The UFC started the MMA mania that swept the world of fighting sports when it held its very first tournament 18 years ago. To date, a number of other promoters hold their own MMA events around the world to cater to the growing fan base of supporters and enthusiasts. However, only a few do know and appreciate how UFC popularized MMA. Most of the younger generation of fans may not even know who the original fighters were and how matches were made at that time.
The 1st Ultimate Fighting Championship event was held on November 12, 1993 at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado through the collaboration of Art Davie and Rorion Gracie. Davie was an advertising executive who was inspired with the Gracies in Action video series which featured the Gracie jiu-jitsu practitioners defeating masters of various martial arts disciplines. He wanted to capture the same excitement by holding a tournament that pitted fighters with various martial arts backgrounds to see which one is the most effective fighting style in a real no holds barred fight. Through the help of investors and by partnering with SEG, Davie's WOW Entertainment was able to organize the event. It was hosted by Bill Wallace and NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown. Five-time kickboxing champion Kathy Long and Rod Machado provided ringside commentaries as well.
At this time, viewers and even the referees were not very clear with the rules and how the fights went as this was the first time such an event was ever organized. Although it was advertised that it was "No Holds Barred" and that there were no rules, no judges, nor time limits, eye gouging and groin shots were specifically mentioned during the event as prohibited. Eventually, rules were drafted and effected as they are today due to legislative requirements. But at that time, it did not matter and this lack of rules intrigued fans and contributed to the notoriety of the sport as violent.
In hind sight, the event was organized to showcase the dominance of Gracie jiu-jitsu over other martial arts. The producers originally wanted to have Rickson Gracie to represent the jiu-jitsu but Rorion picked their smaller brother Royce to fight in the event. It was said that Royce was chosen because he looked unimpressive and having him win using jiu-jitsu will serve to highlight its superiority.
The first match was between Teila Tuli and Gerard Goudreau. Tuli was a 6'2" 420lbs former professional Sumo wrestler while Goudreau was a 6'5" Savate heavyweight champion. After bull-rushing Goudreau, Tuli received some vicious hits which ended the fight in around 30 seconds only and losing several of his teeth. The second fight was between Zane Frazier and Kevin Rosier. Frazier was a 6'6" 230lbs WKF super heavyweight Kenpo Karate champion while Rozier was a 6'4" 265lbs ISKA and WKA super heavyweight kickboxing champion. Frazier and Rosier took turns having the upper hand with the latter finally winning after 5 minutes. The third fight was between Royce Gracie and Art Jimmerson who were the most diminutive among the fighters weighing 178lbs and 196 lbs only. Jimmerson was the IBF North American cruiserweight or light heavyweight champion and was best remembered for wearing a 12oz boxing glove on his left hand only. Royce made short work of Jimmerson by making him lose his balance and mounting him to force him to tap out. In this fight, Royce already showed the importance of executing ground maneuvers. The last elimination fight was between Ken Shamrock and Patrick Smith. Shamrock was the #1 Shoot fighter in the world while Smith was the 1993 Savate heavyweight champion and was both a Tae Kwan Do black belter and a skilled boxer. Still, Shamrock proved his superiority as an all-around fighter and placed Smith into submission in less than 2 minutes.
The first semifinal fight was between Goudreau and Rosier. Both have already suffered some injuries from their fights earlier with Goudreau having a broken hand and Rosier having a heavily swollen left eye. Goudreau dominated the fight by throwing a barrage of punches and a heavy stomp to Rosier's ribs which ended the match in less than a minute. The second semifinal match was between Gracie and Shamrock. As expected, Gracie also made short work of Shamrock as the former secured a choke and forced the latter into submission. The final match was between Gracie and Goudreau. Gracie found it difficult to take Goudreau down as he was using the cage for his balance. Eventually, Gracie took him to the ground and took control of the fight. However, Gracie also suffered from a bite from Goudreau which left his ear bleeding. In less than 2 minutes, Gracie became the first UFC champion. He did prove the superiority of jiu-jitsu over other martial arts in spite of his size.
