Video : The Beginning: The True Story of UFC 1 - Preview

[Arm Barbarian]

way to age yourself old man

I don't mind. I've lived well.

I was actually training with Rorion & Royce at the Torrance academy in the lead up to UFC 1. Got my blue belt from Rorion Gracie. He's the greatest instructor I have ever come across. Super detailed on breaking down techniques.

These guys were legit. They would fight any challenger that came into their academy.

Funny story - They actually held a meeting in the large room at the back of the academy to ask students what NAME they preferred for the first "No Holds Barred", televised event they were planning. We all chose The Ultimate Fighting Championship.

They were also looking for investors to get the event going, at $8k for entry level. They predicted a 10X turnaround on your investment. I was a young kid at the time, and unsure if it would take off. But I was kicking myself a few years later for not having jumped on that. haha

Crazy ride.

 

[Arm Barbarian]

Ah man... Rorion Gracie is commentating?



That basically means that every single word will either be an exaggeration, or just an outright lie...

I had a Jiu-Jitsu VHS back in the day with him commentating, and just sat there lying through his teeth constantly about how Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was invincible and so on, showing edited fight footage and glossing over key invidents... It started my long standing disdain for the Gracie family. Slimy motherfuckers.

Yeah... He started the UFC and taught Mel Gibson how to do a triangle... He's also one of the shadiest people from the old school fight game, and has never told the truth once in his entire life.

Train with him sometime bro.

He is actually a fantastic teacher.

He is a salesman of the Gracie system for sure, but he is also a legit bad-ass and very passionate about what they teach.

 

[Buff]

Train with him sometime bro.

He is actually a fantastic teacher.

He is a salesman of the Gracie system for sure, but he is also a legit bad-ass and very passionate about what they teach.

I'm sure within his circle he's absolutely the man... I can't stand the guy.

I was a massive Gracie advocate... It was Rorion that squeezed it out if me - it's not just that he's a salesman; he's a corrupted millionaire businessman with a silver tongue and a disregard for reality... Dude burst my bubble man... I legit thought that the Gracies were these super honorable martial artists like in the movies/like they claim to be... Listening to Rorion talk bro - If you know anything about the sport history is like listening to a politician talk about the economy - it's all lies and self fulfillment, mixed with snippets of truth.

You know when someone takes a massive shit all over something you know held dear? That's Rorion Gracie for me... The wanker that made me realise that Santa isn't real and fucked Christmas up for me forever.

I'm not getting into personal stuff, and I'm sure he's great to know and train with, but as an old school fan, he's a Grinch type figure.

 

[Arm Barbarian]

You know when someone takes a massive shit all over something you know held dear? That's Rorion Gracie for me... The wanker that made me realise that Santa isn't real and fucked Christmas up for me forever.

lol

 

[Buff]

lol

Yo man, I'm sure he was cool as shit to know, and I'm super jealous you got to train with him and were on the scene back then... Your UFC meeting story is a legit cool story bro... Fuck man, you might have even been one of the dudes in the VHS I had in his gym rolling around with big early 90s hair. I also grudgingly respect him for the UFC, even if there was a lot of shadiness involved with the build up (then again it's the fight game).

All I'm saying is that there's a massive integrity issue with me... And it hurt me because I was young and impressionable once, believe it or not! hahaha!

Wanna know what it really was at the end that made me give up on the guy? The dude disrespected Zulu on video... Called him "The Lumbering Brawler" and didn't name check him during the fight with Rickson, and told brazen lies about the whole thing... I'll see if I can find it on youtube, I'm sure it's there, you'd probably be intereted to watch it as well.

For some reason I've always had a massive soft spot for Renzo Gracie... Royce i was take or leave towards the end, but I thought he was a ninja at one point... Loved Ryan - RIP... Daniel and Royler much less because I don't know so much about them... And i actually met Roger a few times when he had his gym in Kilburn (London) down the road from me... Hypocritical and irrational though I sound now, I don't feel like they went to the same lengths that Rorion did to get the product over, which is why I have a massive issue with Rorion.

Terrible isn't it?

