Before the term “mixed martial arts” had even been invented, the early UFC events, lovingly dubbed ‘the stone age’, were some of the craziest and most brutal fights ever to take place on TV. It was more like Gladiators fighting in the Colosseum than a sport. They’re not the first combat events that mixed together different styles of martial arts, but the UFC brought it to the mainstream and put a big, bloody bow on top.
One of the reasons that some States still struggle with the legality of MMA is a remnant of the early marketing and the way they portrayed the UFC. Many people’s first impressions of the UFC was when it made headlines as a totally ruthless, no holds barred, fight doesn’t end until somebody dies kind of event, and that was only mostly true.
You would see clips of guys laying on the ground getting stomped in the head, brutal groin shots, and all sorts of madness. It has taken the UFC more than a decade to try to clean up their image and position themselves as a serious sport rather than a sideshow.
When Dana White and the Fertitta Bros bought the UFC, got some prime TV deals, sponsors, and all-around put a fresh coat of paint on the sport, it was clear that the stone age would be relished to a special place in the memories of fight fans, later to be joined by Pride.
UFC 1 took place in Denver on November 12, 1993. Things almost fell apart at the last minute when participants couldn’t agree on some of the rules, no eye gouging, no biting and no groin strikes in particular. They were thinking of backing out, until Sumo wrestler Teila Tuli slammed his signed contract on the table and yelled:
“If anyone else came here to party, I’ll see you tomorrow night at the arena.”
The tension was gone, and it was time to fight.
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