The UFC and its fighters would go on to evolve as it is today. Despite some snags along the road, UFC prevailed and the loyalty of its fans never wavered. Although the UFC1 barely resembled the UFC of today, it will always be remembered as a momentous event that placed MMA into the consciousness of many.
The 1st Ultimate Fighting Championship event was held on November 12, 1993 at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado through the collaboration of Art Davie and Rorion Gracie. Davie was an advertising executive who was inspired with the Gracies in Action video series which featured the Gracie jiu-jitsu practitioners defeating masters of various martial arts disciplines. He wanted to capture the same excitement by holding a tournament that pitted fighters with various martial arts backgrounds to see which one is the most effective fighting style in a real no holds barred fight. Through the help of investors and by partnering with SEG, Davie's WOW Entertainment was able to organize the event. It was hosted by Bill Wallace and NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown. Five-time kickboxing champion Kathy Long and Rod Machado provided ringside commentaries as well.
At this time, viewers and even the referees were not very clear with the rules and how the fights went as this was the first time such an event was ever organized. Although it was advertised that it was "No Holds Barred" and that there were no rules, no judges, nor time limits, eye gouging and groin shots were specifically mentioned during the event as prohibited. Eventually, rules were drafted and effected as they are today due to legislative requirements. But at that time, it did not matter and this lack of rules intrigued fans and contributed to the notoriety of the sport as violent.
In hind sight, the event was organized to showcase the dominance of Gracie jiu-jitsu over other martial arts. The producers originally wanted to have Rickson Gracie to represent the jiu-jitsu but Rorion picked their smaller brother Royce to fight in the event. It was said that Royce was chosen because he looked unimpressive and having him win using jiu-jitsu will serve to highlight its superiority.
The first match was between Teila Tuli and Gerard Goudreau. Tuli was a 6'2" 420lbs former professional Sumo wrestler while Goudreau was a 6'5" Savate heavyweight champion. After bull-rushing Goudreau, Tuli received some vicious hits which ended the fight in around 30 seconds only and losing several of his teeth. The second fight was between Zane Frazier and Kevin Rosier. Frazier was a 6'6" 230lbs WKF super heavyweight Kenpo Karate champion while Rozier was a 6'4" 265lbs ISKA and WKA super heavyweight kickboxing champion. Frazier and Rosier took turns having the upper hand with the latter finally winning after 5 minutes. The third fight was between Royce Gracie and Art Jimmerson who were the most diminutive among the fighters weighing 178lbs and 196 lbs only. Jimmerson was the IBF North American cruiserweight or light heavyweight champion and was best remembered for wearing a 12oz boxing glove on his left hand only. Royce made short work of Jimmerson by making him lose his balance and mounting him to force him to tap out. In this fight, Royce already showed the importance of executing ground maneuvers. The last elimination fight was between Ken Shamrock and Patrick Smith. Shamrock was the #1 Shoot fighter in the world while Smith was the 1993 Savate heavyweight champion and was both a Tae Kwan Do black belter and a skilled boxer. Still, Shamrock proved his superiority as an all-around fighter and placed Smith into submission in less than 2 minutes.
The first semifinal fight was between Goudreau and Rosier. Both have already suffered some injuries from their fights earlier with Goudreau having a broken hand and Rosier having a heavily swollen left eye. Goudreau dominated the fight by throwing a barrage of punches and a heavy stomp to Rosier's ribs which ended the match in less than a minute. The second semifinal match was between Gracie and Shamrock. As expected, Gracie also made short work of Shamrock as the former secured a choke and forced the latter into submission. The final match was between Gracie and Goudreau. Gracie found it difficult to take Goudreau down as he was using the cage for his balance. Eventually, Gracie took him to the ground and took control of the fight. However, Gracie also suffered from a bite from Goudreau which left his ear bleeding. In less than 2 minutes, Gracie became the first UFC champion. He did prove the superiority of jiu-jitsu over other martial arts in spite of his size.
The UFC and its fighters would go on to evolve as it is today. Despite some snags along the road, UFC prevailed and the loyalty of its fans never wavered. Although the UFC1 barely resembled the UFC of today, it will always be remembered as a momentous event that placed MMA into the consciousness of many.
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