5 forgotten UFC legends who deserve more respect from fans

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes deserves more respect than he gets from modern fans.
Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes deserves more respect than he gets from modern fans.

The UFC is almost 30 years old now, and over the years, it has produced many legendary fighters.

While legends such as Georges St-Pierre, Ronda Rousey and Anderson Silva are well-remembered, it’s safe to say that many legendary UFC fighters have largely been forgotten.

These legends of the octagon have often been surpassed by fighters who came after them. However, that shouldn't make their accomplishments any less magnificent. Furthermore, it shouldn't mean that UFC fans overlook them today either.

On that note, here are five forgotten UFC legends who deserve more respect from fans:


#5. Frank Shamrock - former UFC light heavyweight champion

Frank Shamrock has unfortunately been airbrushed from the history of the UFC.
Frank Shamrock has unfortunately been airbrushed from the history of the UFC.

It’s very easy to understand why modern-day UFC fans might not give Frank Shamrock the respect he deserves. After all, most of them have probably never seen him fight inside the octagon.

However, that isn’t really down to Shamrock – it’s down to his ongoing feud with the UFC’s management, primarily Dana White. That feud has meant that ‘The Legend’ has been largely airbrushed from UFC history, despite all of his accomplishments.

To say this is disappointing would be an understatement. Despite being persona non grata today, Shamrock remains one of the promotion's greatest ever fighters.

The adopted brother of fellow UFC legend Ken Shamrock, Frank debuted in the octagon at Ultimate Japan in December 1997. There, he submitted Kevin Jackson to win the inaugural middleweight title.

He defended his title four times, taking his octagon record to 5-0. It became the UFC light heavyweight title once the unified rules of MMA were introduced in 2000.

Moreover, his final title defense – against Tito Ortiz, who greatly outweighed him – was widely recognised as the best fight in the early days of the UFC. Its quality largely holds up today.

In essence, Shamrock was arguably the first truly well-rounded mixed martial artist. He was the first fighter to seamlessly blend striking with grappling, and mesh them together with phenomenal cardio too.

Shamrock chose to retire after the fight. While he would return to action years later, he never fought again in the UFC. Today he has been completely forgotten, but if any legend deserves more respect from modern fans, it’s Frank Shamrock.

#4. Jens Pulver - former UFC lightweight champion

Jens Pulver was the UFC's first-ever lightweight champion.
Jens Pulver was the UFC's first-ever lightweight champion.

The UFC has had many great lightweight champions, with BJ Penn and Khabib Nurmagomedov largely being recognised as the best two.

Other champions like Frankie Edgar and Anthony Pettis are also well-regarded. However, the UFC's first lightweight champion, Jens Pulver, has somehow been forgotten.

'Lil Evil' is a name that probably doesn't elicit much of a reaction from today's UFC fans, but that really shouldn't be the case. Put simply, Pulver's accomplishments still hold up with the best 155lbers in the promotion's history.

Pulver debuted in the UFC way back in 1999. Three straight wins – including a violent KO of John Lewis – put him in line to fight in the promotion's inaugural lightweight title fight.

That fight saw him outpoint Caol Uno, becoming the UFC lightweight champion and the world's top-ranked 155lber in the process.

From there, 'Lil Evil' went on to defend his title twice, against Dennis Hallman and BJ Penn, respectively. However, a contract dispute saw him abandon the belt and leave the UFC for nearly five years.

His returns wasn't as successful. He lost to Joe Lauzon and then to BJ Penn in a rematch.. However, his record of two successful title defenses has only been surpassed by Penn, Benson Henderson and Nurmagomedov in the years that have followed.

That alone should make him worthy of far more respect from modern UFC fans, but somehow, that isn't the case.


#3. Frank Mir - former UFC heavyweight champion

One of the most accomplished heavyweights in UFC history, Frank Mir deserves more respect from modern fans.
One of the most accomplished heavyweights in UFC history, Frank Mir deserves more respect from modern fans.

The UFC has many legendary former heavyweight champions. While the likes of Randy Couture and Cain Velasquez are all well-regarded today, one name who deserves far more respect from fans is Frank Mir.

Mir's time with the UFC heavyweight title was admittedly brief, but the Las Vegas native remains one of just three men to hold it on two occasions. In fact, his first reign ended without him actually losing his title inside the octagon.

