Consensus Rankings:   Official  |  Member Designed  |  This Ranking Updated 12 years, 3 months ago  |  All By AndrewLikesToFight

1. 1

   

   Chris Lytle

   "Lights Out"

   31-18-5

   He is rather well-known but fits the criteria given he was always a fan favorite and a solid challenge for all fighters. He left a mark on the sport without ever winning UFC gold and that combined with his massive cache of fight awards for his gutsy and exciting approach to his fights, how could I deny him my #1 unsung hero spot?
   

2. 2

   

   Guy Mezger

   "The Sandman"

   30-14-2

   Only old school fans know this man. He was with Bas Rutten and the Shamrock brothers in Pancrase back in the infant stages of MMA and he did alot and fought all the ledgends, never forget these old timers because without them, we wouldn't have this sport today. Mezger fought for little to no money just ecause he loved what he did and for that, we can all thank him and others that will be named on this list.
   

3. 3

   

   Frank Shamrock

   "The Legend"

   23-10-2

   One guy who let his ego mess up his career but I can't deny the fact that he is one of those responsible for the evolution of mma. He was one of the first fighters to utilize boxing and jiu-jitsu to his already solid shoot-wrestling game and showed that the old timers can evolve and stay dangerous even by current standards. He is also more talented than his brother Ken in my opinion and if he would have sucked his ego up and accepted the UFC's offer to fight when zuffa bought it, he probably would have made a bigger mark on MMA.
   

4. 4

   

   Wes Sims

   "A Whole Show"

   24-15-1, 2 NC

   A huge heavyweight who fears no man. I personally don't get along with Sims because of his hard headedness and the fact that he feels he deserves special treatment because of his UFC past. I think if he wasn't so lazy, he'd still be a threat to any HW even today. But he gets the spot on this list as he was one of the first legit HW fighters that had a mostly complete game and also made ledgendary by being one of the first true trash talkers which is a practice used,often today given how effective Sims used it. He also is notorious for being a no holds barred type of guy which showed in his blatent head stomping DQ loss to Frank Mir which lead to Mir getting revenge in their re-match. Sims was one of Mir's main motivations for becomming the great fighter he is today.
   

5. 5

   

   Mark Hughes

   6-2-0

   Matt Hughes beloved twin brother, if you want to know why he is on this list, ask his brother Matt. Matt Hughes was pushed to greatness by his brother. Mark may not have been as successful but held his own for years and had his own UFC stint. But this list is aout the fighters that helped build the greats of today and Matt Hughes would not have made it as far without his brother sharing his life and heart and spirit with him and he keeps that no secret.
   

6. 6

   

   Jens Pulver

   "Little Evil"

   27-19-1

   One who became the champ got this list may confuse some but let me explain. He gets this list because very few knew about UFC having a LW division in his day since it was cut. But as you see today, that division is great and dynamic and when he became UFC's first LW champ is wasn't much different. Memories of Pulvers great fights inspired UFC to bring it back and it was a good call.
   

7. 7

   

   Dan Severn

   "The Beast"

   101-19-7

   UFC Hall of Famer makes this list mainly because many current fans arent aware much of the good old days and Severn showed that Jiu-Jitsu is not enough and proved that wrestling is the best base to start from. Though he lost to Gracie, he controlled him soundly until eiung tapped and fighters learned to combine Jits and wrestling to become a controlling force. A BIG thanks to Severn because I'd just be a wrestler/kickoxer who got subbed by any submission fighters I fought if it wasn't for Gracie and Severn fighting and teaching me that control is not enough.
   

8. 8

   

   Dan Hornbuckle

   "The Handler"

   26-9-0

   A newer name on the list. Hornbuckle flew under UFC radar for a long time all the while kicking ass consistantly. He has a decent career in Bellator and is in a slump right now ut I don't have the "What have you done lately" attitude as I feel he'll bounce back and maybe finally reach the UFC.But until that day he remains one of my "Unsung Heros"
   

9. 9

   

   David Abbott

   "Tank"

   10-15-0

   He makes the list more about what he showed the world aout the improtance of skill than his accomplishments. What I mean is I('m impressed that he made a star of himself just bar brawling in a cage but more important, he showed in defeat that scrappers can't beat a true martial artist and inspired brawlers all over the world to dedicate theirselves to training the arts. A credit to the evolution of MMA indeed.
   

10. 10

    

    Aleksander Emelianenko

    "The Grim Reaper"

    28-9-1

    Fedor is well known but fans overlook his brother who is tough as they get. Spent years in a tough Russian prison and Fedor helped him get into fighting. I always liked him and regarded him highly. No real deep reason for putting him on my top 10 unsung heros other than he has never achieved top shelf status but I always liked him more than Fedor.