In-depth insights from UFC founder Art Davie, shared during a revealing interview on the LytesOut podcast, shed light on the critical influence of the Gracie family in the promotion’s early years. Particularly, Rorion Gracie played a pivotal role in shaping the UFC’s direction, from talent selection to the internal dynamics that defined the early events.
Art Davie, the visionary behind the UFC, detailed how the Gracie family, with Rorion at the forefront, helped shape the early UFC events. Davie connected with Rorion Gracie after reading about the “Gracie Challenge” in a library. This led to their partnership, which culminated in the creation of UFC. Rorion’s influence was crucial, especially when it came to fighter selection. However, Davie recalled Rorion’s belief that he could trust him to make the final call on fighters:
“Rorion said to me ‘you pick the fighters’ and in those days I used to look in the back of the martial arts magazines – all the phone numbers and fax numbers were there for all the karate outfits in Europe, Asia, and North America.”
When it came to selecting a Gracie family representative for UFC 1, Rorion chose Royce over his brother Rickson, despite Rickson being considered the best in the family. The internal tension between Rorion and Rickson was apparent. Davie described the situation:
“Rickson was definitely the family champion… but Rorion and Rickson in the same room was electric because there was tremendous friction.”
The internal conflict grew after Rickson was found to be poaching students for the third time, prompting Rorion to exclude him from UFC 1. Davie remembered Rorion’s decision:
“There’s no Rickson for the event.”
UFC Founder Struggled to Recruit Top Talent for First Event
The early days of UFC saw significant challenges in recruiting top talent, particularly for UFC 1. According to Art Davie, many hesitated to participate in the event, fearing the risk to their reputations. He explained the difficulties he faced:
“I got a lot of response but I got people who didn’t really want to put up their reputation when I explained what the rules were.”
Davie reached out to martial artists worldwide, using a variety of traditional methods such as faxes to organizations across Europe, Asia, and North America. He also placed ads in Black Belt magazine, but the minimal rules format of UFC 1 was a significant turn-off for many. The controversial nature of the event, which included a fighter agreement that even mentioned death as a possible outcome, added to the skepticism surrounding it:
“The New York Times had gotten a hold of that fighter agreement…they did an editorial ‘death is cheap at $14.95,'”
The reluctance of many fighters left Davie with no choice but to recruit lesser-known competitors. However, he did manage to secure some accomplished martial artists, like Gerard Gordeau, who reached the finals of UFC 1.
UFC Founder Art Davie Reveals Early Recruitment Efforts for Original Tournament
Art Davie’s early recruitment efforts for UFC 1 were ambitious but faced numerous obstacles. One notable attempt was to bring in heavyweight boxing legends like James “Bone Crusher” Smith and Leon Spinks, along with a sumo wrestler from Japan. Davie recalled:
“I was trying to get James ‘Bone Crusher’ Smith, Leon Spinks, I was trying to get a sumo wrestler from Japan.”
The traditional methods used to recruit fighters were challenging, as the internet hadn’t yet become a tool for quick communication. Davie explained the process of searching for fighters:
“In those days I used to look in the back of the martial arts magazines – all the phone numbers and the fax numbers were there for all of the karate outfits in Europe, in Asia, in North America, and I was sending faxes to everybody.”
Unfortunately, many of the fighters turned down the opportunity once they learned about the event’s unusual rules. Despite this, Davie pressed on, managing to secure some of the fighters who would make UFC 1 unforgettable.
The Gracie Family’s Influence on UFC 1 Fighter Selection
The Gracie family’s impact on UFC 1 was most apparent in the fighter selection process. Art Davie’s interview revealed that while Rorion had significant influence, he chose to let Davie handle the bulk of fighter selection. However, a critical decision came when Rorion picked Royce Gracie over Rickson to represent the family, despite Rickson’s reputation as the family’s top fighter.
According to Davie, Rorion’s decision was rooted in internal family friction. He described the situation:
“Rickson was definitely the family champion. Everybody told me that the best street fighter was Relson, but Relson would use a bottle or a brick … Rickson, on the other hand, would do Jiu-Jitsu.”
The decision to exclude Rickson was further influenced by his secret teaching of students, something Rorion did not tolerate. Davie recalled Rorion’s reasoning:
“There’s no Rickson for the event. It’s gonna be Royce. He’s said to be the kid brother.”
The UFC’s Shift with the Arrival of Wrestlers
As the UFC evolved, so did the combatants, with wrestlers beginning to dominate. Art Davie recalled how watching Hickson Gracie’s grappling match with Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz changed his perspective on recruiting wrestlers:
“I watched the tape for 25 minutes – it took Hickson 20 minutes to get Mark’s arm and make him tap.”
Davie realized the importance of wrestlers in the UFC, seeing that their ground game could be a strong counter to the dominant Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners. He noted:
“For me it was like wow, I went ‘Oh my God, the guys that I got to get into this event eventually are the wrestlers.'”
Wrestlers like Dan Severn, Mark Coleman, and Randy Couture soon joined the UFC, changing the dynamics of the competition. The arrival of these fighters marked a significant shift from the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu dominance. Davie described the change:
“When the wrestlers came in and Mark invented ground and pound, suddenly the UFC moved to another dimension.”
This strategic shift allowed the UFC to grow into a more diversified and competitive combat sport, moving away from its origins in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
UFC Founder Reveals Dream Match That Never Happened: Rickson Gracie vs. Alexander Karelin
In one of the most intriguing revelations, Art Davie disclosed that he had once tried to set up a match between Rickson Gracie and Olympic wrestling legend Alexander Karelin, a fight that could have been one of the greatest style-versus-style battles in combat sports history. Davie recalled:
“When I brought up Karelin to Rorion, that was the only time that Rorion said to me ‘if you ever get Karelin, I’ll make sure that Hickson fights.'”
However, the financial barriers proved insurmountable. Davie lamented:
“You don’t have enough money to get Karelin out of Russia…you had better luck getting Mike Tyson out of jail.”
This potential fight between two of the greatest combat athletes never came to fruition, but the idea gives us a glimpse into the ambitious early goals of UFC and how big the promotion dreamed in its formative years.
