One of the topics that really excites us the most at The MMA Draw is the history of the sport. So many current UFC fans have no idea when this spectacle was created and why.
Just how important was the UFC before TKO got their corporate hands on it?
How was this industry created? And what exactly were the motives of everyone involved?
Long before TKO became a multi-monopoly swallowing up combat sports, the concept of Mixed Martial Arts was something that many different visionaries on different continents were fighting to establish as a marketing concept.
There was Antonio Inoki fighting Willie Williams, “The Monster Man” Everett Eddy, and Billy Robinson. There were various Japanese incarnations of the UWF in the 1980s and the multiple factions created after various financial and political civil wars. One of those factions was Pancrase, which promoted and developed major stars like Masakatsu Funaki, Minoru Suzuki, Ken Shamrock, and Bas Rutten.
Yes, professional wrestling was considered a martial art. Read Jonathan Snowden’s recent article about Minoru Suzuki and you will be blown away by the concept of Hybrid Wrestling.
Zach ventured into the world of MMA through Japanese combat sports. Nate ventured into the world of MMA through the UFC and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
This week’s podcast for The MMA Draw, which brought us much joy, is based on Nate’s old MMA History series at the OG version of Bloody Elbow. Our focus is on how the UFC was created as a giant promotional machine for Gracie family business and the impact it had on popular global culture.
Black Belt Magazine and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
If you have never seen the archives of Black Belt Magazine, you are in luck. There is an extensive Google archive in which you can go back in time and see the kind of mass market appeal this publication had in the United States.
Long before there was an Internet, magazine culture was a real thing. Playboy and Hollywood would have an instrumental role in popularizing fighting sports in the 1980s.
Before there was an UFC, there was a cottage industry of self-styled martial arts masters who gained infamy and notoriety. Napoleon Blownapart recently chronicled this historical mayhem.
The MMA Draw proudly presents the first installment in our MMA history podcast series. This week is all about The Greatness of Royce Gracie and how he was the perfect avatar for marketing the family business. The UFC was his physical and commercial playground.
Topics covered on this week’s MMA Draw historical podcast series
How the sport evolved from what was originally called “No Holds Barred” fighting into what we now know as Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and the UFC.
Royce Gracie’s satisfying narrative arc, winning early tournaments while being tested to his absolute physical limits, and his peak period from late 1993 to early 1995.
The Gracie Family & Martial Arts Marketing
The Gracie Family Dynamic and Business: The different agendas within the family business in the 1980s, including Rorion Gracie in Hollywood, Carlson Gracie training successful fighters, Rickson Gracie, and Royce.
The Royce Gracie Avatar: How was this slender, “wimpy looking” guy able to disarm so many of his opponents in sparring sessions and in the cage? It was the perfect example of how the Gracies sold the world that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu could overcome any size difference. Why was the UFC the greatest marketing gimmick in fight sport history?
Rorion Gracie’s Hollywood Breakthroughs: Rorion moving to L.A. in the 1970s, working as the combat consultant for Mel Gibson’s stunts in Lethal Weapon, and the influential 1989 Playboy magazine article titled BAD that introduced BJJ to the American public. Art Davie paid very close attention… and the rest was history.
Historical Foundations of Combat Sports
Kanō Jigorō codifying ancient Jiu-Jitsu samurai techniques into modern Judo at the Kodokan in the 1890s.
Mitsuyo Maeda’s Travels: Count Maeda’s journey from the U.S. to Cuba and Brazil, competing against catch wrestlers in professional circuits.
The 1980s Combat Sports Boom: The peak era of boxing (Tyson, Hagler, Hearns, Leonard, Duran) and professional wrestling (Vince McMahon, the first WrestleMania pay-per-view, Hulk Hogan, the Funks, and Ole Anderson).
Traditional Martial Arts (TMA) marketing: 1970s action movies (Bruce Lee & Charles Bronson) and the 1980s craze of Kung Fu and karate movies (Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Jean-Claude Van Damme) and Black Belt Magazine articles detailing Dim Mak “death touch” techniques.
The Creation of the UFC
Screenwriter John Milius & The Octagon Design: How the screenwriter/director of Conan the Barbarian worked with Rorion Gracie and reportedly suggested the Octagon design. There was even an original proposal to surround it with a crocodile-filled moat. Our old friend Jake Rossen at ESPN published an article in 2013 investigating the truth behind the invention of the Octagon.
The “Gracies in Action” Challenge Videos: Rorion Gracie’s L.A. studio advertisements offering to break the arms of challengers, leading to videotaped fights of Royce against Kung Fu practitioner Jason DeLucia and other traditional stylists.
Tape Trading & Regional Crossovers
Blockbuster Rental and Japanese Tape Trading Culture: Renting early UFC tapes next to pro wrestling tapes at Blockbuster, buying tapes through HOOK ‘n SHOOT, and Japanese fighting magazines (Gong, Weekly Pro Wrestling) grouping all combat sports together.
Pancrase vs. UFC Rule Differences: How Pancrase used a ring, banned closed-fist punches to the face, and discouraged ground striking, which left founder Ken Shamrock unprepared for Royce Gracie’s tactics.
How the early days of the UFC was the Wild West: Crazy characters like Jim “Superfoot” Wallace, Ben Perry (in-house Gracie promoter), legendary football player Jim Brown, and (long-time Fox News personality) Brian Kilmeade. Nobody knew what they were watching unfold in front of their eyes!
Why did watching the UFC feel so much like watching a “forbidden” underground activity in the 1990s? How did the Gracie family exploit this raw, uncensored environment to convince the world that they owned the combat sports platform that would cement their family legacy?
Royce Gracie established the modern standard of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and made it an integral component of current-day UFC fighting.
If you enjoy this week’s podcast as much as we did in producing it, please become a paid subscriber to The MMA Draw and join us for future episodes.
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Nate Wilcox is Editor-in-Chief of The MMA Draw. He founded BloodyElbow.com in 2007 and sold it in 2024.
Zach Arnold is a lead opinion writer for The MMA Draw on Substack. His archives can be read at FightOpinion.com. Contact Zach: fightopinion at protonmail dot com.
