1 00:00:08,175 --> 00:00:09,861 -Welcome to the most exciting, the most provocative, 2 00:00:09,885 --> 00:00:11,654 the most brutal martial arts competition that there is. 3 00:00:11,678 --> 00:00:14,657 -In the '90s, a controversial new sport 4 00:00:14,681 --> 00:00:16,409 hits television. 5 00:00:16,433 --> 00:00:18,536 America can't look away. 6 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:19,913 -This is the real deal here. 7 00:00:19,937 --> 00:00:21,831 Everything goes... No gloves, no rules. 8 00:00:21,855 --> 00:00:23,958 {\an8}-Oh, that is brutal. 9 00:00:23,982 --> 00:00:25,793 -They'd never saw anything like this. 10 00:00:25,817 --> 00:00:28,254 - Suplex... - Wrestling, kickboxing, 11 00:00:28,278 --> 00:00:30,006 boxing, submission holds, 12 00:00:30,030 --> 00:00:32,509 all these things wrapped into one fight. 13 00:00:32,533 --> 00:00:35,053 -The fight could end by you throw in the towel, 14 00:00:35,077 --> 00:00:37,537 you get knocked out, or you die. 15 00:00:39,373 --> 00:00:41,059 -He's out. My goodness. 16 00:00:41,083 --> 00:00:44,354 -But the violence inherent in no-holds-barred combat... 17 00:00:44,378 --> 00:00:46,022 -Someone's gonna get seriously hurt. 18 00:00:46,046 --> 00:00:49,651 - will leave the UFC in a fight for its own survival. 19 00:00:49,675 --> 00:00:51,361 {\an8}-Banned in North Carolina. 20 00:00:51,385 --> 00:00:52,862 {\an8}Banned in Mississippi. 21 00:00:52,886 --> 00:00:54,447 {\an8}-Is Jack Kevorkian the referee? 22 00:00:54,471 --> 00:00:56,533 It's just a disgusting way to make money. 23 00:00:56,557 --> 00:00:59,327 -We don't let roosters engage in cockfighting. 24 00:00:59,351 --> 00:01:03,540 We don't allow human beings to engage in this kind of activity. 25 00:01:03,564 --> 00:01:06,709 -The judge said, "Your show's gonna get shut down." 26 00:01:06,733 --> 00:01:14,733 {\an8}♪♪ 27 00:01:15,367 --> 00:01:17,011 {\an8}[ Dial-up modems screeching ] 28 00:01:17,035 --> 00:01:25,035 {\an8}♪♪ 29 00:01:29,089 --> 00:01:31,401 {\an8}-This first match in UFC history 30 00:01:31,425 --> 00:01:34,696 {\an8}sounds like the setup to a bad joke... 31 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:37,657 A sumo wrestler and a French kickboxing champion 32 00:01:37,681 --> 00:01:39,951 walked into an eight-sided cage... 33 00:01:39,975 --> 00:01:42,287 [ Bell dings ] - And they go. 34 00:01:42,311 --> 00:01:45,164 - but there's no punchline here. 35 00:01:45,188 --> 00:01:47,524 Just this. 36 00:01:48,900 --> 00:01:51,546 -When he kicked him in the face and teeth went flying, 37 00:01:51,570 --> 00:01:54,632 everything just stopped. 38 00:01:54,656 --> 00:01:56,467 Like, did he just do that? 39 00:01:56,491 --> 00:01:58,803 {\an8}♪♪ 40 00:01:58,827 --> 00:02:00,888 [ Camera shutter clicks ] 41 00:02:00,912 --> 00:02:04,875 We never seen something like that other than on the street. 42 00:02:09,171 --> 00:02:11,274 -And that was a pretty heavy way to start 43 00:02:11,298 --> 00:02:13,693 the Ultimate Fighting Championship. 44 00:02:13,717 --> 00:02:15,862 It also gave people who tuned in 45 00:02:15,886 --> 00:02:17,346 exactly what they were looking for. 46 00:02:19,514 --> 00:02:22,493 -A first glimpse at a sport popular overseas, 47 00:02:22,517 --> 00:02:26,289 mixed martial arts or MMA. 48 00:02:26,313 --> 00:02:29,459 -Mixed martial arts is a tournament format 49 00:02:29,483 --> 00:02:33,171 whereby you can kick, punch, and you can grapple. 50 00:02:33,195 --> 00:02:35,965 It incorporates karate, tae kwon do, 51 00:02:35,989 --> 00:02:38,468 judo, wrestling, jiu-jitsu. 52 00:02:38,492 --> 00:02:40,053 -This is the real deal here. 53 00:02:40,077 --> 00:02:41,679 Everything goes... No gloves, no rules. 54 00:02:41,703 --> 00:02:42,930 -It's exciting. 55 00:02:42,954 --> 00:02:45,308 It shows who the real men are. 56 00:02:45,332 --> 00:02:47,060 -If you're a real fight fan, you might see the guy 57 00:02:47,084 --> 00:02:48,936 doing a reverse armbar, 58 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:50,521 that impresses you. 59 00:02:50,545 --> 00:02:52,148 If you're just a casual observer, 60 00:02:52,172 --> 00:02:55,193 it's the mayhem, it's the blood, it's the guts. 61 00:02:55,217 --> 00:02:57,028 -That's what it's all about. 62 00:02:57,052 --> 00:02:58,780 -The best part is the blood. 