4. Pat Miletich
His fingerprints are all over modern MMA, his contributions too many to count. Miletich appeared on the scene in 1995 and won his first 15 professional fights, finishing 14 of them. “The Croatian Sensation” went 25-2-2 in the 1990s, losing only to Matt Hume and Jutaro Nakao. Miletich became the first welterweight champion in UFC history on Oct. 16, 1998 and successfully defended the title on four occasions, besting Jorge Patino, Andre Pederneiras, John Alessio and Kenichi Yamamoto before relinquishing his hold on the throne. However, his influence was felt well beyond the time he was considered a serious player in the cage. His groundbreaking Miletich Fighting Systems camp in Iowa served as a staging ground for a number of future Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholders, including Matt Hughes, Robbie Lawler, Tim Sylvia and Jens Pulver. Miletich was enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame on July 5, 2014.
Continue Reading » Number 3