Who is "The Beast?" If you were an very early fan of UFC, you would know that The Beast is Dan Severn. He is one of the early adopters and fighters in the beginning years of the Ultimate Fighting Championship tournaments. With the most fights under his belt, he is the most experience MMA fighter since this relatively young sport has began. Severn's record is 86 wins, 16 losses, and 7 draws. Along with the UFC, Severn has also fought in other leagues such as PRIDE FC, King of the Cage, WEC, Cage Rage, and even the WWF (World Wrestling Federation). He is a mixed martial artist and professional wrestler.
Dan Severn started his athletic career in freestyle wrestling. He went to Arizona State where he earned All-American four times. He even coached at Arizona State and also at Michigan State. Because of his wrestling techniques, Severn became one of the most popular UFC fighters. He was able to take down fighters to the ground and beat them for a knockout win. Though on the ground, he lacked submission and grapping skills which is widely used today in Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu.
Severn was one of the early pioneers in mixed martial arts. When he fought in UFC 4 in 1994, mixed martial arts or MMA was unheard of at that time. It was because of people like Dan Severn and other fighters he fought like Royce Gracie, Tank Abbott, and Ken Shamrock who helped pave the way for this sport. Without these fighters, the UFC and MMA would not be where it is today. Severn even mentors some fighters today like Rashad Evans and Luke Zachrich.
Besides MMA, Severn also was an accomplished pro wrestler and wrestled in leagues such as the WWF and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and Japan's UWF International. In pro wrestling, he competed against some wrestlers like Shinya Hashimoto, The Rock, and The Godfather.
Because of his popularity, history, and experience with the UFC, Dan Severn is named in the UFC Hall of Fame.
Fight History
Event | Opponent | Method | Round | Date | Time | Result |
| Gladiator Challenge - The Beast | Steve Eakins | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5/16/2009 | 3:00 | Win |
| Iroquois - MMA Championships 7 | William Richey | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 1/24/2009 | 5:00 | Loss |
| HC 1 - Hell Cage 1 | Pavel Botka | Decision | N/A | 5/3/2008 | N/A | Loss |
| WFC - Armageddon | Damon Clark | Submission (Kimura) | 2 | 4/12/2008 | 2:30 | Win |
| Cage Wars - Max Extreme fighting | Colin Robinson | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3/9/2008 | N/A | Win |
| Iroquois - MMA Championships II | Ian Asham | Submission (Kimura) | N/A | 2/9/2008 | N/A | Win |
| KOTC - Bad Boys | Don Richard | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 11/21/2007 | 5:00 | Win |
| TOTP - Titans of the Pentagon | Mark Smith | TKO (Corner Stoppage) | 1 | 9/22/2007 | N/A | Win |
| WFC - Rumble In The Red Rocks | Victor Vincelette | Submission (Choke) | 1 | 6/9/2007 | 1:35 | Win |
| WVF - Minot | Terrell Pree | Submission (Armbar) | 1 | 4/21/2007 | 4:18 | Win |
| GC 60 - Invasion | Jason Keith | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | 1 | 3/23/2007 | 2:36 | Win |
| CCCF - Riverwind Rumble | Kasey Geyer | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | 2 | 2/24/2007 | 1:25 | Win |
