Photo Vault: Gladiators of the new millennium

In late 2003 the sport of MMA was still in its infancy. On November 21 the UFC was at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT with a card that ended with Matt Hughes choking out Frank Trigg to retain his welterweight title. 9,200 people attended that event and the card did 40,000 PPV buys. The company was hemorrhaging money. But change was on the horizon. In a few short years the UFC would explode in popularity and turn into a runaway train that would eventually lead to a $4 billion purchase and a deal with Disney.

The success of that boom period was stoked by the talent that, back in 2003, was paying dues on the regional circuit. Of those circuits, not many were as hopping as Northern California’s. In today’s edition of Photo Vault we have a gallery of rare pictures from 2003 and 2004 that depict three shows from Gladiator Challenge held in Colusa, CA.

The gritty images were taken by Jeff Hutchens on black and white 35mm film. In his series of pictures he paid special attention to a young Urijah Faber, who was debuting with the promotion. Also found in these images is future UFC champion Rashad Evans. He came to Gladiator Challenge as a 2-0 prospect, won three fights in two nights and joined the cast of TUF 2 immediately after. Former UFC champion Dan ‘The Beast’ Severn also makes an appearance, while taking on Ruben ‘War Path’ Villareal.

The captions found in this gallery are from the photographer, each was accompanied by the lines, “No-holds-barred fighting found itself under attack by moralists and politicians across the United States when it first arrived on the fringes of the athletic scene. As its popularity and pay-per-view revenues have increased political pressure has gradually died off and Ultimate Fighting is on its way to establishment as a mainstream sport.”

Hutchens had a pretty clear view of the future, but I wonder if he could have guessed just how mainstream cage-fighting has become. Check out the gallery below to see Hutchen’s incredible images, which each fantastically capture the raw and untamed essence of the sport.

Grid View

• Urijah Faber from Sacramento, California drives himself to his first ever Gladiator Challenge cage match held at Colusa Casino on November 13, 2003 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Urijah Faber from Sacramento, California is checked over by the fight doctor prior to his first ever Gladiator Challenge cage match at Colusa Casino on November 13, 2003 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Urijah Faber from Sacramento, California keeps his hands warm under a heat lamp backstage from the Gladiator Challenge cage before going out for the first fight of his career at Colusa Casino on November 13, 2003 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Urijah Faber from Sacramento, California pumps himself up just prior to his debut Gladiator Challenge cage match at Colusa Casino on November 13, 2003 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Urijah Faber from Sacramento, California pumps himself up just prior to his Gladiator Challenge cage match at Colusa Casino on June 3, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Urijah Faber from Sacramento, California enters the Gladiator Challenge cage for the first fight of his career at Colusa Casino on November 13, 2003 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Fighters compete in the Gladiator Challenge cage at Colusa Casino on June 3, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Urijah Faber from Sacramento, California is seen paraded around the Gladiator Challenge cage during his first fight of his career against Jay Valencia in a video replay of the match at Colusa Casino on November 13, 2003 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Urijah Faber from Sacramento, California stands victorious in the Gladiator Challenge cage after winning the first fight of his career against Jay Valencia at Colusa Casino on November 13, 2003 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Dan “The Beast” Severn (L) and Ruben “Warpath? Villarreal do battle during a no-holds-barred fight held in the Gladiator Challenge cage at Colusa Casino on June 3, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Shannon Sams punches Ceasar Gutierrez in the face during the first round of their mixed martial arts fight in the Gladiator Challenge cage at Colusa Casino on June 2, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Dan “The Beast” Severn (L) and Ruben “Warpath? Villarreal do battle during a no-holds-barred fight held in the Gladiator Challenge cage at Colusa Casino on June 3, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Dan “The Beast” Severn (L) and Ruben “Warpath” Villarreal do battle during a no-holds-barred fight held in the Gladiator Challenge cage at Colusa Casino on June 3, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Rashad Evans (top) and Brian Pardoe battle with ferocity during a Gladiator Challenge cage match at Colusa Casino in Colusa, California, USA on June 2, 2004. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Brian Pardoe grabs on to the cage for support in between rounds during a Gladiator Challenge cage match at Colusa Casino on June 2, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Brian Pardoe (L) and Rashad Evans battle with ferocity during a Gladiator Challenge cage match aat Colusa Casino on June 2, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Brian Pardoe grabs on to the cage for support in between rounds during a Gladiator Challenge cage match at Colusa Casino on June 2, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Shannon Sams wrestles Ceasar Gutierrez during the first round of their mixed martial arts fight in the Gladiator Challenge cage at Colusa Casino on June 2, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• David Marshall (L) and Adrian Garcia go toe to toe during their mixed martial arts fight in the Gladiator Challenge cage at Colusa Casino on June 2, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Shannon Sams paces around the cage after knocking out Ceasar Gutierrez in the first round of their mixed martial arts fight in the Gladiator Challenge cage at Colusa Casino on June 2, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Adrian Garcia body slams David Mitchell during their mixed martial arts fight in the Gladiator Challenge cage at Colusa Casino on June 2, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Anthony Ruiz (bottom) and Brian Pardoe battle with ferocity during a Gladiator Challenge cage match at Colusa Casino on June 2, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Fighters compete in the Gladiator Challenge cage at Colusa Casino on June 3, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Urijah Faber from Sacramento, California pursues David Velasquez with ferocity during a Gladiator Challenge cage match at Colusa Casino on June 3, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Urijah Faber from Sacramento, California pursues David Velasquez with ferocity during a Gladiator Challenge cage match at Colusa Casino on June 3, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Urijah Faber from Sacramento, California plays to the crowd while trying to choke out David Velasquez during a Gladiator Challenge cage match at Colusa Casino on June 3, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images
• Fighters compete in the Gladiator Challenge cage at Colusa Casino on June 3, 2004 in Colusa, California. Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images

If you want to read more about the NorCal fight scene, check out my longform series The Mitchell Paradox which covers the highs and lows of David Mitchell’s life inside and out of MMA.