That reign began when he snapped Tim Sylvia's arm at UFC 48. However, an unfortunate motorcycle accident sidelined him for over a year, forcing him to vacate the title.

For a while afterwards, it looked like the injuries he sustained would ruin his career altogether. However, a resurgence saw him put together three straight wins, culminating in a victory over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira that made him the interim UFC heavyweight champion.

Mir lost that title in a unification fight with Brock Lesnar at UFC 100. However, despite being unable to reclaim his crown, his latter days in the octagon were still massively successful.

He departed the UFC in 2016, but his wins over fighters like Nogueira, Antonio Silva, Roy Nelson, Mirko Cro Cop and Cheick Kongo make him one of his generation's most accomplished heavyweights.

Quite why he doesn't get more respect from modern-day UFC fans is a bit of a mystery, but there's no doubt that he deserves it.

#2. Rich Franklin - former UFC middleweight champion

In a world without Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin might be far better remembered as the UFC's greatest middleweight.
In a world without Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin might be far better remembered as the UFC's greatest middleweight.

In a parallel universe somewhere, Rich Franklin is probably widely recognised as the greatest middleweight in UFC history. He may well have defended his UFC middleweight title on more than the two occasions he actually managed.

Of course, such a parallel universe would never see Anderson Silva enter the octagon. Essentially, the presence of 'The Spider' as the UFC's greatest-ever middleweight has ensured that Franklin has been largely – and unfairly – forgotten by modern fans.

When Franklin initially captured the UFC middleweight title in 2005, he looked every bit the new poster boy for the promotion. 'Ace' was good-looking, well-spoken, had a background as a high-school math teacher, and was a phenomenal fighter.

With well-rounded skills in all areas, Franklin overcame the likes of Jorge Rivera and Ken Shamrock before unseating Evan Tanner at UFC 53 to become the promotion's new middleweight kingpin.

Violent defenses against Nate Quarry and David Loiseau followed, as did a stint as a coach on the second season of The Ultimate Fighter. That made him one of the UFC's most popular fighters in the mid-2000s.

Unfortunately for him, Silva then arrived in the promotion, and destroyed him at UFC 64 to take his title. Despite Franklin working his way back up to another title shot, he never managed to defeat 'The Spider'. Due to Silva's lengthy reign, he never got close to another one too.

Instead, 'Ace' meandered in the UFC for years, beating top-class fighters like Wanderlei Silva and Chuck Liddell, but never quite being as highly regarded as he deserved to be.

That reputation remains to this day, as many modern UFC fans have forgotten him, meaning he definitely belongs on any list of UFC legends who deserve more respect.


#1. Matt Hughes - former UFC welterweight champion

Matt Hughes was widely recognised as the UFC's welterweight GOAT before the rise of Georges St-Pierre.
Matt Hughes was widely recognised as the UFC's welterweight GOAT before the rise of Georges St-Pierre.

If you rewind to just over a decade ago, Matt Hughes was undoubtedly recognised and respected as a bonafide UFC legend. In fact, UFC president Dana White would often talk him up as 'the greatest welterweight of all time'.

Today, though, Hughes has somehow been forgotten by most UFC fans. Moreover, the title of the promotion's greatest-ever welterweight belongs to the man who also dethroned him and then surpassed his legacy - Georges St-Pierre.

GSP knocked Hughes out to take his UFC welterweight title at UFC 65 in late 2006. He then defeated Hughes for a second time to win the interim UFC welterweight title a year later.

While Hughes continued to fight on after that, he was past his best and never really regained his status despite picking up three more wins before his retirement in 2011.

Before his loss to St-Pierre, though, Hughes was a remarkably dominant UFC champion. He first captured the welterweight title from Carlos Newton at UFC 34. He then defended it on five occasions, setting what was then a UFC record in the process.

A loss to BJ Penn at UFC 46 ended his first reign. However, Hughes then defeated St-Pierre to begin a second, and made another two successful defenses, while also beating an even older legend in Royce Gracie along the way.

Hughes' losses to St-Pierre and subsequent slide have given him the reputation of someone whose skills were eventually found wanting. However, in reality, the native of Illinois was actually a highly well-rounded fighter, and anyone would've been surpassed by someone as great as GSP.

Therefore, Hughes should be far better remembered than he is today, and deserves more respect than he gets from modern UFC fans.

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Edited by Bhargav