3. Wanderlei Silva
Although he is now effectively retired in semi-disgrace, Silva was once of the most terrifying men on the face of the planet. His dead-eyed stare, pathological aggression, wild barrages of hooks and devastating knees in the clinch constituted a powerful personal brand, and his commitment to Darude’s “Sandstorm” as his entrance music reinforced the perception of Silva as a fighter to be remembered.
Silva’s fights always felt like a big deal, even to the end of his career, and a great deal of that has to do with the fact that he built up such a recognizable look and feel for himself over the years. The dulcet tones of “Sandstorm” echoing through the arena loudspeakers had a great deal to do with that.
Number 2 » It is only fitting that MMA’s first great fighter also be recognized for what amounted to its first epic walkout. “The Gracie Train,” as it became known, represented the all-in-the-family spirit of those early Ultimate Fighting Championship shows. Slowly making his way to the cage in the company of his brothers, cousins and past 80-year-old father, he put Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and its peculiar cultural context on display for the world to see.