 

[Arm Barbarian]

Yo man, I'm sure he was cool as shit to know, and I'm super jealous you got to train with him and were on the scene back then... Your UFC meeting story is a legit cool story bro... Fuck man, you might have even been one of the dudes in the VHS I had in his gym rolling around with big early 90s hair. I also grudgingly respect him for the UFC, even if there was a lot of shadiness involved with the build up (then again it's the fight game).

All I'm saying is that there's a massive integrity issue with me... And it hurt me because I was young and impressionable once, believe it or not! hahaha!

Wanna know what it really was at the end that made me give up on the guy? The dude disrespected Zulu on video... Called him "The Lumbering Brawler" and didn't name check him during the fight with Rickson, and told brazen lies about the whole thing... I'll see if I can find it on youtube, I'm sure it's there, you'd probably be intereted to watch it as well.

For some reason I've always had a massive soft spot for Renzo Gracie... Royce i was take or leave towards the end, but I thought he was a ninja at one point... Loved Ryan - RIP... Daniel and Royler much less because I don't know so much about them... And i actually met Roger a few times when he had his gym in Kilburn (London) down the road from me... Hypocritical and irrational though I sound now, I don't feel like they went to the same lengths that Rorion did to get the product over, which is why I have a massive issue with Rorion.

Terrible isn't it?

Nah man, I understand. I think you might change your mind if you ever met / trained with him though.

Yeah, I remember EXACTLY what you are talking about regarding the Rickson / Zulu fight. It was a VHS tape called "Gracie jiujitsu in action." I had that tape and the follow up to it. lol!!!

 

[Buff]

Nah man, I understand. I think you might change your mind if you ever met / trained with him though.

Yeah, I remember EXACTLY what you are talking about regarding the Rickson / Zulu fight. It was a VHS tape called "Gracie jiujitsu in action." I had that tape and the follow up to it. lol!!!

That's the one!!! Yes!!! Those old tapes are so much fucking fun. In England they were like the rarest things you could have, and that's bearing in mind porn used to be illegal here until 2000... Nobody had that shit except me! haha!

I defy you to watch that tape again and not fill with at least mild fury as you realise the extent of his bending of the the truth... Certainly he would never allow the truth to spoil a good story!!

I'm sure I'd like him... I tend to like most people, especially characters, and I always support the heel, so there's that too! haha!

Maybe I should let it go... Can't be hanging onto bitterness towards the old school guys - there's so much more to hate on now! hahaha!

 

[acannxr]

Train with him sometime bro.

He is actually a fantastic teacher.

He is a salesman of the Gracie system for sure, but he is also a legit bad-ass and very passionate about what they teach.

As much as I hate to generalize, especially about an entire family, most of what I've seen of the Gracie family is more pride than humility, more hypocrisy than integrity, and more lies than truthfulness.

They essentially copied the ground game (and credo) of judo, named it after their family, used the UFC as a vehicle to sell their brand, and write revisionist history whenever something negative they did comes up or when a loss by one of their family members is discussed, it's just disappointing.

 

[Arm Barbarian]

That's the one!!! Yes!!! Those old tapes are so much fucking fun. In England they were like the rarest things you could have, and that's bearing in mind porn used to be illegal here until 2000... Nobody had that shit except me! haha!

I defy you to watch that tape again and not fill with at least mild fury as you realise the extent of his bending of the the truth... Certainly he would never allow the truth to spoil a good story!!

I'm sure I'd like him... I tend to like most people, especially characters, and I always support the heel, so there's that too! haha!

Maybe I should let it go... Can't be hanging onto bitterness towards the old school guys - there's so much more to hate on now! hahaha!

hahaha....No, understand where you're coming from. No question the Gracies can be quite biased when talking about their fight system.

But what they teach IS effective (especially the non "sport" stuff) and they really do believe in it.

I'm betting if you ever hit a seminar with Rorion, or one of his kids (Rener / Ryron), you will wind up enjoying what you learn!

 

[brawlnsprawl]

I love this type of content. I can watch Pride: Decade or "UFC: Fighting For A Generation" 1,000 times. I'm sure this will be amazing.

