Sherdog’s Top 10: Fighters of the 2000s

10. Randy Couture

One of three men -- B.J. Penn and Conor McGregor are the others -- to capture Ultimate Fighting Championship gold in two weight classes, Couture enjoyed five title reigns: three as a heavyweight and two more as a light heavyweight. A staggering 15 of his 24 career appearances inside the Octagon came in title bouts, and he has headlined more UFC events than any other fighter. Couture was a three-time NCAA All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University before gracing the Octagon for the first time at UFC 13 in 1997. By the end of the year, he was the heavyweight champion. Couture later vacated the title and spent a few years competing in Japan before returning to the UFC on a permanent basis in 2001. Victories over Pedro Rizzo (twice), Chuck Liddell, Vitor Belfort, Tim Sylvia and Mark Coleman followed, as he became one of the most decorated and beloved competitors in MMA history. Couture was the fourth fighter to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on June 24, 2006, when he joined Royce Gracie, Dan Severn and Ken Shamrock in the organization’s pantheon of immortals. An Everett, Washington, native, “The Natural” retired in 2011 at the age of 47 following his knockout loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 129 in Toronto.

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