| CCCF - Red River Riot | Clifford Coon | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | 1 | 2/17/2007 | 1:53 | Win |
| CR 20 - Born 2 Fight | Dave Legeno | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 2/10/2007 | 5:00 | Loss |
| KOTC - Mass Destruction | Wade Hamilton | Submission | 1 | 1/26/2007 | N/A | Win |
| IFC - Rumble on the River 2 | Chris Clark | Submission | 1 | 11/10/2006 | 3:08 | Win |
| NFA - Night of the Beast | Brian Heden | Decision | N/A | 9/23/2006 | N/A | Win |
| IE - Independent Event | Skip Hall | Submission (Choke) | 1 | 8/26/2006 | N/A | Win |
| GR 16 - Goshin Ryu 16 | Robert Berry | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | 1 | 6/3/2006 | 4:21 | Win |
| WFC - Rumble in the Rockies | Victor Vincelette | Submission (Strikes) | 1 | 1/21/2006 | 1:22 | Win |
| Rings Holland - Men of Honor | Joop Kasteel | KO | 1 | 12/11/2005 | N/A | Loss |
| AWE - Action Wrestling Entertainment | Tyson Smith | Submission | 1 | 10/5/2005 | 4:12 | Win |
| MFC 8 - Resurrection | Victor Valimaki | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 9/9/2005 | 5:00 | Loss |
| GC 39 - Titans Collide | Rick Collup | Submission (Knees) | 2 | 7/17/2005 | N/A | Win |
| Extreme Wars - X-1 | Shannon Ritch | Submission (Choke) | 2 | 7/2/2005 | 1:05 | Win |
| NFC - Northern Fighting Championships | Shannon Ritch | Submission (Keylock) | 2 | 6/3/2005 | N/A | Win |
| GC 34 - Legends Collide | Cal Worsham | TKO (Injury) | 3 | 1/27/2005 | N/A | Win |
| CFC - Continental Fighting Championships | Lee Mein | TKO | 2 | 11/20/2004 | 1:41 | Win |
| UC 11 - Wrath of the Beast | James Thompson | Decision (Unanimous) | 5 | 9/12/2004 | 5:00 | Loss |
| AFA - Beast | Chad Rafdel | TKO (Corner Stoppage) | 1 | 7/31/2004 | 3:00 | Win |
| Gladiator FC - Day 1 | Hidetada Irie | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 6/26/2004 | 5:00 | Win |
| GC 27 - FightFest 2 | Ruben Villareal | Decision (Split) | 2 | 6/3/2004 | 5:00 | Win |
| Dangerzone - Cage Fighting | Greg Lockhart | Submission | 2 | 4/10/2004 | 1:45 | Win |
| HFC 3 - Hardcore Fighting Championships 3 | Johnathan Ivey | Decision (Unanimous) | N/A | 3/27/2004 | N/A | Win |
| XFC 4 - Australia vs The World | Tony Bonello | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | 1 | 3/19/2004 | 1:36 | Loss |
| ETB - Enter the Beast | Ulysses Castro | Submission (Verbal) | 3 | 3/6/2004 | 2:45 | Loss |
| KOTC 33 - After Shock | Jerry Vrbanovic | Draw | 2 | 2/20/2004 | 5:00 | Draw |
| KOTC 32 - Bringing Heat | Seth Petruzelli | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 1/24/2004 | 5:00 | Loss |
| PXC 1 - Pacific X-Treme Combat | Ray Seraille | Submission (Armbar) | 3 | 1/17/2004 | 2:03 | Win |
| SB - Seasons Beatings | Mathias Hughes | Submission | 1 | 12/18/2003 | 2:40 | Win |
| RITC 54 - 'The Beast' vs 'The Rock' | Homer Moore | Draw | 3 | 10/25/2003 | 3:00 | Draw |
| GC 18 - Gladiator Challenge 18 | Gary Dudley | TKO (Strikes) | 1 | 8/21/2003 | 2:08 | Win |
| KOTC 24 - Mayhem | Dan Christison | Decision (Split) | 3 | 6/14/2003 | 5:00 | Win |
| HFC 1 - Hardcore Fighting Championships 1 | Shane Moore | Submission | 2 | 5/24/2003 | 0:46 | Win |
| KOTC 23 - Sin City | Cory Timmerman | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 5/16/2003 | 5:00 | Win |
