{"id":297408,"date":"2023-11-11T23:57:51","date_gmt":"2023-11-11T23:57:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usasportsradar.com\/?p=297408"},"modified":"2023-11-11T23:57:51","modified_gmt":"2023-11-11T23:57:51","slug":"special-report-the-incredible-story-of-ufc-1-exactly-30-years-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usasportsradar.com\/mma\/special-report-the-incredible-story-of-ufc-1-exactly-30-years-on\/","title":{"rendered":"SPECIAL REPORT: The incredible story of UFC 1 exactly 30 years on"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>SPECIAL REPORT: A 30-stone sumo-wrestler, Stevie Wonder&#8217;s bodyguard &#8211; and discussions over a SHARK-filled moat around the ring&#8230; the incredible story of UFC 1 exactly 30 years on<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><span>UFC 1 took place at Denver\u2019s McNichols Sports Arena on November 12, 1993<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>The chaotic, surreal event laid the foundations for a sporting behemoth to grow<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Art Jimmerson was in California\u00a0not long ago, when he popped into Target and spotted some familiar scars of battle. \u2018Usually, when I see a guy with cauliflower ears, I know he\u2019s a fighter,\u2019 the 60-year-old explains. He will normally introduce himself. On this shopping trip, however, Jimmerson needed a new ice-breaker.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I see a guy with cauliflower ears, I go to approach him but his bodyguard says: \u201cBack up, man\u2026\u201d\u2019 Guess who it was? Conor McGregor,\u2019 he recalls. So? \u2018I gave him my card and he said: \u201cArt Jimmerson! Oh my goodness! Can I get a picture?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Jimmerson obliged and together, in that photograph, two men told the story of one sport over three extraordinary decades. These days, no one symbolizes the glitz and swagger and excesses of mixed martial arts like McGregor. He remains the face of a booming business that recently joined forces with WWE in a deal worth $21billion.<\/p>\n<p>Few people embody the sport\u2019s surreal, scarcely believable beginnings like Jimmerson. He was among the handful of \u2018bandits\u2019 who \u2013 30 years ago this weekend \u2013 blazed a trail that leads all the way to Madison Square Garden.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday,\u00a0UFC 295 lands in New York. The event still shares a name with opening night. There are ties that bind today&#8217;s fighters with the founding fathers, too \u2013 mangled ears and a shared mission to prove they are a match for anyone and any style.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/10\/05\/77632287-12731999-MMA_superstar_Conor_McGregor_bumped_into_Art_Jimmerson_while_sho-a-1_1699594876931.jpg\" height=\"542\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Art Jimmerson bumped into MMA superstar Conor McGregor while shopping in Target<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/09\/21\/77625847-12731999-image-a-9_1699565415018.jpg\" height=\"437\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>&#8216;One Glove&#8217; Jimmerson (left) fought in UFC 1, which took place back on November 12, 1993<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/10\/04\/77634759-12731999-The_first_night_of_the_Ultimate_Fighting_Championship_was_a_brut-a-28_1699589100497.jpg\" height=\"476\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The first night of the Ultimate Fighting Championship was a brutal, chaotic but pivotal event\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But not much else has survived since November 12, 1993, when a former car dealer and a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor opened the doors to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. UFC 1 at Denver\u2019s McNichols Sports Arena was a night of chaos and brutality and ingenuity.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They pondered using an electric fence and a moat \u2013 filled with sharks or alligators \u2013 to keep fighters from running away. They recruited a 30st sumo-wrestler from\u00a0Hawaii, Stevie Wonder\u2019s former bodyguard and hardman whose day job had been keeping order around the brothels of Holland.<\/p>\n<p>Fans saw one fighter\u2019s teeth lodged in the feet of his opponent and another nearly die from the fumes of a smoke machine. The violence caused one staff member to vomit; announcers called the event and some fighters by the wrong name.<\/p>\n<p>Before long, judges and politicians fought to end this \u2018human cockfighting\u2019. They failed. Instead, at the end of night one, the smallest man had triumphed without throwing a punch. And the plates of sport had shifted forever.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Everybody in the event knew that we were changing the world,\u2019 says Art Davie, co-founder of the UFC.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We were like X-15 pilots \u2013 up in space, going off into the stratosphere, into the solar system in ways that nobody had done before. That was the feeling.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/10\/04\/77634755-12731999-Dutchman_Gerard_Gordeau_L_faced_sumo_Teila_Tuli_R_in_the_first_e-a-27_1699589093411.jpg\" height=\"485\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Dutchman Gerard Gordeau (L) faced sumo\u00a0Teila Tuli (R) in the first ever UFC fight in Denver\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/10\/04\/77625843-12731999-image-m-35_1699589405590.jpg\" height=\"420\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The bout is credited with \u2018setting the tone for the UFC&#8217; and &#8216;changing combat sports forever&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Davie claims the seeds of the UFC were sown \u2013 at least in his mind &#8211; by Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris, by Muhammad Ali\u2019s crossover bout with Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki and by the day when, as a young boxer, he briefly sparred a wrestler. \u2018Not a good idea,\u2019 Davie tells Mail Sport. \u2018I was convinced this was going to be popular.