The difference in skill between then and now is unbelievable. Royce looks like a passable white belt and Ken's heel hook wouldn't see him through an average no-gi class. It's crazy to see where it started and how much it evolved since.
Definitely a massive improvement in the skill pool since then. There is no doubt that the UFC and MMA ruleset has been a catalyst for all martial artists skill level. Mix in the information age and the standards have been raised significantly.
First time that I ever watched the whole lot. The Zane Frazier vs Kevin Rosier bout looked like a brawling slugfest! Skill definitely took a dive there. Only Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock and Gerard Gordeau looked comfortable with their respective skillsets.
They've uploaded a pile of classic fights! It's crazy how safe MMA feels now when in its day the early UFC felt so dangerous. (I know the ruleset and the level of medical attention available has changed too)
It's nice watching these again I remember seeing them way back in the day and thinking: What the hell is Brazilian JJ, surely there's only Japanese JJ? Why don't the brazilian guys know the older ways of striking? and wow pure strikers are screwed.. Shame really as I kinda wrote BJJ off as a crude made up kinda thing and now I wish I'd engaged in it earlier
Yeah. In all honesty the biggest difference is the ability of fighters nowadays. Any 145er and up in the UFC now would have won that first UFC regardless of rules.
No doubt true but take the gloves off, allow headbutts, groin shots and hair pulling, no time limits , no standups, headkicks to a grounded opponent and it might make it look a little different
Mostly The rules. I liked how the competitors were not professional fighters like you would see this day and age. It had more of an amateur feel to it. I also liked how it served as a proving ground to truly pressure test your training and your style. It shook up a lot of preconceptions and dispelled some myths about the martial arts. It also drove the point home that you can’t be an effective all-around fighter and ignore ground fighting.
I sort of get what you're saying. I know that people will always ALWAYS shar vidoes of people fighting on facebook more than they ever will MMA bouts. There is something a lot mot visceral about it. Those early fights looked like that.
I know it has been discussed on this forum before, but the Fred Ettish story illustrates what I like about old-school UFC. He was a traditional Karate practitioner whom entered UFC 2 as a way to test his skills. He was defeated pretty badly, but he learned from the experience. After pressure testing his style, Fred Ettish was able to evolve into a better martial artist because of it.
I wish I had written that!! Although I don't think Angela Lee would be quite as alluring with a 'tash!
