This Is The Early Days Of UFC

Initially, the UFC was an eight-man tournament, with the winner earning a USD50,000 (£38,000) prize. And with no class distinctions introduced, organizers initially pitted men of all shapes and sizes together in the Octagon, even sumo wrestlers. It was sold as a pay-per-view show, with the promise of being like a television version of the bloody 1990s video game Mortal Kombat. Although current UFC president Dana White has turned the championship into the billion-dollar franchise it is today, three people before him formed the organizational framework. Business executive Art Davie approached Rorion Gracie, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu grandmaster, and Hollywood filmmaker John Milius with a master plan. In addition, before we continue with the article, you can read here to find more info about some of the strongest MMA fighters.

Gracie has experience in a similar event, the 'Gracie Challenge' - an open invitation issued by several members of the Gracie family - the pioneers of Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) - to martial artists of other styles to fight in the valley of tudo matches.

Davie wants to launch a 16-man single-elimination tournament called the 'War of the Worlds' featuring fighters trained in disciplines ranging from boxing to wrestling to kung-fu. The idea was to determine what the biggest discipline was while providing entertainment similar to the popular video games of the time, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter.

Milius, who was nominated for an Oscar for the screenplay of Apocalypse Now and directed Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan the Barbarian, is taking on the role of creative director. Advertisements were placed in martial arts magazines to recruit fighters, with a promised prize money of USD50,000 (£38,000).

However, Davie couldn't find any suitors - with less than a dozen answering the ad. But still, eight people were found who would answer the challenge. After developing a business plan, and tying themselves to 28 other investors, the three established WOW Promotions with the capital to turn the concept into a television franchise.

Their next step is to find a partner. Producers at HBO and Showtime were approached but turned down. However, they later signed a deal with Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG), which previously resulted in an offbeat exhibition tennis match between Jimmy Connors and Martina Navratilova.

Milius, who is tasked with making the event a visual spectacle, believes the fight should take place in an octagonal cage lined with chains. SEG contacted film and video director Jason Cusson, who designed the trademark 'Octagon' - a battle arena where warriors can fight.

Davie suggested that the top of the cage could feature razor wire, but the idea was rejected. General rules are decided. It was a banned contest, with no doping checks, no rules, no mandatory gloves, no judge scores, and no time limit. Knockout, tap-out, or corner stop are the only ways to stop the fight.