The Rear Naked Column 07.01.09: One Hundred and Counting (Part 1)

Posted by Samer Kadi on 07.01.2009

One of the biggest shows in MMA history is right around the corner as the UFC hits its century mark in numbered events. In this week’s edition of The Rear Naked Column, 411’s Samer Kadi lists the most significant events in UFC history and their effects on the world’s #1 MMA promotion in the first of a two part series.

UFC 100 is right around the corner and I feel lucky and privileged to be an MMA fan. While many can argue that this is no more than another stacked card with two major title fights, there's just something special about the number "100". It marks a milestone for MMA in general and the UFC in particular. It is amazing what a long way this sport has come from the days of "there are no rules!" and Keith Hackney repeatedly punching Joe Son in the groin. This is a once in a lifetime event. There won't be another UFC 100 and let's face it, UFC 124 doesn't have the same ring to it.

So as a countdown for UFC 100 which will undoubtedly be the UFC's biggest show to date, I've decided to look back at some of the most significant events in UFC history. Now I'm only taking into consideration the numbered shows, so no Fight Nights (despite those being numbered as well), Ultimate Finales (so no Griffin-Bonnar) or anything like that.


UFC 1: The beginning

"Hello ladies and gentlemen, you are about to see something that you have never seen before… The Ultimate Fighting Challenge" – Bill Wallace.

With those words Bill Wallace opened UFC 1, an eight man tournament with no weight classes or weight limits. This marked the beginning of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, although it was hardly the UFC we've all come to know and love today.

A certain Brazilian by the name of Royce Gracie submitted his way into winning the tournament, taking out some Ken Shamrock fellow along the road.

Despite the event baring little resemblance to the modern UFC shows, UFC 1 holds historical significance for obvious reasons. And believe it or not, it was actually considered a success at the time.


UFC 4: The Triangle Choke

Royce Gracie had lost his first fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship at UFC 3. Although to be fair, the fight didn't actually take place as Royce was exhausted from his previous bout so his corner just threw the towel before the ref signaled the beginning of the contest.

He was back to reclaim his crown at UFC 4. After submitting Ron Van Clief and Keith Hackney, Royce faced his biggest challenge yet in the shape of Dan "The Beast" Severn in the tournament finals.

After 14 minutes of Severn essentially laying on Gracie (no referee stand ups at the time), Royce finally locked in a triangle choke to force the submission in one of the most iconic moments in MMA history (at least in its early years). Remember, few had any idea what a triangle choke was to begin with, as evidenced by the commentator claiming Dan was in no real danger.



The event is important for Severn's debut as well. He showed the world how effective a wrestler can be inside the Octagon and laid the blueprint for many fighters to follow.


UFC 8: Human cock fighting delivers

Following a disappointing "Ultimate Ultimate" event, the UFC changed things up with a "David Vs Goliath" tournament. Nowadays, this sounds like a recipe for disaster. And to be honest, I'm not too sure it was any different back then. However this was a rare case of a bad idea gone well.

With political pressure to ban "Human cock fighting" and a series of horrible fights that may have very well turned off a portion of fans, the UFC had to perform. And perform they did, as they turned out their best event yet. New signings Don Frye and Gary Goodridge immediately made their presence felt with brutal KO's (including the infamous Goodridge crucifix elbows). The two would end up facing in the tournament finals with Frye coming out victorious after forcing his opponent to tap out to strikes.



Frye was the first glimpse of a true mixed martial artist inside the Octagon and continues to be competitive to this day.
It's important to note that the event marked the first time judges have been used in the UFC.


UFC 10: Ground and Hammer

UFC 10 saw the Ultimate Fighting Championship return to the tournament format. Fighting on the card was UFC 8 tournament champion Don Frye and a debuting NCAA national champion and an Olympic wrestler by the name of Mark Coleman, you might have heard of the guy.

Coleman destroyed Moti Horenstein and Gary Goodridge before headbutting Don Frye into oblivion to become the UFC 10 tournament champion.



This was the official birth of the ground and pound style which has become synonymous with MMA. If Dan Severn opened up a lot of eyes to the damage that a wrestler can do, Mark Coleman took it to a whole new level. It's incredible to think that the godfather of the ground and pound will actually fight on the historic card ten days from now.


UFC 13: Two legends debut

While it may have seemed like just another event at the time (Vitor Belfort destroyed another victim in the main event), it featured the debut of two future UFC legends as Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz stepped inside the Octagon for the first time.

Couture won the UFC 13 heavyweight tournament while Ortiz lost in the lightweight (those were the only two weight classes) finals to Guy Mezger.


UFC 14: The Upset

Mark Coleman was set to defend his heavyweight title against newcomer Maurice Smith in what should have been a routine dominant victory for The Hammer. Instead Smith was able to use his cardio to outlast Coleman despite being dominated for the early portions of the fight. In the end, after two three minutes overtimes, Maurice Smith took home the UFC heavyweight belt in what was, and probably still is one of MMA's biggest upsets.

It is also worth noting that the event marked the first time the use of gloves (4 to 6 ounces) became mandatory.


UFC 15: Phenom… Meet The Natural

Simply put, this event was the start of the legend of Randy Couture. The seemingly unstoppable Vitor Belfort had been wreaking havoc in the UFC, knocking out his first three opponents at a combined three minutes. Coming into the fight, few had given Couture a chance.

But Couture proved doubters wrong, a staple in his legendary career, by implementing a smart strategy as he repeatedly clinched up and effectively used his beloved dirty boxing to rough the Brazilian up. Couture then took him down and continued to deliver some punishment before finally stopping The Phenom due to strikes at the eight minute mark.
Randy Couture shocks the world… Or the few who actually watched the UFC at the time.

UFC 21: Ten point must

Nothing worthy of note happened during the fights, but this was the closest event to the UFC we know today yet, as the ten point must system was adopted for the first time, with three five minute rounds for regular fights and five 5 minute rounds for title fights.


UFC 22: The Legend wins an epic

Frank Shamrock was set to defend his middleweight (199 lbs) title against rising star Tito Ortiz. For three rounds, it looked like Frank was on his way to lose his title as the Huntington Beach Bad Boy was dominating the fight with his superior wrestler, though not inflicting too much damage.


It turns out Frank had a brilliant strategy as he tired Ortiz out by remaining active from the bottom, waiting for the right moment to make his move. Midway through the fourth round, Frank managed to sweep before unloading on Ortiz who tapped out to Shamrock's strikes.

This fight has actually aged well, and still holds up as a classic till this day. Shamrock showed why in his prime, he was considered one of the P4P best mixed martial artists in the world.
Also on the card, two familiar names earned victory as Chuck Liddell started filling up his highlight reel and Matt Hughes won a unanimous decision over Bulgarian Valeri Ignatov in a non televised bout.


That's it for this week, for those of you who were bored, worry not. Next week we embark with the Zuffa era where things will undoubtedly pick up. If you feel I left out some events up to that point drop me a note in the comments section.