63 00:02:58,804 --> 00:03:00,782 - And they loved it. - Finish him! 64 00:03:00,806 --> 00:03:03,785 -With its intoxicating mix of fighting styles 65 00:03:03,809 --> 00:03:07,246 and a roster packed with steely-eyed competitors, 66 00:03:07,270 --> 00:03:10,541 the early UFC is a far cry... - Bombs away! 67 00:03:10,565 --> 00:03:12,085 - from the predetermined matches 68 00:03:12,109 --> 00:03:13,503 and scripted characters 69 00:03:13,527 --> 00:03:14,879 seen in professional wrestling. 70 00:03:14,903 --> 00:03:16,547 -Whoa! André... 71 00:03:16,571 --> 00:03:19,050 {\an8}-And it bears no resemblance to the glitz and glamor 72 00:03:19,074 --> 00:03:21,135 of professional boxing. - Mike Tyson. 73 00:03:21,159 --> 00:03:22,762 [ Crowd cheering ] 74 00:03:22,786 --> 00:03:26,391 -This is not even the UFC you know today. 75 00:03:26,415 --> 00:03:30,395 This is an anything goes, unregulated, unsanctioned 76 00:03:30,419 --> 00:03:32,355 free-for-all... 77 00:03:32,379 --> 00:03:34,023 {\an8}-Oh, that is brutal. 78 00:03:34,047 --> 00:03:36,359 {\an8}-...that attracts fighters from around the world 79 00:03:36,383 --> 00:03:38,069 to a series of cage matches 80 00:03:38,093 --> 00:03:41,781 where anything can happen. - Pushes him out of the ring. 81 00:03:41,805 --> 00:03:45,702 -UFC in the '90s sold the blood, the violence. 82 00:03:45,726 --> 00:03:47,662 And that's part of it. 83 00:03:47,686 --> 00:03:50,439 But that's not the whole truth. 84 00:03:52,733 --> 00:03:55,336 -The real story of how the UFC grew 85 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:59,006 to become a multibillion-dollar sports franchise... 86 00:03:59,030 --> 00:04:01,175 {\an8}♪♪ 87 00:04:01,199 --> 00:04:04,053 begins with a 46-year-old salesman in California 88 00:04:04,077 --> 00:04:07,557 who makes a living hustling everything from office machines 89 00:04:07,581 --> 00:04:09,559 to health club memberships. 90 00:04:09,583 --> 00:04:11,727 -I was a classic entrepreneur. 91 00:04:11,751 --> 00:04:14,105 I owned a car dealership in San Diego 92 00:04:14,129 --> 00:04:15,606 where I did my own stunts. 93 00:04:15,630 --> 00:04:17,567 [ Screams ] 94 00:04:17,591 --> 00:04:20,653 Hurtling 25 feet through the air is a very big risk. 95 00:04:20,677 --> 00:04:22,238 You would not do it. 96 00:04:22,262 --> 00:04:24,449 Why take the same risk when you buy a new car? 97 00:04:24,473 --> 00:04:27,201 I jumped off a 10-story building. 98 00:04:27,225 --> 00:04:30,204 I got shot with a .357 Magnum. 99 00:04:30,228 --> 00:04:31,706 [ Sirens wail ] I got set on fire. 100 00:04:31,730 --> 00:04:34,208 And then I got dangled from a helicopter. 101 00:04:34,232 --> 00:04:36,419 {\an8}Anything to sell a car. 102 00:04:36,443 --> 00:04:37,920 {\an8}But I also got burned out 103 00:04:37,944 --> 00:04:40,423 selling things that other people created, 104 00:04:40,447 --> 00:04:45,052 and I was ready to create something myself. 105 00:04:45,076 --> 00:04:50,433 {\an8}I'm Art Davie, the creator of the UFC. 106 00:04:50,457 --> 00:04:52,769 -Having trained as a boxer in his youth, 107 00:04:52,793 --> 00:04:54,770 Davie is fascinated by the huge array 108 00:04:54,794 --> 00:04:56,898 of fighting styles from around the world. 109 00:04:56,922 --> 00:04:59,859 -During the 1980s in the martial arts magazines, 110 00:04:59,883 --> 00:05:03,404 there were articles about who would win in a contest 111 00:05:03,428 --> 00:05:05,698 between different martial arts styles... 112 00:05:05,722 --> 00:05:08,034 The boxer versus a sumo wrestler. 113 00:05:08,058 --> 00:05:11,537 What about kung fu versus karate? 114 00:05:11,561 --> 00:05:14,540 -My tiger kung fu is better than yours. 115 00:05:14,564 --> 00:05:16,042 -I started to think about 116 00:05:16,066 --> 00:05:18,794 what I could do in the way of a tournament. 117 00:05:18,818 --> 00:05:21,380 And one of the things I discovered was an article 118 00:05:21,404 --> 00:05:23,132 in a national magazine 119 00:05:23,156 --> 00:05:26,535 about an individual named Rorion Gracie. 120 00:05:28,578 --> 00:05:34,560 -The Gracie family was a family of martial artists from Brazil 121 00:05:34,584 --> 00:05:37,855 who innovated a particularly modern style of martial arts. 122 00:05:37,879 --> 00:05:40,274 They called it Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. 123 00:05:40,298 --> 00:05:41,609 -Standby. 124 00:05:41,633 --> 00:05:43,194 -I'm Robin Black. 125 00:05:43,218 --> 00:05:47,615 {\an8}I analyze and commentate fighting all over the world. 126 00:05:47,639 --> 00:05:50,827 The statement the Gracie family was trying to make 127 00:05:50,851 --> 00:05:55,248 was that Gracie Jiu-Jitsu could defeat anyone 128 00:05:55,272 --> 00:05:58,292 regardless of size. 129 00:05:58,316 --> 00:06:01,128 -Rorion learned jiu-jitsu from his father. 