51 Things Every MMA Fan Should Know
Fast facts to prevent you from ever being the noob again.
1. Contrary to what you might think, leg kicks fucking hurt.
2. Referee Big John McCarthy was a Gracie jiu-jitsu student who was originally planning to enter the first UFC, but was later told that he couldn’t because this was Royce’s time to shine.
3. Fedor’s only loss was due to a cut from an illegal blow. He’s undefeated in our book.
4. UFC 100 did over 1.5 million pay-per-views, the highest total in UFC history.
5. Brett Rogers won the first ever televised MMA bout on live network television.
6. Travis “The IronMan” Fulton has fought 153 times since 2000, an average of just over 15 times per year.
7. At one point, Tito Ortiz called Dana White his manager.
8. Nobody becomes a pro fighter if they’re concerned with preserving their good looks. Just ask Dan Henderson.
9. Tim “Big Perm” Persey does not actually have a perm. He is big, though.
10. While plenty of fighters have had impressive one-night tournament runs, no one tops Ricardo Morais, who won five fights in one evening (four in under two minutes) at AFC 1’s 32-man bareknuckle tournament on Sept. 9, 1995. Oh yeah, that was also his professional debut.
11. The UFC and MMA are not the same thing.
12. Mark Kerr’s submission win over Dan Bobish via chin to the eye at UFC 14 prompted the UFC to add the move to its expanding list of outlawed moves.
13. The fastest KO in UFC history belongs to Todd Duffee at 7 seconds, while Marcus Aurelio earned the fastest submission in 16 seconds.
14. The ring girl is not interested in you. Wait, are you rich? No? Not interested.
15. Royce (pronounced Hoyce) Gracie won three of the first four UFC tournaments.
16. John McCarthy is the best referee in the sport ever, whether or not he’s licensed in Nevada.
17. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was an aristocratic sport in Brazil. That gave way to no-gi grappling known as lutra livre for the common people. The rivalry was stylistic and cultural.
18. UFC color commentator Joe Rogan is a brown belt under Eddie Bravo and a former Tae Kwon Do champion.
19. ZUFFA is Italian for Fight.
20. Nobody has a chin when you’re wearing four ounce gloves.
21. The way a guy looks at weigh-in has nothing to do with his fighting ability. (See page 108)
22. Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta purchased the UFC in 2001 for 2 million dollars. Its estimated worth today is in the billion dollar range.
23. Complain all you want, Goldy and Rogan are the best broadcast team in MMA, period.
24. There is absolutely, positively nothing sexual about grappling, homo — or otherwise… unless you make eye contact.
25. Unless they do something illegal or unethical, booing fighters is lame.
26. Jiu-Jitsu is important, but this ain’t submission grappling; it’s a fight.
27. The cage can be and is used as a weapon.
28. Bob Sapp is big and mean looking, but he pretty much sucks.
29. In 1985, Shooto was formed, becoming the first formal mixed martial arts organization.
30. The Ultimate Fighter show is easily the reason the UFC is still around today.
31. UFC 22 introduced the first 10-point must system – a system that we feel is kinda shitty.
32. Wanderlei Silva held the PRIDE Middleweight Championship in excess of 6 years. Over that time period, Silva had a record of 15-4-1, defended his title 4 times, and won the 2003 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix.
33. At one time, Mark Kerr (15-11) was considered the best MMA fighter in the world, no joke.
34. UFC 66, featuring the rematch between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, was the first MMA PPV to break the million buy mark.
35. The Octagon was designed by John Milius, screenwriter of Apocalypse Now. The intent was to create a new fighting arena never seen before — a spectacle. They even considered a moat!
36. Bruce Lee was ahead of his time but so were Helio Gracie, Judo Gene Labelle, and Karl Gotch.
37. A liver shot will make you feel like you’re being stabbed from the inside out.
38. The most important man in mixed martial arts that you rarely see is UFC matchmaker Joe Silva.
39. Ref “Big” John McCarthy made his debut at UFC 2. Bruce Buffer at UFC 10. Joe Rogan at UFC 12.
40. Strikeforce still holds the US paid attendance record of 17,465 with their Shamrock vs. Gracie show on March 10, 2006.
41. It is ok to critique a fighter even if you are not a fighter. We all know JaMarcus Russell sucks as a quarterback and we’ll never sniff the NFL.
42. Dan Henderson is the only person to hold two major titles at the same time. He held the Pride welterweight (183-pounds) and middleweight titles (205-pounds).
43. Founder of TapouT, Charles “Mask” Lewis Jr. is the only non-fighter in the UFC Hall of Fame. Its members are Ken Shamrock, Royce Gracie, Dan Severn, Mark Coleman, Randy Couture, and Chuck Liddell.
44. Going to a live event and shouting instructions at fighters you don’t know never makes you sound as knowledgeable as you think it does. (“Kick his ass, Seabass” isn’t funny. In fact, it never was funny and never will be.)
45. That guy in your neighborhood who claims that he could kick ass in MMA when you watch fights because he won some fights against sloppy drunks is delusional. He most likely wouldn’t make it through the warm-up in a fight gym with the contents of his stomach intact.
46. The guy on his back is not always getting beat or in a bad position.
47. Yes, you would tap if put in just about any submission you saw on television.
48. Chuck Liddell has the most appearances in the Octagon with 22.
49. Do not go up to a fighter and discuss a fight of his/her’s you just saw on tv if said fighter lost the fi ht… it is just awkward.
50. Brock Lesnar wasn’t the first pro wrestler to cross over into MMA. Look up Sakuraba, his fights and entrances were something to see.
51. Sure, Dana White shaves his head and swears like a sailor, but MMA is where it is because of him. Like or lump it.
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