Let's Get It On!_ The Making of MMA and Its Ultimate Referee - Big John Mccarthy [45]
Rorion got a few replies, but he wanted to include certain types of fighters he’d have to go after himself. “I have to include a boxer,” he told me. At that time, boxers were seen as the baddest fighters on the planet.
Rorion and Davie approached both James “Bonecrusher” Smith and Leon Spinks to compete in the first tournament, but they turned it down because they didn’t know what the UFC was and Rorion had no footage to show them. However, Sam Solomon, a trainer of Spinks, was hired as a cutman for the event.
Though a bit skeptical, Art Jimmerson, a thirty-year-old journeyman boxer who was in line for a shot at an aging Tommy Hearns, agreed to enter the tournament. Jimmerson’s camp later expressed reservations and tried to withdraw him from the event. Acutely aware that much of their audience would recognize and relate to a boxer, Rorion convinced Jimmerson to stay on board by offering him $20,000 to simply show up, though most of the remaining seven fighters would be paid only $1,000 each to enter. The winner of the tournament, who’d have to survive three fights in a night, was promised a $50,000 prize.
Rorion and Art tried to recruit martial arts’ heaviest hitters, such as Don “The Dragon” Wilson, Dennis Alexio, Ernesto Hoost, and Peter Aerts, but they all turned down the offer. Not convinced the whole thing wasn’t illegal, Chuck Norris wouldn’t even accept a cageside seat from Art.
Zane Frazier, a karate expert from Southern California, got into the UFC because of a fight against Frank Dux, the legendary and controversial martial artist whose story was loosely adapted into the Jean-Claude Van Damme film Bloodsport. Rorion and Art had been at a karate tournament called the Long Beach Internationals when a real street fight had erupted. Rorion and Art had watched Frazier punch the shit out of Dux over a few disrespectful words.
Afterward, Rorion had told Frazier, “You’re a tough guy. You want to fight?”
Of course, one of the eight slots would go to a Gracie. The best jiu-jitsu black belt of all of Rorion’s six brothers was Rickson. He would have been the logical choice, but since he’d opened his own school in West Los Angeles away from Rorion’s Torrance academy, he wouldn’t get that slot. Rorion was pretty savvy when it came to the business side of things, which led to squabbles with some of his relatives. With UFC 1, Rorion wasn’t going to lose all those potential new students who would come looking for training after watching the show. He’d give the spot to his twenty-six-year-old brother, Royce, who taught at the Torrance academy.
I hadn’t had the money to put in the show when Rorion had been looking for investors, so my own contribution to the first UFC was relatively modest. I was enlisted as Royce’s sparring partner. Royce was six feet and about 176 pounds, which meant he would more than likely be the smallest fighter in the tournament, not that Rorion was worried about that. At nearly 290 pounds, I could help him prepare for the bigger opponents he’d be facing.
Rickson was still coming around to the academy to train Royce, but I could tell he was seriously pissed off with Rorion. Everybody thought Rickson was the better fighter by far, but he had to step aside and let Royce get the shot at glory.
5
I was really excited about the first UFC and was sure people were going to love it. In my mind, there was no question it was legitimate, and I was protective of it.
A week before the event, I was listening to a local radio show and heard the hosts talking about “this ultimate fight challenge.” I decided to call in and give them some information. No matter what I said, though, the hosts just blasted the event. I had to defend the UFC before it even happened. It certainly wouldn’t be the last time.
I was so sure of the UFC that I even got Elaine a job as a travel assistant for the event coordinator, Kathy Kidd. Over the months and weeks leading up to the show, Elaine spoke to many of the fighters and their wives while booking flights and hotel rooms. Tina Shamrock was particularly confident about her