Happy 22nd birthday to the UFC!
Today marks the twenty second anniversary of UFC 1, which took place on November 12th, in Denver Colorado and was won by the legendary Royce Gracie.
Today marks the twenty second anniversary of UFC 1, which took place on November 12th in Denver, Colorado. The eight man tournament was won by a young Royce Gracie who defeated three men in one night, fairly easily using the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu developed by his family.
The first fight in UFC history featured Teila Tula, a massive sumo wrestler against Gerard Gordeau, an opponent hundred of pounds smaller. In one of the most infamous moments in UFC history, the much smaller Gordeau took advantage of a charging Tula that fell to the ground and kicked him square in the face, knocking out a tooth.
Gordeau would actually advance to the finals after defeating Kevin Rosier, but was no match for the ground skills of Gracie and was submitted in less than two minutes.
Below is the original poster for the event: