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#5 Ron Van Clief
In just over two decades, the sport of mixed martial arts has gone from fighting for survival, to being glamorous. It wouldn't be disparaging to say that the lure of the camera sparks some level of desire to step into the cage.
In Ron Van Clief's case, it couldn't be further from the truth. At age 51, Van Clief locked horns with Royce Gracie at UFC 4, with a broken ankle, at that. Still the oldest to compete in the UFC, he was submitted but didn't walk out of the octagon a loser.
In fact, he served as commissioner of the UFC, which at the time(1994-1995) was holding on for dear life in the face of persecution from people like future US presidential nominee, John McCain.
Van Clief made his film debut in 1975's "The Black Dragon", which is also the nickname Bruce Lee gave him a decade prior. They met during a trip to Hong Kong in 1966 and Van Clief believes Bruce Lee would've made a formidable lightweight in today's MMA landscape.
A longtime Karateka, he retired from active competition in 2002 at age 60. He now lives in the Virgin Islands, where he teaches BJJ and competes in tournaments as well.
