Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame: Induction of Pat Miletich

Welcome again to the inaugural week of Sports Nickel’s Mixed Martial arts Hall of fame.  Today we have another legend of MMA, but unlike yesterdays inductee this man made his impact here in the USA.  He is the original “Croatian Sensation”, one of the greatest MMA trainers of our time, Pat Miletich.  Presenting today will be a new face, Shane Bowen.

Pat 'The Croatian Sensation' Miletich

Sticking with the rules, using an active fighter isn’t allowed. So no one fighting after 2008 is considered. Otherwise everyone would know my obvious pick of GSP, who by the way, will go down as the greatest Mixed Martial Artist ever. That’s neither here nor there.

Tell me if you know this guy. Started when Mixed Martial Arts was greener than turf. First fight was in 1995 which makes him a 15 year veteran of the sport. 40 recorded professional fights. Fought for a title/defense fight 6 times in his career and was 5-1 in that respect. This fighter was 27-4 up until December of 2000 which is the point at which he probably should have called it quits. His career looks finished at 29-7-2 with his last fight ending on a positive note, a win by KO over Thomas Denny in 2008.

Need more clues? On March 13, 1998 he won the first UFC Lightweight tournament and on October 16, 1998 he won the first UFC Lightweight Championship against Mikey Burnett. By default he became the UFC WW in 2001 when the UFC shifted its weight classes though he subsequently lost that title to Carlos Newton. Now the biggest hint, he is the founder of Miletich Fighting Systems, which trains some of the most talented and popular fighters in MMA. That’s right, my nomination for the MMA HOF is none other than Patrick Miletich.