If you’re a diehard MMA fan like me, you remember the beginning of the UFC. I’ll never forget the first time I saw MMA. As a huge martial arts movie, professional wrestling and boxing fan, it almost seemed too good to be true. Royce Gracie, Art Jimmerson and others remain embedded in my mind. It was the first time I’d ever heard the term Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It’s amazing how far the sport has come. Looking back at UFC 1, some fighters became legends and others mere footnotes. Let’s talk MMA.
UFC 1 Key Facts
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Detail |
Info |
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Date |
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Venue |
McNichols Sports Arena, Denver |
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Attendance |
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Format |
Eight-man tournament plus one alternate bout |
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Tournament prize |
$50,000 |
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Fighters |
10, including two alternates |
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Fights |
8 |
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Finishes |
8. Five submissions, three TKO or KO. |
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Decisions |
0 |
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Fights under a minute |
4 |
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Total fight time |
13 minutes, 25 seconds |
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Tournament winner |
Royce Gracie |
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Referees |
Helio Vigio and Joao Alberto Barreto, neither of whom worked another UFC |
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The building |
Who Were the 10 Fighters at UFC 1?
Royce Gracie, the most iconic BJJ practitioner in UFC history and the man who won the $50,000 grand prize. He also won UFC 2 and 4.
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Gerard Gordeau, a savate, karate and kickboxing expert from the Netherlands. He’s best known for landing the kick that knocked out Teila Tuli’s teeth.
The legendary Ken Shamrock who went on to enjoy fame in the WWE.
Patrick Smith scored three stoppage wins at UFC 2 before losing in the final. He also had some troubling legal issues after UFC 1.
Kevin Rosier outlasted Zane Frazier before being mauled by Gordeau in just 59 seconds. Frazier’s exhaustion cost him in the clash with Rosier.
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Art “One Glove” Jimmerson is known for competing with one boxing glove. He wore it to protect his jab. It didn’t work. Gracie tapped him out in 2:18.
Teila Tuli aka Taylor Wily was the sumo competitor, but his girth and strength were no match for Gordeau’s fast feet.
Jason DeLucia didn’t make a major splash in UFC 1, but he had one of the longest MMA careers of anyone in the inaugural event.
Trent Jenkins was a tournament alternate who DeLucia choked out in 52 seconds.
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The count runs to 10 because it includes the alternate bout. Eight men entered the tournament bracket and two more fought a preliminary that never got called on.
Which UFC 1 Fighters Made the UFC Hall of Fame?
Gracie and Shamrock are the only fighters from the event in the Hall of Fame. Both were inducted in 2003 to the Pioneer Wing.
Why Did UFC 1 Use an Octagon?
The Octagon was there from the beginning and has stood the test of time. Art Davie’s original ‘War of the Worlds’ concept evolved into the UFC. It seemed like a strange idea at the time, but it has worked.
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Colorado had no state athletic commission in 1993, which is why Denver got it. Neither the Denver Post nor the Rocky Mountain News sent a reporter.
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What Happened to Royce Gracie After UFC 1?
Gracie became a legend immediately and his wins at UFC 2 and UFC 4 made him the undisputed king of the open-weight era. He also had a memorable battle with Japanese legend Sakuraba in 2000 as well as an epic loss to Matt Hughes at UFC 60 in 2006. Gracie retired with a 15-2-3 record. He currently runs seminars and has dates booked through November 2026.
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What Was the Strangest Thing About UFC 1?
Easily Jimmerson’s one-glove idea. I’m not sure why he thought that would work. Oddly enough, a similarly outfitted Max Holloway was a playable character in EA UFC 5.
Campbell McLaren, the UFC’s original executive producer, has given a different reason for the glove: so the referee could see Jimmerson tap. He finished boxing 33-18 and never won a world title.
Which UFC 1 Fighters Have Died?
Four of the 10 men in the inaugural event have passed away. Rosier in 2015, at the age of 53. Smith in 2019, at the age of 55. Jimmerson in 2024, at the age of 60. Tuli/Wily in 2024, at the age of 56. Coincidentally, two of them died within seven weeks of each other in 2024.
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No cause was released. In September 2024 Wily’s estate and widow sued a Las Vegas medical transport company, alleging a van ramp failure in October 2023 caused the head injury he died from. That is an allegation, not a finding.
Who Won the Most MMA Fights of Anyone at UFC 1?
