MMA Hall of Fame: Dan "The Beast" Severn
MMA Record: 91-16-7
Dan “The Beast” Severn is a mixed martial artist who has over fifteen years of professional fighting experience to his credit. He was able to make the transition from a successful collegiate wrestler to a successful mixed marital artist. His list of accomplishments run long, however all of his contributions will not be found on his fight resume.
He began fighting in 1994 at the UFC 4 Tournament where he was able to collect victories in his first two bouts before suffering a loss to the legendary Royce Gracie in the final. He did rebound to win the UFC 5 Tournament, the Ultimate Ultimate ‘95 Tournament, and the UFC 9 Superfight Title over the next couple of years.
Overall, “The Beast” compiled a 9-4 record while in the UFC from 1994-1997 and then again for one fight in 2000 at UFC 27. He was also on the losing end of the first ever UFC Heavyweight Title Fight when he lost to Mark Coleman at UFC 12. He can still boast from organizational victories over the likes of Oleg Taktarov (twice), Tank Abbott, and Ken Shamrock.
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Maybe the most impressive stretch in Severn’s long and reputable MMA tenure took place after his UFC 12 Heavyweight Title loss to Mark Coleman. In that span, Severn went three years (February 1997 through February 2000) and twenty-four bouts between losses producing a 21-0-3 record. He earned hard fought victories over notables Paul Buentello, Travis Fulton, and Sam Adkins. He also fought Pat Miletich, Kimo Leopaldo, and Jeremy Horn to draws during his unbeaten stretch.
After his UFC days, he bounced around countless mid level organizations defeating both established veterans and up-and-coming superstars. In 2001, he collected victories over Forrest Griffin, Travis Fulton, and Wes Sims while fighting in the RSF, Ultimate Wrestling, and Iowa Challenge promotions. In 2002, at the age of48, he fought and won all six of his fights solidifying that he is still to be taken seriously.
In 2004, the same year that “The Beast” turned 50, he fought twelve times, the most of any year throughout his career. He fought in eleven different promotions and came out with a 7-4-1 record, proving that he could still handle his own despite his seasoned age. The very next year, at UFC 52, Severn was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame making him the third fighter ever, following both Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock. By the way, he kept active by producing five wins in seven 2005 fights.
While most fighters begin to wind down in their mid-30’s or early 40’s, Severn is not included in that group. He continues to stay busy with his fighting career well into his 50’s. In fact, he went a perfect 5-0 in 2006, 9-1 in 2007, 3-1 in 2008, and 2-1 in 2009.
Although he has slowed down over the last two years, he has yet to announce his retirement from the sport that he helped so much. He has earned the right to slow down, stop, or continue his career whenever he wants. As he has already proven, he will not allow any person, organization, or unwritten age rule push him into retirement. "The Beast" will declare when enough is enough.
By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Senior MMA Staff Writer
Published February 2010
Photo courtesy of UFC