Watching UFC 1...

[Sean Dempsey]

I feel bad for everyone but Royce. Karate?? When was the last UFC that had a KARATE guy? If it was any of the last... 40, I am gonna laugh, then cry.

I say this with a grain of salt... but I think that any solid BJJ white belt with 6 months of training would have made it at least to Royce.

If only I had a time machine =(

[Mr. Heel Hook]

5 bucks dude, and you can use my time machine.

[IPON]

What about that fat sumo dude........if the kempo guy didn't break his hand and take him out...hmmm. Don't get me wrong the dude was soft and Sumo in MMA but just the sheer size (Ithink 600lbs) if Royce have to fight him.....it would be a question.

Those first fighters could handle a grappler....very sad but the UFC 1 -5 is still some of teh best MMA

[Thai Bri]

It does all seem so obvious now. But, back then, most martial artists "knew" that their deadly strikes and kicks would keep a grappler away.

We all live and learn.

[Szczepankiewicz]

Well Bri, SOME of us learn...

[MMA fanatic]

i think that the sumos tha have enetered were jus the wrong 1s. if would love 2 see a sumo wrestler with good punching abilty and a bit more familar to the ring then the other two that enetrd the UFC. I think the best is still to come from the sumo wrestlers.

[ryanhall]

As I understand it, a real Sumo wrestler would never lower himself to the level of MMA. Also, you won't ever find a Sumo guy with good punching ability. They may have power, but they don't have the body type, mobility, footwork, or speed to really box well--bet they can take punishment though. Also, wrestling footwork is completely different than boxing footwork, and the goals of each way fighting would get in the way of one another. That said, Akebono (sp?) would slap quite a few MMA athletes around, I would wager.

[MMA fanatic]

Well someone like Butter bean will knock some dudes out

[Mr. Miyagi]

Rorion made it too obvious that his little brother was set up to win. That ceremony honoring Helio did not need to be in there and even though the results were eye opening to the world, they shouldn't have had the whole Gracie family in the ring to honor the old man.

[Toudiyama[NL]]

Originally posted by MMA fanatic
i think that the sumos tha have enetered were jus the wrong 1s. if would love 2 see a sumo wrestler with good punching abilty and a bit more familar to the ring then the other two that enetrd the UFC. I think the best is still to come from the sumo wrestlers.

I believe any Yokozuna that does so will lose his status so chances of any top sumotori entering a MMA event are slim
Sumo will give them much more status in Japan than MMA will

the slapping action they do at the beginning seems to hit like a very hard strike ( muscular people that have been on the receiving side, never ever want to receive such a "Slap" anymore
It knocks the wind out of you as if you are dropped on your back from 6 feet high

Sumo outside of Japan is a totaly different ballgame, in Japan it is a way of life, and not like other traditional arts claim it, in sumo you are "fed and bred" to become a sumotori, your diet is such that you will gain a lot of weight, you are constantly in training, it's not something you do in the evening

[huey]

What about that fat sumo dude........if the kempo guy didn't break his hand and take him out...hmmm. Don't get me wrong the dude was soft and Sumo in MMA but just the sheer size (Ithink 600lbs) if Royce have to fight him.....it would be a question.

right after the first initial ufc's were televised the rules changed a bit so that no one would do those chops on the back of the neck or the back of the head (well along with no eye strikes there went my defense for a single or double leg takedown. oh well i still have the neck ring unlesss that's been ousted too, or was it never part of the rules?)
another fight that was brutal was where a jj fighter had another man (don't remember what style) in a crucifix of sorts and elbowed him about ten times into unconciousness i believe this has also been ousted.

i was just looking over the rules a couple of days ago but i might be wrong on the last one.

[smith&wesson]

Originally posted by IPON
What about that fat sumo dude........if the kempo guy didn't break his hand and take him out...hmmm. Don't get me wrong the dude was soft and Sumo in MMA but just the sheer size (Ithink 600lbs) if Royce have to fight him.....it would be a question.

The only dangerous situation would have been if stumbling and the fat man jumps on you! A shock for life.

[jules]

people say that Royce won because no one knew how to grapple... but didn't Severen and Shamrock fight Pancrase in japan before UFC?

[smith&wesson]

Severn lost after 15 minutes. I think he could make a draw but was frustated with the situation (mount and no results).
Gracie himself never tried to win, he just waited till Severn lost control. Not a optimal figthing spirit.

[Thai Bri]

Maybe not. But he won.

Yes, others had grappling backgrounds. The Gracies didn't just prove the effectiveness of grappling. They proved the effectiveness of Gracie Jiu Jitsu.