130 00:06:01,152 --> 00:06:04,507 And when Rorion Gracie emigrated to America, 131 00:06:04,531 --> 00:06:06,759 he told the martial arts magazines 132 00:06:06,783 --> 00:06:11,097 that he was ready to issue the Gracie Challenge. 133 00:06:11,121 --> 00:06:14,267 -Didn't matter where you came from or who you were... 134 00:06:14,291 --> 00:06:15,893 You like boxing, you study karate 135 00:06:15,917 --> 00:06:18,396 all your life... Come into our gym 136 00:06:18,420 --> 00:06:20,189 and test it, 137 00:06:20,213 --> 00:06:22,733 and we believe we will defeat you using Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. 138 00:06:22,757 --> 00:06:24,235 And they did. 139 00:06:24,259 --> 00:06:27,697 They were able to defeat almost every style. 140 00:06:27,721 --> 00:06:29,115 -The Gracie Challenge 141 00:06:29,139 --> 00:06:31,450 is the clash of competing fighting styles 142 00:06:31,474 --> 00:06:33,494 that Davie has been dreaming about. 143 00:06:33,518 --> 00:06:38,666 Who better to partner with than this famous family of fighters? 144 00:06:38,690 --> 00:06:42,044 -I wound up working right down the street 145 00:06:42,068 --> 00:06:44,922 from the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Torrance. 146 00:06:44,946 --> 00:06:47,550 {\an8}♪♪ 147 00:06:47,574 --> 00:06:50,886 So I went down and I presented to him the idea 148 00:06:50,910 --> 00:06:54,390 that maybe we could do this as a big tournament. 149 00:06:54,414 --> 00:06:57,351 -To promote the supremacy of this family's fighting style, 150 00:06:57,375 --> 00:07:01,063 Gracie agrees to partner up on an MMA tournament, 151 00:07:01,087 --> 00:07:03,399 if Davie can overcome the state laws 152 00:07:03,423 --> 00:07:05,109 and athletic commission rules 153 00:07:05,133 --> 00:07:08,446 that would prohibit this kind of fighting event. 154 00:07:08,470 --> 00:07:09,947 -He said, "How do we do that?" 155 00:07:09,971 --> 00:07:11,657 I said, "I've got a plan." 156 00:07:11,681 --> 00:07:15,202 I said, "I have figured out that the state of Colorado 157 00:07:15,226 --> 00:07:16,829 has a loophole in the law 158 00:07:16,853 --> 00:07:21,250 that will allow us to do a bare knuckle tournament." 159 00:07:21,274 --> 00:07:23,753 And I went up to Colorado. 160 00:07:23,777 --> 00:07:26,839 I got us a limited liability company for Rorion and I. 161 00:07:26,863 --> 00:07:31,802 {\an8}We called it Wild Promotion's "War of the Worlds." 162 00:07:31,826 --> 00:07:34,096 {\an8}So I said to Rorion, "We've got to raise some money." 163 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:38,267 -And find someone to air the events on TV. 164 00:07:38,291 --> 00:07:40,603 -I got turned down by HBO, 165 00:07:40,627 --> 00:07:45,733 I got turned down by Showtime, and I got turned down by ESPN. 166 00:07:45,757 --> 00:07:47,693 They all said the same thing to me... 167 00:07:47,717 --> 00:07:49,695 "Are you crazy?" 168 00:07:49,719 --> 00:07:51,530 -Television of the future? 169 00:07:51,554 --> 00:07:53,783 I've got it now. 170 00:07:53,807 --> 00:07:57,119 -But in 1993, the television landscape in America 171 00:07:57,143 --> 00:07:59,789 {\an8}is going through a transformation. 172 00:07:59,813 --> 00:08:02,500 {\an8}Newly launched communications satellites make 173 00:08:02,524 --> 00:08:06,379 {\an8}up to 150 channels available to homes across the country. 174 00:08:06,403 --> 00:08:08,631 {\an8}- "WrestleMania" is coming at you live. 175 00:08:08,655 --> 00:08:11,217 {\an8}-It also opens the way for pay-per-view events 176 00:08:11,241 --> 00:08:14,053 {\an8}where audiences pony up a one-time fee 177 00:08:14,077 --> 00:08:17,556 {\an8}to see live events at home on TV. 178 00:08:17,580 --> 00:08:20,017 Davie is hoping his "War of the Worlds" 179 00:08:20,041 --> 00:08:21,644 will be one of them. 180 00:08:21,668 --> 00:08:23,562 -There was a company in New York called 181 00:08:23,586 --> 00:08:25,940 Semaphore Entertainment Group. 182 00:08:25,964 --> 00:08:30,569 {\an8}Now they had been doing concerts and comedy on pay-per-view, 183 00:08:30,593 --> 00:08:33,531 you know, like "The Judds Farewell Tour," 184 00:08:33,555 --> 00:08:34,991 Andrew Dice Clay. 185 00:08:35,015 --> 00:08:37,368 -Maybe I'll piss on you tonight, huh? 186 00:08:37,392 --> 00:08:39,996 -But they didn't have a franchise. 187 00:08:40,020 --> 00:08:43,040 I said, "Young men all over North America, 188 00:08:43,064 --> 00:08:47,002 eventually the world, will pay to see this." 189 00:08:47,026 --> 00:08:49,255 -Semaphore's executive, Bob Meyrowitz, 190 00:08:49,279 --> 00:08:51,173 is intrigued by the idea 191 00:08:51,197 --> 00:08:53,175 and agrees to a 50/50 partnership 192 00:08:53,199 --> 00:08:55,302 with "War of the Worlds" productions, 193 00:08:55,326 --> 00:08:58,639 joining Davie as one of the UFC's co-creators. 194 00:08:58,663 --> 00:09:01,183 -They were looking for something that could be repetitive. 195 00:09:01,207 --> 00:09:04,353 What could they do and then do it again and then do it again? 196 00:09:04,377 --> 00:09:07,690 And that became why Semaphore Entertainment Group 197 00:09:07,714 --> 00:09:12,027 really decided, "Okay, we're gonna go in on this." 198 00:09:12,051 --> 00:09:13,696 I'm "Big" John McCarthy. 199 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,198 {\an8}I'm known as one of the original referees and officials 200 00:09:16,222 --> 00:09:17,491 {\an8}for the UFC. 201 00:09:17,515 --> 00:09:19,285 {\an8}Still ugly as ever. 202 00:09:19,309 --> 00:09:22,121 {\an8}A guy named Michael Abramson from Semaphore, 203 00:09:22,145 --> 00:09:24,749 eh, close to last minute was the one that said, 204 00:09:24,773 --> 00:09:26,417 "Hey, you know, 'War of the Worlds' 205 00:09:26,441 --> 00:09:28,085 tells me that this is a movie." 206 00:09:28,109 --> 00:09:29,670 -Fire! 207 00:09:29,694 --> 00:09:31,547 [ Gunfire ] 208 00:09:31,571 --> 00:09:33,007 -This isn't a movie, this is real life. 209 00:09:33,031 --> 00:09:35,968 This is the ultimate fighting championship, 210 00:09:35,992 --> 00:09:39,096 and everyone went, "Hey, that's a pretty good name." 211 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:40,765 -The title sticks. 212 00:09:40,789 --> 00:09:42,433 With funding secured, 213 00:09:42,457 --> 00:09:45,352 Davie and his creative team are eager to heighten 214 00:09:45,376 --> 00:09:47,229 the drama of the competition 215 00:09:47,253 --> 00:09:51,067 by creating a fighting platform perfectly suited to the UFC's 216 00:09:51,091 --> 00:09:53,360 unique style of combat. 217 00:09:53,384 --> 00:09:54,904 -I thought about some sort of a cage, 218 00:09:54,928 --> 00:09:59,533 but maybe with a moat... We could put sharks in it. 219 00:09:59,557 --> 00:10:02,787 Then I had thought about some sort of a... a circle, 220 00:10:02,811 --> 00:10:07,541 and then maybe the outer ring would be electrified. 221 00:10:07,565 --> 00:10:09,627 -Eventually it came up, "What about chain link?" 222 00:10:09,651 --> 00:10:11,462 We could use chain link that would keep them 223 00:10:11,486 --> 00:10:15,216 from falling outside of the fighting surface. 224 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:18,052 And they put all these straight panels together. 225 00:10:18,076 --> 00:10:20,012 It becomes an octagon. 226 00:10:20,036 --> 00:10:22,223 {\an8}♪♪ 227 00:10:22,247 --> 00:10:25,309 -But Davie still needs fighters courageous enough 228 00:10:25,333 --> 00:10:28,646 or crazy enough to enter this octagon and defeat 229 00:10:28,670 --> 00:10:32,441 three different opponents to be declared champion. 230 00:10:32,465 --> 00:10:35,319 -My plan was an eight-man tournament, 231 00:10:35,343 --> 00:10:38,906 and I said to Rorion, "Can one of your brothers 232 00:10:38,930 --> 00:10:42,785 compete against three different fighters in one night?" 233 00:10:42,809 --> 00:10:45,579 -Rorion immediately offers up his younger brother, 234 00:10:45,603 --> 00:10:47,206 Royce Gracie, 235 00:10:47,230 --> 00:10:50,626 a skilled master of the family's Brazilian fighting style. 236 00:10:50,650 --> 00:10:52,962 -Royce was chosen by the family, 237 00:10:52,986 --> 00:10:55,297 not because he was the biggest and the strongest, 238 00:10:55,321 --> 00:10:57,424 but because he was the smallest. 239 00:10:57,448 --> 00:11:00,135 If Royce could defeat bigger, stronger man, 240 00:11:00,159 --> 00:11:04,557 it proved the effectiveness of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. 241 00:11:04,581 --> 00:11:08,561 -Soon, other contenders, like sumo wrestler Teila Tuli 242 00:11:08,585 --> 00:11:13,732 and boxer Art Jimmerson, are added to the card. 243 00:11:13,756 --> 00:11:18,279 But Davie is still looking for the face of this new sport. 