due to the lack of internet and language barrier, so nobody really knew what to expect. Whilst sambo is a relatively well known martial art by fans of fighting, the general population has no idea what it is. The Most Influential Mixed Martial Artists By Each Style Oleg Taktarov – Sambo Khabib Nurmagomedov – Sambo & Freestyle Wrestling.The Most Influential Mixed Martial Artists By Each Style.You cannot become a modern UFC champion without having a mixed skillset, but this does not mean you will not have a dominant style you are most comfortable with. This is not to take away any of their skills, but each fighter has been rated on which style they represented the most. Please note that although each fighter on the list is clearly a mixed martial artist, some of them are more well rounded than others. Many of the fighters listed have inspired other fighters from future generations to evolve the sport even further. This does not mean they are the best within their art either, but it does mean that they were either the first, or amongst the first people to change the landscape of MMA. Whilst some of them are not the greatest fighters of all time, they are all extremely accomplished.
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The fighters listed below have been pioneers in either a single or multiple forms of martial arts. Over time, we have seen this change as modern day fighters are now experienced with at least some competence in striking, stand-up grappling, and groundwork. Until the popularity of mixed martial arts grew, there was a general perception in the west that a good boxer was the ultimate fighter, with no other skills being necessary.
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ENTERING INTO MIXED MARTIAL ARTS FIGHTING HOW TO
At the start of the UFC in particular, almost nobody knew how to fight on the ground or wrestle, with most competitors being almost pure strikers. Just a few decades ago, martial artists who entered the UFC typically had a single style they trained in, whilst knowing a few basics from other disciplines. Mixed martial arts is still a very young sport that is evolving every year.