In 1993, the UFC held their first event in Denver, Colorado, planting the seeds for an entire sport to begin growing out of this barely legal event. The mastermind behind the concept was Art Davie, who held onto an idea for years until he was finally able to turn it into a reality. Davie has just released a book explaining the history of the first UFC and all of the tumultuous events leading up to it, and I had a chance to chat with him about damn near everything!
In part three of this interview series, Art Davie discusses how Bill Wallace got the commentary gig at the first UFC and his horrible job doing that (along with his general incompetence before the event). We also learn more to the infamous Art Jimmerson incident at UFC 1, where the journeyman boxer wore one glove to fight Royce Gracie in the first round of the tournament - but now, we have even more to that story that makes it even more shocking and unbelievable!
Art also gives his opinion on how early fighters began to cross-train in different martial arts styles, and if that evolution was a good thing for the company in those early days, or an unexpected problem.
If you are having trouble with the Ooyala player above, head to this link here to watch the video on Youtube.
If you want to check out Art Davie's new autobiography and uncensored tell-all about the first UFC event, head over to this link here to pick up "Is This Legal?: The Inside Story of The First UFC from the Man Who Created It"
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