244 00:11:18,303 --> 00:11:21,448 What he finds is a powerful and explosive fighter 245 00:11:21,472 --> 00:11:25,786 whose rivalry with Royce Gracie will come to define the UFC 246 00:11:25,810 --> 00:11:27,955 and be its first major draw. 247 00:11:27,979 --> 00:11:30,064 -This changes everything here. 248 00:11:34,068 --> 00:11:35,796 -This will outsell the Frazier fight, 249 00:11:35,820 --> 00:11:37,047 outsell the Fullmer fight, all the fights in the history, 250 00:11:37,071 --> 00:11:38,841 this will be... - In June of 1976, 251 00:11:38,865 --> 00:11:40,885 America's most famous athlete, 252 00:11:40,909 --> 00:11:42,553 boxer Muhammad Ali, 253 00:11:42,577 --> 00:11:45,973 agrees to fight Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki 254 00:11:45,997 --> 00:11:47,892 in a highly publicized event. 255 00:11:47,916 --> 00:11:51,145 -I didn't come to Japan to leave my title to you. 256 00:11:51,169 --> 00:11:53,606 I come to destroy you. 257 00:11:53,630 --> 00:11:56,650 -It's an unusual matchup that brings together two fighters 258 00:11:56,674 --> 00:11:58,819 from wildly different disciplines 259 00:11:58,843 --> 00:12:02,698 and one that anticipates the birth of mixed martial arts. 260 00:12:02,722 --> 00:12:04,658 {\an8}[ Crowd shouting ] 261 00:12:04,682 --> 00:12:07,328 {\an8}Despite a handful of explosive moments, 262 00:12:07,352 --> 00:12:10,080 Inoki spends most of the 15 rounds on his back, 263 00:12:10,104 --> 00:12:14,168 with Ali standing over him, barely able to throw a punch. 264 00:12:14,192 --> 00:12:15,920 [ Bell rings ] The fight was ultimately 265 00:12:15,944 --> 00:12:17,338 declared a draw 266 00:12:17,362 --> 00:12:20,114 and dismissed as a bizarre one-off. 267 00:12:22,867 --> 00:12:25,846 But in the '90s, 46-year-old Art Davie 268 00:12:25,870 --> 00:12:27,890 is poised to bring mixed martial arts 269 00:12:27,914 --> 00:12:29,350 back to the mainstream 270 00:12:29,374 --> 00:12:33,395 {\an8}with his Ultimate Fighting Championship. 271 00:12:33,419 --> 00:12:35,314 Most of the fighters for the eight-man tournament 272 00:12:35,338 --> 00:12:38,525 have been chosen, but Davie isn't satisfied. 273 00:12:38,549 --> 00:12:41,612 -I was very clear that I was in show business. 274 00:12:41,636 --> 00:12:44,698 {\an8}In addition to looking for the world's best fighter, 275 00:12:44,722 --> 00:12:49,411 {\an8}I also had to find the world's most entertaining fighter. 276 00:12:49,435 --> 00:12:52,206 -5,000 miles away in Tokyo, Japan... 277 00:12:52,230 --> 00:12:56,210 -Shamrock Ken! 278 00:12:56,234 --> 00:12:58,212 {\an8}-...a young grappler from the U.S. 279 00:12:58,236 --> 00:13:00,339 {\an8}is already making a name for himself 280 00:13:00,363 --> 00:13:02,925 {\an8}as a mixed martial arts champion. 281 00:13:02,949 --> 00:13:04,802 -My DNA is a fighter. 282 00:13:04,826 --> 00:13:08,555 I lived and breathed being a fighter. 283 00:13:08,579 --> 00:13:12,476 I'm Ken Shamrock, former UFC Heavyweight Champion 284 00:13:12,500 --> 00:13:15,729 {\an8}and Pancrase Champion. 285 00:13:15,753 --> 00:13:17,481 {\an8}I want to go back a little bit, 286 00:13:17,505 --> 00:13:20,734 because I think that there's a story here. 287 00:13:20,758 --> 00:13:25,447 -Born Ken Kilpatrick in 1964 in Macon, Georgia, 288 00:13:25,471 --> 00:13:27,366 the future fighter, his two brothers, 289 00:13:27,390 --> 00:13:30,995 and their single mom live in extreme poverty. 290 00:13:31,019 --> 00:13:33,247 -We slept in one room, no bed. 291 00:13:33,271 --> 00:13:35,666 Sometimes we didn't even have food. 292 00:13:35,690 --> 00:13:40,087 And I remember stealing food out of the trash can. 293 00:13:40,111 --> 00:13:41,839 It was... It was bad. 294 00:13:41,863 --> 00:13:45,092 I don't remember ever being hugged by my mother. 295 00:13:45,116 --> 00:13:47,803 I didn't know my father. 296 00:13:47,827 --> 00:13:50,639 That's my childhood. 297 00:13:50,663 --> 00:13:53,434 -After his family moves to Napa, California, 298 00:13:53,458 --> 00:13:56,353 10-year-old Ken runs away from home. 299 00:13:56,377 --> 00:13:58,814 {\an8}♪♪ 300 00:13:58,838 --> 00:14:01,108 -I was hanging out with bad people 301 00:14:01,132 --> 00:14:03,152 and surviving only in ways that you know how, 302 00:14:03,176 --> 00:14:04,903 and that's stealing and robbing. 303 00:14:04,927 --> 00:14:09,033 It was lay down and die or stand up and fight. 304 00:14:09,057 --> 00:14:10,784 {\an8}♪♪ 305 00:14:10,808 --> 00:14:16,457 -One fateful day, Ken has to fight for his life. 306 00:14:16,481 --> 00:14:17,916 -Some other kids came walking up 307 00:14:17,940 --> 00:14:20,335 that weren't from our neighborhood. 