| MFC 6 - Road To Gold | Ulysses Castro | Decision | 3 | 2/22/2003 | 5:00 | Loss |
| WATS - War at the Shore | Pat Stano | Draw | 3 | 1/17/2003 | 5:00 | Draw |
| UC 4 - Eyes of the Beast | Mike Ward | Submission | 3 | 12/1/2002 | 1:42 | Win |
| VFC 3 - Total Chaos | Justin Eilers | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 11/23/2002 | 5:00 | Win |
| KOTC 18 - Sudden Impact | Mark Smith | Submission (Keylock) | 1 | 11/1/2002 | 2:56 | Win |
| AC 1 - Aztec Challenge 1 | Dan Christison | Decision | 3 | 9/6/2002 | 5:00 | Win |
| KOTC 14 - New Mexico | John Jensen | TKO (Corner Stoppage) | 1 | 6/19/2002 | 5:00 | Win |
| Dangerzone - Caged Heat | Steve Sayegh | Submission (Strikes) | 1 | 4/13/2002 | 5:45 | Win |
| RSF 5 - New Blood Conflict | Forrest Griffin | Decision | 3 | 10/27/2001 | 4:00 | Win |
| IC 3 - Iowa Challenge 3 | Travis Fulton | Draw | 3 | 9/22/2001 | 5:00 | Draw |
| UW - St. Paul | Lenn Walker | Submission (Strikes) | 1 | 7/15/2001 | 1:49 | Win |
| WEC 1 - Princes of Pain | Travis Fulton | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 6/30/2001 | 5:00 | Win |
| RSF 2 - Attack at the Track | Wes Sims | Decision | 3 | 6/23/2001 | 4:00 | Win |
| RCF 11 - Reality Combat Fighting 11 | Harry Moskowitz | Submission (Keylock) | N/A | 5/10/2001 | N/A | Win |
| RSF 1 - Redemption in the Valley | Jonathan Wiezorek | Submission (Choke) | 2 | 4/21/2001 | 1:03 | Loss |
| Dangerzone - Insane In Ft. Wayne | Aaron Keeney | Submission (Keylock) | 1 | 11/25/2000 | 2:03 | Win |
| Dangerzone - Night of the Beast | Travis Fulton | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | 1 | 10/28/2000 | 2:01 | Win |
| UFC 27 - Ultimate Bad Boyz | Pedro Rizzo | Submission (Strikes) | 1 | 9/22/2000 | 1:33 | Loss |
| Rings - Millennium Combine 3 | Andrei Kopylov | Decision (Unanimous) | 2 | 8/23/2000 | 5:00 | Win |
| CFA 2 - Continental Freefighting Alliance 2 | John Dixon | Submission (Keylock) | 1 | 7/19/2000 | 5:18 | Win |
| Dangerzone - Battle At The Bear | Ron Rumpf | Submission (Keylock) | 1 | 7/8/2000 | 0:54 | Win |
| Dangerzone - Ft. Wayne 2 | Robert Stines | Submission (Neck Crank) | 1 | 5/20/2000 | 0:44 | Win |
| WEF 9 - World Class | Marcus Silveira | Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) | 1 | 5/13/2000 | 4:46 | Win |
| CFA 1 - Collision at the Crossroads | Bart Vale | TKO (Doctor) | 2 | 3/25/2000 | 0:36 | Win |
| SB 16 - SuperBrawl 16 | Josh Barnett | Submission (Armbar) | 4 | 2/8/2000 | 1:21 | Loss |
| Dangerzone - Ft. Wayne | Mark Jaquith | Decision | 1 | 11/22/1999 | 15:00 | Win |
| EC 28 - Extreme Challenge 28 | Phil Ortiz | Submission (Keylock) | 1 | 10/9/1999 | 1:55 | Win |
| Dangerzone - Ft. Smith | David Ferguson | Submission (Strikes) | 1 | 9/18/1999 | 8:36 | Win |
| URF - Ultimate Reality Fighting | Nick Starks | Decision | N/A | 7/18/1999 | 0:00 | Win |
| UW - Ultimate Wrestling | Brad Kohler | TKO | 1 | 6/25/1999 | 7:57 | Win |
| Dangerzone - Mahnomen | Slade Martin | Submission (Keylock) | 1 | 6/19/1999 | 3:30 | Win |
| BITBH - Brawl in the Black Hills 1 | Ross Quam | Submission (Jaw Lock) | N/A | 5/15/1999 | N/A | Win |
| CC 1 - Cage Combat 1 | Kevin Rosier | Submission | 1 | 12/8/1998 | 1:00 | Win |
| SB 9 - SuperBrawl 9 | Joe Frailey | Submission (Armbar) | 1 | 9/19/1998 | 4:02 | Win |
