8 MMA Legends You've Never Heard Of

With just 16 recorded fights on his record, Marco Ruas has had the fewest bouts of any of the male fighters featured on this list. So what did Ruas do during that period to earn legendary status?

The way Ruas changed the MMA game when he was crowned the UFC 7 Tournament Champion can still be seen in the sport to this day. What made the Brazilian so unique during this time period was how adept he was in both striking and grappling, in a time when most fighters were still specialists, often leaving them compromised when forced away from their preferred area of engagement. This is still seen in MMA today, with fighters crosstraining in several martial arts to round out their skills.

Ruas complimented his BJJ black belt with some serious proficiency in Muay Thai, allowing him to be comfortable in all areas of the fight game. This combination would go on to become a favourite of several legendary Brazilian fighters, including Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, and Shogun Rua.

Despite competing in both the UFC and Pride on multiple occasions, Ruas is yet to be enshrined in history in a manner similar to many of his contemporaries from his era. The Brazilian is more than deserving of a place in the UFC Hall Of Fame's pioneer wing, but only time will tell whether Ruas will get the recognition he deserves.