Fansided MMA
FanSided

The 10 best MMA fighters from the 1990s

By Chad Porto

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 06: Actor Bas Rutten arrives at the premiere of "The Zookeeper" at the Regency Village Theatre on July 6, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 06: Actor Bas Rutten arrives at the premiere of "The Zookeeper" at the Regency Village Theatre on July 6, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
(Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) /

9. Randy Couture

If you have someone else here, like a Kevin Randleman type or someone else, no major argument will be had here. Randy Couture’s career didn’t peak until the 2000s when he would face off and fight guys like Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, Brock Lesnar, and others. He would win four more titles beyond this decade and would cement himself as one of the UFC’s best.

The problem is, all that happened in 2000 and after. He only had five MMA fights before 2000, so you’d think he’d have to have made a serious impact in order to get that 10th spot, and my friends, you’d be correct.

Let’s start with his debut, as he was one of the oldest men to ever start competing in MMA at 33-years-old. He made his debut against Tony Halme, otherwise known as former WWE (then-WWF) superstar, Ludvig Borga. It was Couture’s first win and he got the win by a rare-naked choke. He’d go on to defeat Steven Graham in the same night to win the UFC 13 Heavyweight Tournament.

After that, he’d defeat a young, baby-faced Vitor Belfort by TKO in a UFC Heavyweight Title Eliminator bout. That earned him the right to face down with Maurice Smith for the title at UFC Japan.

In his first four fights, he didn’t leave the first round. While his legacy was more established after the 90s, Couture’s first four fights earned him two championships (one tournament, one title) and that’s pretty impressive; especially at his age.