Randy "The Natural" Couture (16 - 8 - 0):



I remember the first time I saw Randy Couture, in his 1997 UFC debut against Tony Halme. You could instantly tell that he was an intelligent and technical fighter. He did a transition into back mount that was at once quick and smooth yet methodical. Instead of scrambling onto Halme's back and giving him a chance to escape or improve his position, Couture secured his position at every step, getting Halme's back and quickly ending the fight via rear naked choke. You can see the transition at the 40 second mark of this video.

The video at the top of the post is from the fight in which Couture defeated Tito Ortiz to claim the Light Heavyweight championship. Going into this fight, Tito had totally dominated every title challenger the organization had put against him. The Vegas odds had Tito as the heavy favorite. Despite this, a friend and I knew with absolute certainty that Couture would win the fight. Randy ended up completely dominating five rounds and winning a unanimous decision. It was completely one-sided, and he made it look easy. I still kick myself for not putting any money on this fight.