UFC 1: The Beginning

UFC 1: The Beginning was North America’s first mixed martial arts event broadcast on Pay Per View. Held on November 12, 1993 from the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado, the event featured an open weight, “no-rules” tournament where fighters from around the world could pit their martial arts techniques against one another in a single-elimination eight-man tournament, with the winner awarded $50,000. Although the event was panned by critics and politicians, who saw the UFC as a barbaric blood sport no different from the time of the Roman Gladiators, it was a financial success, drawing a live crowd of 7,800 spectators (far more than an often-reported 2,800) and recording about 86,000 buys on Pay Per View.

The tournament marked the United States debut of future UFC superstar Ken Shamrock, as well as fellow UFC Hall of Famer and international martial arts sensation Royce Gracie, who swept all three rounds of the tournament, submitting Art Jimmerson, Ken Shamrock, and Gerard Gordeau with flying colors and introducing the world to the dominance of the Gracie family’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighting system.