| EC 20 - Extreme Challenge 20 | Pat Miletich | Draw | 1 | 8/22/1998 | 20:00 | Draw |
| SB 8 - SuperBrawl 8 | Chris Franco | TKO (Cut) | 1 | 8/4/1998 | 4:55 | Win |
| IFC 8 - Showdown at Shooting Star | Sam Adkins | Submission | 1 | 6/20/1998 | 12:57 | Win |
| WSW - World Shoot Wrestling | Steve Miller | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | 1 | 6/12/1998 | 5:45 | Win |
| SB 7 - SuperBrawl 7 | John Calvo | TKO (Punches) | 1 | 4/25/1998 | 3:38 | Win |
| Gladiators - Gladiators 2 | Travis Fulton | Submission (Keylock) | 1 | 4/18/1998 | 10:39 | Win |
| EC 15 - Extreme Challenge 15 | Kevin Rosier | TKO | 1 | 2/27/1998 | 0:53 | Win |
| PRIDE 1 - PRIDE 1 | Kimo Leopoldo | Draw | 1 | 10/11/1997 | 30:00:00 | Draw |
| IFC 6 - Battle at Four Bears | John Renfroe | Submission (Keylock) | 1 | 9/20/1997 | 2:28 | Win |
| IFC 5 - Battle in the Bayou | John Dixon | Submission (Punches) | 1 | 9/5/1997 | 2:33 | Win |
| SB 5 - SuperBrawl 5 | Lance Gibson | Submission (Keylock) | 1 | 8/23/1997 | 26:22:00 | Win |
| USWF 6 - Unified Shoot Wrestling Federation 6 | Paul Buentello | Submission | 1 | 8/16/1997 | 2:55 | Win |
| IVC 1 - Real Fight Tournament | Ebenezer Fontes Braga | TKO (Cut) | 1 | 7/6/1997 | 8:17 | Win |
| EC 7 - Extreme Challenge 7 | Jeremy Horn | Draw | 1 | 6/25/1997 | 20:00 | Draw |
| EC 6 - Extreme Challenge 6 | John Renfroe | TKO | 1 | 5/10/1997 | 2:29 | Win |
| UFC 12 - Judgement Day | Mark Coleman | Submission (Choke) | 1 | 2/7/1997 | 2:57 | Loss |
| EC 1 - Extreme Challenge 1 | Steven Goss | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | 1 | 11/23/1996 | 1:53 | Win |
| U - Japan | Mitsuhiro Matsunaga | Submission (Reverse Armbar) | 1 | 11/17/1996 | 1:32 | Win |
| UVF 4 - Universal Vale Tudo Fighting 4 | Mario Neto | Decision | 1 | 10/22/1996 | 40:00:00 | Win |
| BATB 1 - Brawl at the Ballpark 1 | Dennis Reed | Submission (Neck Crank) | 1 | 9/1/1996 | 4:10 | Win |
| VTJ 1996 - Vale Tudo Japan 1996 | Doug Murphy | Submission (Keylock) | 1 | 7/7/1996 | 3:23 | Win |
| UFC 9 - Motor City Madness | Ken Shamrock | Decision | 1 | 5/17/1996 | 30:00:00 | Win |
| UU 95 - Ultimate Utlimate 1995 | Oleg Taktarov | Decision | 1 | 12/16/1995 | 30:00:00 | Win |
| UU 95 - Ultimate Utlimate 1995 | David Abbott | Decision (Unanimous) | 1 | 12/16/1995 | 18:00 | Win |
| UU 95 - Ultimate Utlimate 1995 | Paul Varelans | Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) | 1 | 12/16/1995 | 1:40 | Win |
| UFC 6 - Clash of the Titans | Ken Shamrock | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | 1 | 7/14/1995 | 2:14 | Loss |
| UFC 5 - The Return of the Beast | Dave Beneteau | Submission (Keylock) | 1 | 4/7/1995 | 3:01 | Win |
| UFC 5 - The Return of the Beast | Oleg Taktarov | TKO (Cut) | 1 | 4/7/1995 | 4:21 | Win |
| UFC 5 - The Return of the Beast | Joe Charles | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | 1 | 4/7/1995 | 1:38 | Win |
| UFC 4 - Revenge of the Warriors | Royce Gracie | Submission (Triangle Choke) | 1 | 12/16/1994 | 15:49 | Loss |
| UFC 4 - Revenge of the Warriors | Marcus Bossett | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | 1 | 12/16/1994 | 0:52 | Win |
| UFC 4 - Revenge of the Warriors | Anthony Macias | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | 1 | 12/16/1994 | 1:45 | Win |
