Pac-12 wrestling has modest national success in collegiate wrestling compared to other conferences. Since the NCAA started wrestling championships in 1928, the Pac-12 has only one team title — 1988 Arizona State. Since then, new programs have formed and old programs have folded.

Although the Pac-12 does not have the highest reign in college, the conference does contend for the best success in the MMA world. Whether coaches or wrestlers, the Pac-12 has five of the 36 MMA fighters in the UFC Hall of Fame. Arizona State’s Ryan Bader and Cain Velasquez are on the cusp of the UFC Hall of Fame, too. All of these legendary figures prove that the Pac-12 wrestling scene has impacted the landscape of MMA.

How have they impacted it? Let’s look down the list of the Hall of Famers. 

Former Oregon State wrestling coach Randy Couture invented dirty boxing. His dirty boxing style of hard punches that would slip him into clinches is still used to this day. Couture was not a superb boxer, but his power went well with his Greco-Roman background. He shaped MMA by bringing in collar ties and clinches that combined well with boxing.

Before Conor McGregor or the bad boy personas of the new MMA, there was Cal State Bakersfield’s Tito Ortiz. Besides making history in the Light Heavyweight class, Ortiz brought some California swag to the MMA. He drew the biggest crowds in the early 2000s because he was the original brash bad boy. Since then, each fighter has their own unique characteristic. However, Ortiz was the hated pioneer that placed character on the map.

Arizona State’s Dan Henderson was the definition of a gatekeeper. His warrior mentality put the hardcore wrestling pace in five-minute UFC rounds. Before Henderson, many Brazilians ran the UFC with their slower-paced martial arts styles. On the other hand, Henderson applied pressure and power that was unfamiliar at that time.

Dan Severn added to the Sun Devil legacy. Nowadays, the heavyweight class is one of the most electric. In 1993, Severn was one of the first nationally acclaimed heavyweight fighters in UFC history. He faced off against the Brazilian great Royce Gracie. Without Severn, the heavyweight class would not have grown in UFc as quickly as it did.

Cain Velasquez was one of the most underrated, intelligent fighters. The former Sun Devil introduced a more defensive style of wrestling in UFC. He would scare his opponents with takedowns, superb takedown and clinch defense, and his ground game. Therefore, his opponents would fall asleep on his striking game. Opponents feared Velasquez's almighty wrestling, that he was able to knock anyone out by surprise.

The list does not end here, either. Oregon added some spice to the mix with Chael Sonnen’s success, Oregon State has added some new faces in Colby Covington and CB Dollaway, and ASU claims Ryan Bader and Bubba Jenkins.

It seems like the list will not end soon, too. Stanford’s core, Arizona State’s recent dynasty, and Oregon State’s All-Americans can easily add to Pac-12’s enriched history in MMA.

Nick Zeller-Singh is a student at Arizona State studying Sports Journalism. In addition to writing for FloWrestling, he appears on his college radio station, does play-by-play, and covers a variety of sports as a beat writer. Follow him on Twitter.