2. Frank Shamrock
Shamrock remains one of the most influential figures of all-time -- he was among the first to put all the training pieces together -- and one of the most successful fighters of the decade. He cut his teeth in the same Pancrase organization that spawned Bas Rutten, Rumina Sato and others but hit his stride in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Shamrock needed just 16 seconds to submit Olympic gold medalist Kevin Jackson with an armbar and win the inaugural UFC middleweight championship in 1997. Successful title defenses against Igor Zinoviev, Jeremy Horn and John Lober followed before the Santa Monica, California, native faced Tito Ortiz at UFC 22 on Sept. 24, 1999. Shamrock outlasted “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” in a grueling clash that lasted nearly 20 minutes, ultimately striking him into submission in the fourth round. He would never compete inside the Octagon again. Shamrock went on to win titles in World Extreme Cagefighting and Strikeforce before retiring after a 2009 loss to Nick Diaz.
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