Let's Get It On!_ The Making of MMA and Its Ultimate Referee - Big John Mccarthy [51]
The semifinals were now set. Having observed the entire field of competition, I was more confident than ever in Royce’s chances. Not a single fighter had the knowledge and experience to beat Royce’s Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. It was as simple as that.
Watching Gordeau and Rosier make their way back to the Octagon, I knew one of them would face Royce, but they were practically interchangeable. Without question, either of them faced the same fate: tapping out to a submission on the ground with Royce.
Gordeau’s broken right hand was swollen like a balloon, and Tuli’s tooth was still planted in his foot, which he’d covered with tape. Rosier’s left eye was taped from a cut, and you could tell he was nervous, but he still came out aggressive at the bell. That wasn’t enough to overwhelm Gordeau, though, who attacked with his legs and trapped Rosier against the fence. Again on instinct, referee Barreto stepped in as Rosier lay defenseless at Gordeau’s feet. This time Barreto would be saved Rorion’s diatribe because Rosier’s corner quickly threw their white towel over the fence.
The other semifinal match was probably the most anticipated of the night. What Ken Shamrock lacked in actual skill, he more than made up for with his composure. He was captivating and immediately foiled Royce’s stoicism.
At the bell, Royce shot for a double-leg takedown and Ken thrust his legs out behind in what’s called a sprawl so Royce couldn’t get ahold of them. Ken scrambled off the sprawl well, giving Royce a little challenge pulling Ken between his legs, or into his guard.
Many probably thought Ken, now on top, had the upper hand, but Royce was not in a disadvantageous position. From his back, he had a variety of submission holds and chokes he could set up on Ken.
From here, Ken resorted to his signature move, leaning back and trying to grab a leg for a submission as he’d done with Patrick Smith in his first fight. The difference was that Royce knew exactly what was coming and how to avoid it, and he used the momentum to roll himself to top position.
Ken squirmed and flipped over to his knees to escape, Royce secured the rear-naked choke, and Ken tapped the canvas violently five times. However, the referee, on the other side of the men, didn’t see it. When Ken tapped, Royce let go of the hold altogether.
Now the referee wanted to continue, but to Ken’s credit he manned up and conceded the win to Royce.
Interviewer Brian Kilmeade grabbed Ken as he exited the Octagon and asked him if he thought he was the second best fighter in the tournament. It was easy for all of us to see that was the case.
“I’m the third best person here today,” Ken answered.
Right then, I knew Ken would go far in this.
I think Ken’s sportsmanship helped the UFC in those early events. Spectators could relate to him and wanted to keep tuning in to see him.
As Gordeau and Royce rested backstage for the finals, the UFC held an alternates match between Jason DeLucia and Trent Jenkins. In theory, this bout was supposed to create a replacement should a fighter not be able to continue, but because it was held so late in the evening, it could apply only to the final bout. I doubted Gordeau, who’d already refused to stop despite a badly broken hand and punctured foot, or Royce, who was virtually unscathed, would bow out at this point.
Still, the alternates match turned out to be one of the most technical and competitive on the entire card. DeLucia and Jenkins were two of the fitter guys to enter the cage at the same time, and at twenty-four years old, DeLucia was the youngest in the tournament that night.
DeLucia studied a technique called five animal kung fu, which would lead one to believe he had no knowledge of ground techniques. But I’d seen DeLucia once before at the Torrance academy in a challenge fight against Royce. At the time, he hadn’t had ground skills, but he was a good athlete with a ton of heart. After he’d lost to Royce in the challenge match, he said he’d start learning jiu-jitsu, so I knew to expect more from him.
The alternates match began, and DeLucia threw