308 00:14:20,359 --> 00:14:21,920 And words were said. 309 00:14:21,944 --> 00:14:24,131 And the next thing you know, fists were throwing. 310 00:14:24,155 --> 00:14:26,300 And I had a knife on me. 311 00:14:26,324 --> 00:14:28,218 And I ended up trying to stab a guy 312 00:14:28,242 --> 00:14:31,847 and end up getting stabbed myself. 313 00:14:31,871 --> 00:14:34,892 I lost consciousness, because I was spurting blood out. 314 00:14:34,916 --> 00:14:38,979 And I woke up in a hospital handcuffed to a bed. 315 00:14:39,003 --> 00:14:41,648 The police were looking for me for a while. 316 00:14:41,672 --> 00:14:44,735 My rap sheet was like that thick. 317 00:14:44,759 --> 00:14:47,696 -Ken becomes aware of the court. 318 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:49,865 Then at the age of 14, 319 00:14:49,889 --> 00:14:52,659 he meets the man who will give him his last name 320 00:14:52,683 --> 00:14:55,662 and a glimpse at a better future. 321 00:14:55,686 --> 00:15:01,668 -Bob Shamrock dedicated his life to helping at-risk kids. 322 00:15:01,692 --> 00:15:05,005 When I walked into the Bob Shamrock Boys' Home, 323 00:15:05,029 --> 00:15:08,467 this was a mansion. 324 00:15:08,491 --> 00:15:11,345 It was 18 boys in there. 325 00:15:11,369 --> 00:15:13,013 And then Bob Shamrock comes up 326 00:15:13,037 --> 00:15:14,765 and he goes, "Come on over here." 327 00:15:14,789 --> 00:15:18,352 And then he walked us over to this... this bar that had, 328 00:15:18,376 --> 00:15:21,063 like, soda and candy and ice cream. 329 00:15:21,087 --> 00:15:23,565 And I was like, "This is not real," 330 00:15:23,589 --> 00:15:26,568 pinch, pinch, pinch. 331 00:15:26,592 --> 00:15:30,572 And he goes, "I'm telling you right now in this house, 332 00:15:30,596 --> 00:15:33,700 you have a fresh start." 333 00:15:33,724 --> 00:15:38,705 He said, "Ken, you're violent, and you fight all the time." 334 00:15:38,729 --> 00:15:41,458 He goes, "Let's figure out how we can vent 335 00:15:41,482 --> 00:15:45,003 that frustration into something positive." 336 00:15:45,027 --> 00:15:46,964 -Come on, men, let's go! 337 00:15:46,988 --> 00:15:50,676 -Bob Shamrock enrolls Ken in the local high school. 338 00:15:50,700 --> 00:15:52,386 It's on the football and wrestling teams 339 00:15:52,410 --> 00:15:56,432 that Ken discovers a place where violence is rewarded. 340 00:15:56,456 --> 00:15:59,810 -I look around my teammates are jumping, "Yeah! Nice job." 341 00:15:59,834 --> 00:16:02,563 And the coaches, like, were like, "Yeah! Do that again." 342 00:16:02,587 --> 00:16:04,439 And I'm like, "This can't be right." 343 00:16:04,463 --> 00:16:06,150 I hurt this kid, I hit him, 344 00:16:06,174 --> 00:16:09,027 and they're telling me it's okay. 345 00:16:09,051 --> 00:16:13,240 And Bob said, "You've got to know the rules. 346 00:16:13,264 --> 00:16:14,741 And if you play within those rules, 347 00:16:14,765 --> 00:16:17,035 whether it's sports or life, 348 00:16:17,059 --> 00:16:21,665 you can be successful in anything you want to be." 349 00:16:21,689 --> 00:16:25,252 -A father-son bond forms between Bob and Ken. 350 00:16:25,276 --> 00:16:26,879 I love my biological mom, 351 00:16:26,903 --> 00:16:29,923 but she didn't have the means to take care of us. 352 00:16:29,947 --> 00:16:31,383 We got into trouble. 353 00:16:31,407 --> 00:16:33,343 I couldn't go back there. 354 00:16:33,367 --> 00:16:36,054 I felt like my life with Bob, 355 00:16:36,078 --> 00:16:38,223 that's where I was supposed to be. 356 00:16:38,247 --> 00:16:43,061 -And in 1982, Shamrock formally adopts the teenager. 357 00:16:43,085 --> 00:16:45,189 -That's who took care of me. 358 00:16:45,213 --> 00:16:47,941 I was a part of this family. 359 00:16:47,965 --> 00:16:49,776 -In his final year of high school, 360 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:52,821 Shamrock is definitely getting noticed on the football field. 361 00:16:52,845 --> 00:16:55,532 But he's become disenchanted with the sport. 362 00:16:55,556 --> 00:16:57,075 -I just didn't want to do that. 363 00:16:57,099 --> 00:16:59,912 So I ended up going into pro wrestling. 364 00:16:59,936 --> 00:17:02,998 {\an8}- Vince Torelli. - Working under stage names 365 00:17:03,022 --> 00:17:05,959 like Vince Torelli and Mr. Wrestling, 366 00:17:05,983 --> 00:17:09,296 Shamrock becomes an expert in pro wrestling style 367 00:17:09,320 --> 00:17:11,131 of choreographed combat. 368 00:17:11,155 --> 00:17:13,926 But eventually he tires of pulling his punches. 