In anticipation of July's landmark UFC 100 event, CBSSports.com is running a weekly, eight-part UFC retrospective series looking back at some of the pivotal moments, events and figures that shaped the sport. This is Part 7. Next week's final part will look at the next generation of UFC fighter.
The UFC has more than its fair share of regulars, fighters who fight in the Octagon for a long period of time. But there are also many fighters who have dropped in for a fight or two. Some are quickly forgotten, while others stand out despite their short UFC tenures.
Mark Schultz, UFC 9
The world of MMA is filled with former amateur wrestling stars, but few star fighters have shown as brightly in wrestling as Mark Schultz. Schultz, a distinguished member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, was a three-time college champion, two-time world champion and 1984 Olympic gold medalist. He achieved further fame after the tragic murder of his brother Dave, who also won gold in '84.
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| Bas Rutten wasn't in the UFC for long, but he did win a title there. (CBSSports.com Original) |
Schultz would never again compete in MMA, but it's likely that if the sport had come along when he was younger, he could have been a real force.
Tony Halme, UFC 13
It's not surprising given the colorful life story of Tony Halme that he would give mixed martial arts a try.
Halme has occupied himself with a variety of crafts. He was a pro wrestling star in Japan under his real name and then in the World Wrestling Federation under the name Ludvig Borga. Wearing an outfit adorned with the Finnish flag, he played the role of an evil foreigner. He had the look but wasn't a good performer in the ring, and he washed out as a pro wrestler.
When his pro wrestling career stagnated, Halme gave the UFC a shot. Unfortunately, he received just about the worst possible draw for his first professional fight, a balding wrestler by the name of Randy Couture. Couture quickly demolished Halme, who would never again compete in MMA.
Halme didn't fade into obscurity. He gave pro boxing a try and had more success than he did in MMA, accumulating a 13-6 record. He then was voted into Finland's parliament on a right wing platform.
Kazushi Sakuraba, UFC Japan
Arguably the most popular and famous fighter in Japanese MMA history, Sakuraba is most associated with Pride Fighting Championships. But before Sakuraba ever competed for Pride, he made a controversial appearance for the UFC.
| UFC Retrospective Series | |
|---|---|
| By Todd Martin | |
| An eight-part weekly series on the history of the UFC, leading up to UFC 100. | |
| Part 1 | The Pioneer |
| Part 2 | The Dark Days |
| Part 3 | The New Ownership |
| Part 4 | The Explosion of '06 |
| Part 5 | The TUF Credibility Rise |
| Part 6 | The Comedian |
| Part 7 | Most Notable Cameos |
| Part 8 | The Next Generation |
UFC ran its first Japanese show in 1997, and used a number of fighters who were either from Japan or who made their names originally fighting there. Sakuraba was one, and despite being a natural middleweight, he was entered into a heavyweight tournament.
Sakuraba's first fight was against Marcus "Conan" Silveira, a man who outweighed him by over 50 pounds. As Silveira threw strikes, Sakuraba dropped down for a takedown. Referee John McCarthy saw Sakuraba go down quickly and wrongly stopped the fight. An angry Sakuraba protested the decision and tried to take the microphone from ring announcer Bruce Buffer.
Given the circumstances of the stoppage and the fact that the other side of the bracket was empty with Tank Abbott pulling out because of injury, the Silveira/Sakuraba fight was ruled a no-contest and the two were matched again in the final. Sakuraba submitted Silveira to complete a memorable evening in the UFC.
Sakuraba would go on to become one of MMA's most celebrated fighters, continuing to meet much larger opponents. UFC expressed interest in bringing back Sakuraba years later during a proposed talent exchange with Pride, but it never happened.
Bas Rutten, UFC 18 and UFC 20
Few fighters in the history of mixed martial arts have had the potential superstar appeal of "El Guapo" Bas Rutten. As a fighter, Rutten had a tremendously entertaining style built around world-class kickboxing and a well developed submission set. Outside the ring, Rutten is a gregarious and instantly likeable personality with enormous natural charisma.
With these traits in mind, UFC brought in Rutten to be their superstar heavyweight flag bearer in 1999. Unfortunately by that time, a grueling schedule in Japan's Pancrase organization left Rutten a spent force physically. He won both his UFC fights (including a controversial decision over Kevin Randleman) to win the UFC heavyweight title but had to retire because of injuries.
Rutten has kept himself busy following his retirement. He has done a number of television and film appearances and worked as a commentator for a number of fighting organizations including Pride FC and the IFL. He also hosts the popular Inside MMA television show with Kenny Rice on HDNet.
Sean Gannon, UFC 55
Before the UFC took a flyer on Kimbo Slice for the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, it took a flyer on his most famous pre-MMA opponent.
Slice years ago challenged a series of opponents to underground fights, which were shown on YouTube. Eventually, the challenge was answered by Sean Gannon, a Boston-area police officer. Gannon was the only man to defeat Slice in his challenge. Slice and Gannon's fight became quite famous in Internet MMA circles, and UFC decided to bring in Gannon for a UFC fight.
Before Gannon's UFC debut, Joe Rogan spoke with an unusually nervous UFC president Dana White, who tried to explain why the decision to bring in Gannon was not a legitimization of street fighting.
Unfortunately for Gannon, his UFC career didn't last long. Journeyman veteran Branden Lee Hinkle took him down and bloodied Gannon with brutal ground and pound. The fight was stopped in the first round.
Gannon left professional MMA and hasn't returned. There were discussions of a professional rematch between Slice and Gannon in recent years, but an agreement was never reached. Gannon still works as a police officer in Massachusetts.
Todd Martin has covered mixed martial arts for the Los Angeles Times, Wrestling Observer, SI.com and CBSSports.com. He can be reached at toddmartin4l@aol.com.
