{"product_id":"ufc-1-the-beginning-replica-event-program-1993-autographed","title":"UFC 1: The Beginning - Replica Event Program (1993) [AUTOGRAPHED]","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVintage Ultimate fighting Championship Event Program\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUFC 1: The Beginning\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eThis is a Replica Event Program made and sold by UFC 1 Competitor ART \"One Glove\" Jimmerson  (Stamped Replica on the back cover) - a cheaper option than original UFC 1 programs - These replicas have now become quite rare themselves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is also Autographed on the cover by Art Jimmerson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Event Featured Legends and Pioneers such as  Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Pat smith, Art Jimmerson, Gerard Gordeau, Kimo leopoldo,  \u0026amp; more\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGreat Condition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e - See photos for exact condition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Ultimate Fighting Championship (later renamed UFC 1: The Beginning) was the first mixed martial arts event by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), held at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado, United States, on November 12, 1993. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view and later released on home video.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe event was the lowest profile by the contemporary standards. The venue was less than half-packed, and the grand prize of the tournament was as big as a regular sparring partner's biannual salary. Major martial-arts observers and columnists did not bother to show up; the press neglected the event, and Black Belt mentioned it only several months later. Big-name fighters turned down the offers to participate or to make a guest appearance in the audience.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe event pioneered the interstylistic match-ups between the practitioners of different martial arts, and set the pattern for the future sporting events of the kind.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e UFC 1 would also be the first ever martial-arts event to use the octagon.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eUFC 1 was co-created by Rorion Gracie and the Torrance-based UFC promoter Art Davie, who decided to take locally famous Gracie Garage Challenge fights versus California's martial artists to a new level, televised nationally, with the opponents picked internationally.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThey did not come up with a 16-man tournament, as the big-name martial artists, mainly kickboxers, namely Dennis Alexio, Benny Urquidez, Jean-Yves Thériault, Rick Roufus, Stan Longinidis, Maurice Smith, Bart Vale, Hee Il Cho, George Dillman, Gene LeBell, Rob Kaman, Peter Aerts, Ernesto Hoost, Masaaki Satake, were among the others \"publicly invited\" by Art Davie, but had shown no interest in participating.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e Davie placed advertisements in martial arts magazines to recruit fighters. He found less than a dozen who answered the call. The promoters came up with an eight-man tournament format, with the winner receiving $50,000.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThey wanted it to look brutal on television, so John Milius, one of Rorion Gracie's students and a Hollywood veteran who had directed Conan the Barbarian, decided the fights should take place in an octagonal cage fenced with chain link. Campbell McLaren, a SEG executive, wanted people to consider the championship a live, televised version of Mortal Kombat, a popular fighting video game, in which victorious fighters got to \"finish\" their opponents through moves such as ripping their spines out of their bodies. That one and the Davie's idea to top the cage with razor wire were rejected.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e UFC promoters initially pitched the event as a real-life fighting video game tournament similar to Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGeneral regulations agreed upon were:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e    No doping probes.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e    No holds barred.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e    No biting.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e    No eye-gouging.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e    No mandatory gloves and combative uniform (bare-knuckle contest).\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e    No judges' scores.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e    Unlimited five-minute rounds with one-minute rest period in between. (Changed to no time limits for UFC 2 since no UFC 1 fight lasted five minutes.)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e    Knockout, tapout, or corner stoppage (indicated by towel) are the only determination methods. Referee could only halt a match pending the corner decision.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMcNichols Sports Arena in Denver, at an elevation above mean sea level of approximately one mile (1.6 km), had been chosen because Colorado had no athletic commission and thus no governing body from which they would need to get approval for bare-knuckle fighting. The arena had hosted only two fight cards in its history, both of minor significance, occurring earlier in 1993.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe major accomplishment though for the promoters was to gather a celebrity commentary team for the event. The commentary team for the pay-per-view was Bill Wallace, Jim Brown, and Kathy Long, with additional analysis from Rod Machado and post-fight interviews by Brian Kilmeade. The ring announcer was Rich Goins.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eJason DeLucia was an alternate for the event, having defeated Trent Jenkins in the alternate bout. However, as no fighter pulled out during the tournament, he was not called upon.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe tournament featured fights with no weight classes, rounds, or judges. The three rules – no biting, no eye gouging, and no groin shots – were to be enforced only by a $1,500 fine. The match only ended by submission, knockout, or the fighter's corner throwing in the towel, although the referee stopped the first fight at 26 seconds. Gloves were allowed, as Art Jimmerson showed in his quarterfinal bout against Royce Gracie, which he fought with one boxing glove.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRoyce Gracie won the tournament by defeating Gerard Gordeau via submission due to a rear naked choke\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe referees for UFC 1 were João Alberto Barreto and Hélio Vigio, two veteran vale tudo referees from Brazil.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eResults:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eFinal\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eN\/A     Royce Gracie     def.     Gerard Gordeau     Submission (rear-naked choke)    \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAlternate bout\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eN\/A     Jason DeLucia     def.     Trent Jenkins     Submission (rear-naked choke)           \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eSemi-finals\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eN\/A     Royce Gracie     def.     Ken Shamrock     Submission (rear-naked choke)          \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eN\/A     Gerard Gordeau     def.     Kevin Rosier     TKO (punches)          \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eQuarter-finals\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eN\/A     Ken Shamrock     def.     Patrick Smith     Submission (heel hook)    \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eN\/A     Royce Gracie     def.     Art Jimmerson     Submission (smother choke)    \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eN\/A     Kevin Rosier     def.     Zane Frazier     TKO (corner stoppage)  \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eN\/A     Gerard Gordeau     def.     Teila Tuli     TKO (head kick)      \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Combat Kingdom MMA Memorabilia","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53353989275995,"sku":"CK00704","price":199.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0926\/4719\/4971\/files\/20260612_120708.jpg?v=1782133455","url":"https:\/\/www.combatkingdom.co.uk\/products\/ufc-1-the-beginning-replica-event-program-1993-autographed","provider":"Combat Kingdom MMA Memorabilia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}