369 00:17:13,950 --> 00:17:16,136 -Everything was working in pro wrestling for me, 370 00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:21,225 but I was always that guy trying to find the most extreme level 371 00:17:21,249 --> 00:17:24,102 that I could actually get to. 372 00:17:24,126 --> 00:17:27,648 And I ran into a friend of mine, Dean Malenko, 373 00:17:27,672 --> 00:17:30,817 and he showed me this tape. 374 00:17:30,841 --> 00:17:33,612 And then I saw these two Japanese guys on there. 375 00:17:33,636 --> 00:17:38,158 -In the early '90s, Japan's Universal Wrestling Federation 376 00:17:38,182 --> 00:17:40,702 is pioneering a new, more aggressive style 377 00:17:40,726 --> 00:17:42,120 of pro wrestling, 378 00:17:42,144 --> 00:17:44,248 where fighters often incorporate elements 379 00:17:44,272 --> 00:17:45,791 of martial arts in the ring. 380 00:17:45,815 --> 00:17:47,709 -I'd never saw anything like this. 381 00:17:47,733 --> 00:17:51,588 Judo, kickboxing, boxing, submission holds... 382 00:17:51,612 --> 00:17:54,508 All these things wrapped into one fight. 383 00:17:54,532 --> 00:17:58,011 Now, if you can do that, you are truly a badass. 384 00:17:58,035 --> 00:18:00,305 And I looked at him and I said, "Yeah, I want to do that." 385 00:18:00,329 --> 00:18:03,642 And he goes, "All right, man, I'll hook you up." 386 00:18:03,666 --> 00:18:06,270 -Shamrock! 387 00:18:06,294 --> 00:18:09,147 -Shamrock is invited to join the organization's 388 00:18:09,171 --> 00:18:11,483 roster of fighters. [ Bell dings ] 389 00:18:11,507 --> 00:18:15,070 It's the beginning of his career as a so-called shoot fighter, 390 00:18:15,094 --> 00:18:17,739 where the fighting inside the ring is unscripted 391 00:18:17,763 --> 00:18:20,742 and unplanned up to a certain point. 392 00:18:20,766 --> 00:18:24,037 -I literally made sure that everything I did landed. 393 00:18:24,061 --> 00:18:26,623 I hit them, kicked them, I threw them, 394 00:18:26,647 --> 00:18:28,625 I put submission holds on them. 395 00:18:28,649 --> 00:18:30,961 But there was always a predetermined ending. 396 00:18:30,985 --> 00:18:34,715 In other words, we always knew who was going to win. 397 00:18:34,739 --> 00:18:38,176 I was tired of that, and I wanted something more. 398 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:41,555 I wanted the real deal. 399 00:18:41,579 --> 00:18:47,144 -In 1993, Shamrock joins Japan's Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling, 400 00:18:47,168 --> 00:18:50,063 which promises real hand-to-hand combat. 401 00:18:50,087 --> 00:18:52,232 And this time, there's no script. 402 00:18:52,256 --> 00:18:53,734 -We're gonna take pro wrestling, 403 00:18:53,758 --> 00:18:55,902 {\an8}and we were going to make it real. 404 00:18:55,926 --> 00:18:58,363 {\an8}We were so far in advance of anyone, 405 00:18:58,387 --> 00:19:00,949 even if they were world champion kick boxers, 406 00:19:00,973 --> 00:19:03,684 we would take them down, we would destroy them. 407 00:19:04,935 --> 00:19:06,413 Yes! 408 00:19:06,437 --> 00:19:08,540 Whoo! [ Applause ] 409 00:19:08,564 --> 00:19:11,585 Not having to lose to somebody, 410 00:19:11,609 --> 00:19:12,919 there was nothing better than that. 411 00:19:12,943 --> 00:19:15,922 That was the elite of elites. 412 00:19:15,946 --> 00:19:18,967 -Shamrock becomes the first King of Pancrase 413 00:19:18,991 --> 00:19:20,802 openweight champion. 414 00:19:20,826 --> 00:19:23,889 -I felt that I was good enough to beat anybody. 415 00:19:23,913 --> 00:19:25,432 {\an8}This is my world. 416 00:19:25,456 --> 00:19:27,809 {\an8}This is it. 417 00:19:27,833 --> 00:19:31,772 And then all of a sudden, I hear about this thing called the UFC. 418 00:19:31,796 --> 00:19:35,442 -Ken Shamrock was exactly what I was looking for. 419 00:19:35,466 --> 00:19:37,110 He's Captain America. 420 00:19:37,134 --> 00:19:39,237 {\an8}♪♪ 421 00:19:39,261 --> 00:19:41,031 He's 6'1". 422 00:19:41,055 --> 00:19:42,949 He's 212 pounds. 423 00:19:42,973 --> 00:19:48,038 He's got a bodybuilders body, and he competes in red Speedos. 424 00:19:48,062 --> 00:19:50,165 And I knew he was gonna be a star. 425 00:19:50,189 --> 00:19:52,334 [ Bell rings ] - Whoo! 426 00:19:52,358 --> 00:19:55,837 -And I said, "Tell me about what you're doing in Japan." 427 00:19:55,861 --> 00:19:58,131 -I said, "I fight in a mixed martial arts company 428 00:19:58,155 --> 00:20:00,884 where it was kicks, punches, throws, submissions." 429 00:20:00,908 --> 00:20:02,761 -He said, "Well, it's the real deal." 430 00:20:02,785 --> 00:20:06,848 -I said, "No, what I want to do is the real deal... a shoot." 