Crazy enough, DeLucia, who wasn’t even in the tournament bracket, has the most wins in his career. He amassed 33 victories in 55 pro bouts.
Almost all of it came in Japan. DeLucia built the number in Pancrase, beating Masakatsu Funaki, Ikuhisa Minowa and Chris Lytle before retiring in 2006.
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Why Does UFC 1 Still Matter?
Because every great and successful thing had a beginning and this was it for the UFC.
What Happened to Everyone From UFC 1?
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Fighter |
What Happened Next |
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Won UFC 2 and UFC 4, fought Kazushi Sakuraba for 90 minutes in 2000, lost to Matt Hughes at UFC 60 and beat Shamrock again at Bellator 149 in 2016. Retired 15-2-3. Runs jiu-jitsu seminars, with dates booked into November 2026. |
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Became the first UFC Superfight champion, headlined UFC 40 against Tito Ortiz and won the 1998 King of the Ring, the Intercontinental Championship and a World Tag Team Championship in WWE. Finished 28-17-2. Took a lifetime achievement award at the 2023 World MMA Awards. |
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Fought once more, losing to Yuki Nakai at Vale Tudo Japan in 1995, and finished 2-2. Heads the Kamakura dojo in The Hague and its International Budokai network, and was the named authority behind a European karate championship there in March 2026. |
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Ran through three men at UFC 2 to reach the final against Gracie. Finished 20-17 with his last fight in 2016. Sherdog reported at the time of his death that Smith was convicted in 1999 of the sexual assault of a 14-year-old. He died in 2019 at 55. |
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Returned at UFC 4 and lost to Joe Charles in 14 seconds, finishing 2-6. Spent much of the following decade in and out of VA hospitals, had open-heart surgery, and died of an apparent heart attack in April 2015 at 53. |
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Zane Frazier |
Won a Shooto bout in Japan in 1995, returned at UFC 9 and fought on until 2008, finishing 4-11. Owns and coaches at a boxing gym in Phoenix and appeared in the UFC’s 30th anniversary reunion of the UFC 1 fighters in November 2023. |
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Never fought MMA again. Boxed on to a 33-18 record against future champions including Jeff Harding, Orlin Norris and Vassiliy Jirov, then coached boxing at UFC Gym in Torrance. Died in May 2024 at 60. |
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Never fought MMA again. Became an actor as Taylor Wily, appearing in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and playing Kamekona across 171 episodes of Hawaii Five-0. Died in June 2024 at 56. |
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Fought 55 professional bouts and won 33, more than anyone else on this card, most of them in Pancrase in Japan. Retired in 2006 at 33-21-1 and has taught Aikido and Pancrase Hybrid Jujitsu seminars in Massachusetts. |
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Trent Jenkins |
Returned at Ultimate Ultimate 1995 and lost to Mark Hall by armbar. Finished 0-4 with every professional appearance a defeat. No reliable public information about him exists after 2007. |
UFC 1 In Hindsight, By The Numbers
Figures from the UFC’s official event results and fighter records.
|
Category |
Number |
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Fighters |
10 |
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Tournament competitors |
8 |
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Alternates |
2 |
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Fights |
8 |
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Finishes |
8 |
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Submissions |
5 |
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TKO or KO |
3 |
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Decisions |
0 |
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Sub-minute finishes |
4 |
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Total fight time |
13:25 |
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Royce Gracie’s tournament fight time |
4:59 |
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UFC Hall of Famers |
2 |
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Most eventual MMA wins |
Jason DeLucia, 33 |
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One-and-done MMA fighters |
2 |
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Fighters who have died |
4 |
The Full UFC 1 Card
Results as listed by the UFC.
|
Bout |
Result |
Time |
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Gordeau def. Tuli |
TKO, head kick |
0:26 |
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Rosier def. Frazier |
TKO, corner stoppage |
4:20 |
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Gracie def. Jimmerson |
Submission |
2:18 |
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Shamrock def. Smith |
Submission, heel hook |
1:49 |
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Gordeau def. Rosier |
TKO, corner stoppage |
0:59 |
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Gracie def. Shamrock |
Submission, choke |
0:57 |
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DeLucia def. Jenkins |
Submission, rear naked choke |
0:52 |
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Gracie def. Gordeau |
Submission, rear naked choke |
1:44 |
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Aug 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the MMA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
