Maurice Smith re-energized strikers in MMA. | Photo: D. Mandel/Sherdog.com
Maurice Smith
“Mo” Pancrase (1993-95); Rings (1996, 1997, 1999); Extreme Fighting (1996, 1997); Ultimate Fighting Championship (1997-99, 2000), Pride Fighting Championships (1999); World Extreme Fighting (1999); International Fight League (2007); Strikeforce (2008); Sengoku (2008); Resurrection Fighting Alliance (2012); Cage Warrior Combat (2013)
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CASE FOR: Smith’s record does not suggest a hall-of-fame career, but he was an extremely important figure in the history of the sport. His victory over Mark Coleman at UFC 14 may have been the single most important fight ever in influencing the stylistic development of MMA. It taught strikers that they were not overmatched against an influx of high-level wrestlers and foreshadowed the modern shift towards a more striking-oriented sport. Smith’s alliance with Frank Shamrock and Tsuyoshi Kohsaka was also influential in the development of modern cross training. He was the Extreme Fighting and Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion. CASE AGAINST: Smith sports a 14-14 career record, something that would be difficult for him to overcome. Most of his losses were against high-quality opponents who were more experienced in the ground game, but his overall record against prime elite competition was poor. VERDICT: Should he go in? Yes, he was too significant a figure to ignore.
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