8 MMA Legends You've Never Heard Of

Hidehiko Yoshida is the most accomplished judoka ever to compete in MMA. A gold medalist at both the Olympics in 1992, and the Judo World Championships in 1999, he had become something of a hero in his home country, so when he decided to transition into MMA in 2002, fans across the land hotly-anticipated his debut.

Before stepping into MMA, Yoshida would compete in a battle between Judo and BJJ against Royce Gracie in a special rules fight that prohibited strikes to the head on the feet and all ground strikes as an homage to the 1951 bout between Royce's father Helio Gracie and Masahiko Kimura. Yoshida would be declared the winner after it appeared Royce had gone limp in a choke during the first round only to immediately jump up and protest the referee's decision (think a 2002 version of the fight between Robbie Lawler and Ben Askren).

Despite this, Yoshida would go on to find success in MMA, despite his limited experience with the striking game, and show extraordinary toughness against some of the elite of the sport. The Japanese star would earn wins over Don Frye, Mark Hunt, Tank Abbott and even fellow Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii despite being 17 years older than his opponent.

Yoshida's career may not have made waves in the mainstream in the west, but his exploits in the ring made him one of the biggest stars in the history of Japanese MMA.