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The UFC prides itself on being the gold standard of MMA. It's only reasonable, given that, except legendary heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko, most of the sport's greatest fighters have all competed under the UFC banner, where high-level competition is prominent.
As MMA is an ever-evolving sport, some UFC fighters change the game for the better by introducing new wrinkles that their contemporaries must master to keep up. The progression of MMA never stops. Failing to adapt can result in otherwise skilled fighters fading into obscurity.
For example, much was made about Kron Gracie's antiquated approach to MMA at UFC 288. This list, however, is not looking at those who failed to adapt. Instead, it goes over five fighters who changed MMA in the cage.
#5. Lyoto Machida, former UFC light heavyweight/middleweight
Before Lyoto Machida's emergence in the sport, everyone in MMA regarded karate with disdain. It was thought impractical in a real combat situation. Everything changed when Lyoto Machida entered the scene. 'The Dragon' used a Shotokan karate base that elevated him to title-winning success at light heavyweight.
Machida maintained a long range, standing almost sidewards to bounce back and forth quickly. This allowed him to use a karate blitz to great effectiveness. Essentially, his opponent would be forced to take more forward steps to close the distance, signaling their intent and giving him more time to make reads.
He'd effortlessly evade them, frustrating them with kicks from a distance until they decided to lunge forward. The moment they did so, he'd explode forward, creating a collision between his straight left and the chin of a lunging foe, resulting in a knockout.
This led to a change in MMA, with a new crop of karate-based fighters arising, from future UFC double champion Conor McGregor to striking sensation Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson.
#4. Jon Jones, UFC heavyweight champion
The version of Jon Jones today is a plodding shell of his former self. He marches forward, punishing his foes with pot-shots and push kicks, while wading through any blows with his iron chin. In the past, however, he was more dynamic. The last bastion of that dynamism as a striker are his kicks.
Before 'Bones', oblique kicks, leaping side kicks to the knee, and push kicks to the lead knee were not as commonplace as they are today. He uses all three kicks to intercept opponents who come forward, snapping their lead leg back and hyperextending their knee. Before long, his foe's mobility is heavily compromised.
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson was famously brutalized by such kicks, robbing him of the ability to load any weight on his lead leg to throw power punches. What 'Rampage' once decried as a dirty technique has become a staple among MMA fighters, who now both use it and have learned to defend against it.
#3. Benson Henderson, former UFC lightweight
Most fans today don't remember Benson Henderson for anything besides being on the receiving end of Anthony Pettis' Showtime kick. In fact, many are unlikely to even remember that he was once the UFC lightweight champion. It's unfortunate, considering how much of a pioneer he was in certain techniques.
While he wasn't the first fighter to use it in MMA, 'Smooth' was the most prominent user of the body jab, which Alex Pereira used to dupe Sean Strickland into dropping his hands, thus exposing him to a thunderous left hook over the top. Perhaps, most importantly, he pioneered the use of calf kicks in the UFC.
While Conor McGregor would have fans believe that calf kicks are new to the sport due to his past loss to Dustin Poirier, they've been in use for several years. Benson Henderson was among the first to use them prominently in MMA and popularized their use during a time when everyone else opted for traditional low kicks.
#2. Khabib Nurmagomedov, former UFC lightweight
The style of Dagestani wrestling that no one seems to have yet countered was first introduced to MMA by Khabib Nurmagomedov. For some time now, counter-wrestling took place against the fence. Fighters used the fence to pull themselves back to their feet.
Unfortunately, scaling the fence against Dagestani wrestlers simply means that one is in a position to be dragged down by cage-wrestling. Nurmagomedov used the fence to secure takedowns. He'd shove the top of his head against his opponent's chin, pinning their face against the fence, breaking their posture.
Additionally, he'd grab one of his foe's wrists, rendering them one-armed, while using his other hand to blast his trapped opponent with punches. Once the threat of his punches were established, he'd drop down for a takedown. If his foe used the fence to stand back up, it would be rinse and repeat.
This revolutionized MMA wrestling, and has forced fighters to tweak their defensive wrestling tactics and even incorporate some of the offensive tools the Dagestanis use.
#1. Royce Gracie, former UFC fighter
When Royce Gracie debuted in the promotion, no weight classes existed. Back then, the world's fascination with determining the best martial arts style led to a tournament that included fighters of varying backgrounds. Among the hulking wrestlers, heavy-handed boxers and dynamic kickboxers was Royce Gracie.
He was a small, unassuming man in a white gi, but his participation at UFC 1 changed the course of MMA history forever. His use of Brazilian jiu-jitsu stunned every single foe he faced, and when he was crowned the tournament's winner, the MMA world realized it had a lot to learn.
His Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills carried him to victory in three more UFC tournaments, and before long, Brazilian jiu-jitsu became a staple in MMA and a critical aspect of grappling and ground-fighting that no fighter can do without.
