Profile of Presenters
Mr Dan Severn – UFC Legend
Michigan, USA
(begin short bio) Mrs. Gordon, as in Momma Gordon to the host, refers to Mr. Severn as “The nice man with a mustache.” (end of short bio)
That description is accurate, but it leaves out quite a bit.
Dan “The Beast” Severn is a UFC Hall of Famer, a pioneer of modern mixed martial arts, an elite amateur wrestler, a professional wrestling champion, a coach, and an instructor whose competitive career has spanned multiple disciplines and decades.
Long before entering the UFC, Dan established himself as an exceptional wrestler. He was a two-time high school national champion and continued his career at Arizona State University, where he became a two-time NCAA All-American and three-time Pac-10 champion. He compiled a collegiate record of 127-11-1 and went on to compete extensively in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling at the national and international levels. He was also selected as a U.S. Olympic alternate.
Dan later coached wrestling at both Arizona State University and Michigan State University while continuing to compete.
When the Ultimate Fighting Championship was still in its infancy, Severn brought world-class wrestling into an environment where representatives of very different fighting systems were testing their skills against one another with comparatively few rules.
His arrival helped demonstrate something that would become fundamental to the development of modern mixed martial arts: an elite wrestler who could control where a fight took place could be extraordinarily difficult to defeat.
Severn won the UFC 5 Tournament, the Ultimate Ultimate 1995 Tournament, and the UFC Superfight Championship. His performances helped establish wrestling as one of the foundational skill sets of MMA and influenced generations of wrestlers who followed him into the sport.
In recognition of his role in the UFC’s formative years, Dan was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2005 and today is recognized as one of the organization’s early pioneers.
His accomplishments did not end with amateur wrestling or mixed martial arts.
Dan also enjoyed a major career in professional wrestling, competing throughout the United States and internationally, including appearances with the World Wrestling Federation. He became a two-time National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion, adding another significant chapter to an already unusual competitive career.
His contributions to wrestling have earned numerous honors, including the Frank Gotch Award, George Tragos Award, induction into the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, and recognition from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for his lifetime service to the sport.
Beyond wrestling, Dan has trained in judo, sambo, jujitsu, and other grappling systems. He has taught seminars worldwide, trained athletes, coached competitors, and provided defensive-tactics instruction to law-enforcement personnel.
Despite the championships, Hall of Fame honors, international competition, and the nickname “The Beast,” those who meet Dan often discover something very different from what his competitive résumé might suggest.
Which brings us back to Momma Gordon.
After everything Dan Severn has accomplished, she still probably describes him best:
“He’s the nice man with the mustache.”