One New Year’s Day ppv was running an all day UFC marathon special from like UFC 1-48 or something like that. I laid up with a fat sac and enjoyed my New Years hangover.

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

All of them, and even some of them at the same time.

Dude fell off but he was a legit striker at one point for sure.

I used to be a huge Patt smith fan, to bad he’s a piece of crap

Yup, totally agree man. He was fast and accurate and seriously when I see the LHW fighters in UFC in 2018 they look like they are in slow motion compared to him, the division is so so so so bad these days. The division has gone backwards badly. The real 100% truth on why Cormier is fighting Stipe is because there is no one else for him to fight at LHW, unless they just keep rehashing pointless rematches.

Remember that kick he did at UFC 6? I remember it well.. I used to have UFC 6 on VHS back in the day, that was awesome. Very good event that was.

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

Do you guys remember Telia Tuli from UFC 1 ?? Well funnily enough I saw him on TV, I was randomly flicking through channels and the was a movie on called Forgetting Sarah Marshall , I was just taking a look at it, its like some comedy romantic movie.. and then I see some big guy, looks Samoan or Tongan or something I was thinking.. and then the more I saw him I kept thinking he was familiar, towards the end it finally clicked about UFC, then after I looked it up and yes it was indeed Telia Tuli who was in that movie.

 

[Arm Barbarian]

Do you guys remember Telia Tuli from UFC 1 ?? Well funnily enough I saw him on TV, I was randomly flicking through channels and the was a movie on called Forgetting Sarah Marshall , I was just taking a look at it, its like some comedy romantic movie.. and then I see some big guy, looks Samoan or Tongan or something I was thinking.. and then the more I saw him I kept thinking he was familiar, towards the end it finally clicked about UFC, then after I looked it up and yes it was indeed Telia Tuli who was in that movie.

Was he missing a toof? lol

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

Was he missing a toof? lol

Haha I think he has had it fixed, I didn't notice anything missing. The funny thing is he looked exactly the same as when he was in UFC, this movie is modern, only made in last few years I think, and he looked pretty much the same as UFC 1, doesn't look like he has aged a lot in the face, looks the same size too.

 

[Within the Living Death]

Just watched it. I loved Royce's story at the end about the Ritz crackers and running into Kevin Rozier after the event, haha!

 

[Marginal Judo]

Wow, talk about a nostalgic moment in time.

The very first UFC that set it all off - Bare knuckles, no rounds, no time limits.

Royces older brother, and the brainchild behind the inception of the UFC, Rorion Gracie gives commentary on the event.

I remember watching this live on PPV, and going absolutely bonkers when Royce beat Shamrock.

Good times....

I was absolutely sure Pat Smith would win it all. Because I was training/competing in TKD, and 13 years old with no clue about real fighting. I am grateful that I was born at the right time to see MMA start to take off.

 

[Marginal Judo]

I'm actually planning on watching this tonight. I'm also currently reading Art Davies' book Is this Legal?, about the creation of the first UFC, which is also super interesting.

I bought this book 2 Christmases ago for a friend that usually, but not always, buys me a Christmas present. I had it ready both times just in case, so that I didn't feel awkward for not being able to reciprocate. So I guess it's mine now; hoping it's a good read.

 

[Fungoose]

Just watching Patrick Smith and wondering how many current LHW fighters on the UFC roster that he would put in a coma.

Prime Tank could be a top ten in the current HW division.

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

Prime Tank could be a top ten in the current HW division.

1000% agree with you man. Tank would absoutley kill guys like Cyril Asker, Christian Colombo, Walt Harris, Timothy Johnson, Chase Sherman and many of the other pathetic HW's in UFC these days. Tank was so aggressive that his sheer aggression alone would smash these guys, they would fall over in agony.

Tank in his prime when he was like 30 years old was bench pressing over 600 Ibs, fact his max bench press was 680 Ibs, many people witnessed it. The guys today in UFC couldn't probably bench over 60 Ibs haha.

 

[Substance Abuse]

@Arm Barbarian What did you think of the documentary?