\u2018<\/p>\n<p>Davie, who had sold cars and worked in advertising, even pitched a tournament to one client. \u2018This is nuts,\u2019 they replied.<\/p>\n<p>For Rorion Gracie, Davie\u2019s co-founder, the story begins in Brazil and with his family, who are credited with developing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Rorion calls his father \u2018the very first sports icon in the history of Brazil\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Helio Gracie took on all comers from all disciplines \u2013 including at Rio De Janeiro\u2019s Maracana. And so?<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Since I came to America, I knew I was going to change the world,\u2019 Rorion tells Mail Sport.<\/p>\n<p>He taught Jiu-Jitsu in his garage and began to stage his own \u2018challenge matches\u2019 against masters of karate, kung-fu, wrestling and boxing. Davie read about Gracie in Playboy Magazine and while watching a karate champion get choked out, he chatted to Hollywood director John Milius \u2013 one of Gracie\u2019s students \u2013 who said: \u2018Wouldn\u2019t this be great on TV?\u2019<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/10\/04\/77636985-12731999-Art_Davie_co_founded_the_UFC-m-29_1699589143915.jpg\" height=\"584\" width=\"306\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/10\/04\/77625859-12731999-Rorion_Gracie_was_the_other_co_founder-a-30_1699589151605.jpg\" height=\"584\" width=\"306\"><\/p>\n<p>The UFC was founded by former car dealer Art Davie (L) and Jiu-Jitsu master Rorion Gracie (R)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/09\/21\/77625841-12731999-image-a-12_1699565424592.jpg\" height=\"426\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Gracie&#8217;s brother Royce won the first ever UFC, taking home the $50,000 prize in Denver<\/p>\n<p>Both Davie and Gracie agreed. The problem? None of HBO, Showtime or ESPN were convinced. Nor were many fighters.<\/p>\n<p>Norris was asked to be part of UFC 1. \u2018I think it might be illegal,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n<p>It took months before a TV partner \u2013 Semaphore, who helped rename the event from \u2018War of the Worlds\u2019 to \u2018The Ultimate Fighting Championship\u2019 \u2013 and enough fighters were on board. Among those to sign up? Gerard Gordeau. \u2018After military service, I became a bouncer and bodyguard in the red light districts of The Hague,\u2019 he tells Mail Sport.<\/p>\n<p>The Dutchman, who knew karate and kickboxing, spotted an advert for the UFC. \u2018I sent a tape and they liked it,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n<p>Jimmerson heard about the tournament through a friend. \u2018At the time, what was really popular were the video games Street Fighter,\u2019 he remembers. \u2018The boxer\u2026 was knocking everybody out so I thought: \u201cThere\u2019s no way any of these guys can beat me.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n<p>They were joined by Kevin Rosier (kickboxing champion), Teila Tuli (sumo wrestler), Ken Shamrock (a wrestler and mixed martial artist), Zane Frazier (a former bodyguard for Stevie Wonder), Patrick Smith (local kickboxer) and Royce Gracie \u2013 Rorion\u2019s younger brother. The prize was $50,000 and the title of the world\u2019s toughest man.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/09\/21\/77625861-12731999-image-a-2_1699565386215.jpg\" height=\"449\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Gracie&#8217;s Jiu-Jitsu skills meant he won the event without throwing a single punch in Denver\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/09\/21\/77625863-12731999-image-a-1_1699565383763.jpg\" height=\"444\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Zane Frazier (R) and kickboxer Kevin Rosier (L) were also among the &#8216;bandits&#8217; on opening night<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/09\/21\/77625789-12731999-image-a-15_1699565454890.jpg\" height=\"429\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The late Patrick Smith (R) tussles with Ken Shamrock during the chaotic night in 1992<\/p>\n<p>From there, only a couple of minor hurdles remained: where would the fights take place? And what rules would be in place?<\/p>\n<p>\u2018My original concept,\u2019 Davie says, \u2018was style vs. style, no-holds barred.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>He took out insurance and the fighter agreements \u2013 rather unfortunately &#8211; included the word \u2018death\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>But some precautions were taken, including no biting and no eye gouging.<\/p>\n<p>As for the \u2018ring\u2019? \u2018There were a lot of crazy ideas,\u2019 Davie says.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We actually thought about a moat \u2013 with alligators or sharks,\u2019 Gracie explains. They considered an electric fence, too, before settling on a makeshift octagon that was still being put together on the eve of fight night. The promotion went down to the wire, too<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We didn\u2019t sell enough (tickets) to fill up the arena.\u2019 So the night before? \u2018We just went to the local bars and restaurants and handed out a load.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>By then, some fighters were wondering what they had signed up for.<\/p>\n<p>Jimmerson tried to pull out as the event neared; it took until fight night for Shamrock to be convinced. \u2018He kept asking me if this was a shoot or a work,\u2019 Davie recalls. \u2018In the wrestling world, a shoot is a real match \u2013 it\u2019s not fixed. A work is a pre-scripted bout.