The bad old days
Back in the early ’90’s, the very first rage-in-the-cage UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) match resembled the testosterone-laden fantasies of an adolescent boy who’s spent too much time glued to Chuck Norris movie reruns. In fact, that scenario may not be a far cry from the brainstorm session that spawned the UFC master-franchise. One fateful day in 1992, two business-minded black belts from California – Rorian Gracie (of the infamous Gracie family Jiu-Jitsu brand) and Art Davie (a sports business entrepreneur, and one of Gracie’s martial arts students) – were shooting the breeze, pondering the immortal question, ‘Which is the baddest martial art of them all?’ Cue the assembly of a frightening group of boxers, sumo wrestlers, karate experts, shootfighters, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu masters, all ready to duke it out in a cage ’til there was one man left standing; a gladiatorial experiment that attracted 86,592 subscribers on pay-per-view TV. Forget safety padding, intervening referees or time limits on the rounds. These fighters didn’t need the pansy security blankets offered by other sports, and the resulting carnage on the screen proved it. You’d need a serious stomach to handle the blood spurtin’, flesh rippin’, butt kickin’ episodes of the early UFC fights.
Enter the politicians
These days the sport is run by Dana White, a former aerobics instructor, and the Vegas Fertitta twins, co-owners of a family-friendly casino. Under this trio’s guidance, the uber-gore antics of the adolescent UFC matches have matured into a grown-up sport that’s gathering heat with spectators and snagging the spotlight from the boxing arena. A few seasons into UFC’s humbly hostile beginnings, cranky old politicians led by a younger John McCain put the kibosh on the ‘anything goes’ policy; now, UFC fighters pound faces into the floor with more reasonable restrictions. For example, although strangling your opponent into unconsciousness is still acceptable, jamming your heel into their groin is expressly forbidden. UFC matches these days are downright civil.
Amazing Gracie
The winner of the first ever UFC match was the smaller-sized Royce Gracie – chosen by his older brother Rorian to rep the family goods. To the surprise of spectators and sumo wrestlers alike, Royce used Brazilian jiu-jitsu to upset his larger opponents. Since that pioneering match, jiu-jitsu and other wrestling-submission techniques have become crucial arsenals in the MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter’s belt, conquering the popular ‘Karate Kid’ punch favoured by school bullies in playgrounds around the world.
By royal request
UFC’s audience appeal is starting to move beyond just the testosterone teen – in fact, UFC landed in Abu Dhabi at the urging of His Highness Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed himself, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Like Sheikh Tahnoon, leading martial artists around the world are starting to sit up and take notice of the upstart UFC fights, because by allowing the combatants to used mixed martial arts, others can observe the most effective techniques taken from a wide range of styles. MMA has taken the fun frivolity of WWF, the intense action of boxing, and the violent free-for-all of a Kung-Fu video game, and smooshed it all together to bake the ultimate battle cake.
UFC takes place outside Ferrari World, Yas Island, April 10. Tickets start from Dhs395. www.boxofficeme.com.