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Less than a minute after the opening bell, Davie turned to Shamrock. &#8216;He looked at me and nodded like: \u201cHoly s***, this is really a shoot.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/10\/04\/77634761-12731999-With_one_brutal_kick_Gordeau_sent_some_of_Tuli_s_teeth_into_the_-a-34_1699589397804.jpg\" height=\"469\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>With one brutal kick, Gordeau sent some of Tuli\u2019s teeth into the front row of the Denver crowd<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=Za6HeiTJIWI%3Frel%3D0<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/10\/04\/77634757-12731999-The_original_logo_of_the_Ultimate_Fighting_Championship_was_plas-a-36_1699589981497.jpg\" height=\"490\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The original logo of the Ultimate Fighting Championship was plastered across the canvas<\/p>\n<p>The first fight in UFC history was Gordeau vs. Tuli. It lasted just 26 seconds: with one kick, Gordeau sent some of Tuli\u2019s teeth into the front row. Other fragments remained in the Dutchman\u2019s foot. Gordeau made sure of victory with a single punch. \u2018It set the tone for the UFC,\u2019 Davie says. \u2018It changed combat sports forever.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>But the brutal win came at a price. Gordeau broke his hand and had to foot the bill for removing Tuli\u2019s teeth from his foot: \u20182022 was the first time they have me come to Las Vegas to settle everything,\u2019 he claims.<\/p>\n<p>Jimmerson, due to face Royce Gracie in fight three, was scarred, too.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I saw the first two fights and they were so barbaric to the point where my manager literally came out of his seat, saying: \u201cLet\u2019s just go\u2026 you have a family.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Jimmerson \u2013 who wore only one glove &#8211; stayed long enough for Gracie to make him tap out in a couple of minutes. His defeat was fairly painless by comparison. Frazier\u2019s nearly cost him his life. He suffered from asthma \u2013 hardly ideal given the altitude in Denver and given the arena was pumping out smoke.<\/p>\n<p>After a minute against Rosier, Frazier was struggling to catch his breath. His wife soon threw in the towel.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I\u2019d be dead if she didn\u2019t,\u2019 he once reflected. \u2018They had to incubate me at the hospital.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/09\/21\/77625849-12731999-image-a-8_1699565410304.jpg\" height=\"429\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The Dutchman&#8217;s\u00a0day job had been keeping order around the brothels of Holland<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/09\/21\/77625853-12731999-image-a-6_1699565404142.jpg\" height=\"408\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Frazier claimed he would have died had his wife not stopped his fight against Rosier<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/09\/21\/77625851-12731999-image-a-7_1699565406682.jpg\" height=\"439\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Jimmerson now trains fighters and has his own non-profit \u2018The One Glove Foundation\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Gracie and Gordeau were the last men standing. The Brazilian was virtually unblemished and Gordeau had no answer to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu either. It meant Royce wrote another chapter in his family\u2019s remarkable story.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after the final bell rang, the fighters and staff gathered for an impromptu party.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The camaraderie in those early events was unbelievable. Those guys knew that they were changing the world,\u2019 Davie says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The show was a hit on Pay-Per-View; it grew ever easier to find fighters after that night in Denver. Rorion Gracie was even asked to devise a new hand-to-hand combat program for the US army.<\/p>\n<p>But both co-founders sold their stakes in UFC, just 18 months after opening night. It was \u2018evolving from a spectacle to a sport\u2019; it was current president Dana White who helped turn UFC into a commercial behemoth.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I fathered a child, you adopted the baby, sent him to Harvard and now the little baby is running Wall Street,\u2019 Gracie once told White.<\/p>\n<p>Jimmerson, meanwhile, now trains fighters and has his own non-profit: \u2018The One Glove Foundation\u2019. Ahead of UFC 1, however \u2013 with organisers concerned about cash flow \u2013 the boxer claims he was offered a stake in the company. He opted instead for $20,000 up front. \u2018We thought it was so barbaric and crazy\u2026 we thought we had it good,\u2019 he remembers. \u2018My manager was a lawyer and he said: \u201cTake the money and run \u2013 this thing isn\u2019t going anywhere.\u201d&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/mma\/article-12731999\/UFC-1-sumo-wrestler-Stevie-Wonder-bodyguard-shark-moat.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SPECIAL REPORT: A 30-stone sumo-wrestler, Stevie Wonder&#8217;s bodyguard &#8211; and discussions over a SHARK-filled moat around the ring&#8230; the incredible [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":297407,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>SPECIAL REPORT: The incredible story of UFC 1 exactly 30 years on - USA SportsRadar<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usasportsradar.com\/mma\/special-report-the-incredible-story-of-ufc-1-exactly-30-years-on\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SPECIAL REPORT: The incredible story of UFC 1 exactly 30 years on - USA SportsRadar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"SPECIAL REPORT: A 30-stone sumo-wrestler, Stevie Wonder&#8217;s bodyguard &#8211; 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