431 00:20:06,872 --> 00:20:09,226 -And he says, "Anything goes, no rules." 432 00:20:09,250 --> 00:20:10,477 And I was like, 433 00:20:10,501 --> 00:20:12,479 "All right, okay." 434 00:20:12,503 --> 00:20:14,022 -He said, "Well, I'm interested." 435 00:20:14,046 --> 00:20:15,607 Well, I wound up signing him. 436 00:20:15,631 --> 00:20:17,401 -But in my mind, I'm like, "Dude, there's no way 437 00:20:17,425 --> 00:20:18,735 they can let this happen." 438 00:20:18,759 --> 00:20:20,320 It's sanctioning bodies everywhere. 439 00:20:20,344 --> 00:20:22,489 There's no way that they're gonna allow somebody 440 00:20:22,513 --> 00:20:24,449 to kick somebody in the head. 441 00:20:24,473 --> 00:20:27,536 But I'm literally the mixed martial arts champion. 442 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:29,854 I have to go defend my title. 443 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:36,002 -Days before the event, the eight elite fighters chosen 444 00:20:36,026 --> 00:20:38,296 for the UFC's inaugural tournament 445 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:40,298 begin arriving in Denver. 446 00:20:40,322 --> 00:20:41,883 -We fly in. 447 00:20:41,907 --> 00:20:43,760 The whole time I'm like, "It's not gonna happen." 448 00:20:43,784 --> 00:20:47,222 We get in there, there's a press conference, 449 00:20:47,246 --> 00:20:49,182 and I notice one guy, Gerard Gordeau, 450 00:20:49,206 --> 00:20:52,769 who I saw fight in Japan, and I see Royce, 451 00:20:52,793 --> 00:20:56,022 and he's walking around in his gi. 452 00:20:56,046 --> 00:20:59,401 And I'm like, "Who walks around in their gi?" 453 00:20:59,425 --> 00:21:02,737 Dude, I mean, come on, like, that's weak. 454 00:21:02,761 --> 00:21:04,406 I'm thinking to myself, "There's no way 455 00:21:04,430 --> 00:21:06,074 I'm gonna destroy these kids. 456 00:21:06,098 --> 00:21:09,077 Man, I'm gonna kill them." 457 00:21:09,101 --> 00:21:11,288 -But after the press conference, 458 00:21:11,312 --> 00:21:14,040 the fighters are surprised to be called into a meeting 459 00:21:14,064 --> 00:21:16,209 to discuss the rules of the tournament. 460 00:21:16,233 --> 00:21:17,627 -I'm like, "What do you mean rules? 461 00:21:17,651 --> 00:21:20,297 I thought there was no rules." 462 00:21:20,321 --> 00:21:22,382 -There was only three rules for the fight... 463 00:21:22,406 --> 00:21:25,385 No groin shots, no biting, and no eye gouging. 464 00:21:25,409 --> 00:21:29,055 -The fight could end by you throw in the towel, 465 00:21:29,079 --> 00:21:32,809 you get knocked out, or you die. 466 00:21:32,833 --> 00:21:35,961 And we now want you to sign on the rules. 467 00:21:38,881 --> 00:21:41,526 Rorion was there to talk to the fighters. 468 00:21:41,550 --> 00:21:43,403 He winds up talking about the fact 469 00:21:43,427 --> 00:21:46,781 that the kicker punchers can't wrap their fist. 470 00:21:46,805 --> 00:21:48,492 He said you wouldn't do that in the street 471 00:21:48,516 --> 00:21:51,411 if you were in a fight, you wouldn't have time. 472 00:21:51,435 --> 00:21:54,831 Well, that doesn't appeal to Zane Frazier, who's a kickboxer 473 00:21:54,855 --> 00:21:57,584 and Art Jimmerson who's a professional boxer. 474 00:21:57,608 --> 00:21:59,085 Both of them are now arguing, 475 00:21:59,109 --> 00:22:01,421 "We need to be able to wrap our hands." 476 00:22:01,445 --> 00:22:05,759 -Shamrock is also given a handicap by the organizers. 477 00:22:05,783 --> 00:22:07,761 -They took away my wrestling shoes. 478 00:22:07,785 --> 00:22:09,095 If you understand that 479 00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:10,931 everything starts from your foundation, 480 00:22:10,955 --> 00:22:15,644 which is your feet, your movement for takedowns, 481 00:22:15,668 --> 00:22:18,438 and then all of a sudden you get these shoes taken off of you. 482 00:22:18,462 --> 00:22:22,192 It's like being on ice because you've never been there before. 483 00:22:22,216 --> 00:22:24,402 [ Indistinct shouting ] 484 00:22:24,426 --> 00:22:27,656 -Well, now the room is turning into chaos. 485 00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:30,992 I figured the next thing that's gonna happen is a brawl. 486 00:22:31,016 --> 00:22:32,994 I'm gonna have fighters in jail, 487 00:22:33,018 --> 00:22:34,329 fighters in the hospital, 488 00:22:34,353 --> 00:22:35,753 and there's no event tomorrow night. 489 00:22:40,109 --> 00:22:41,628 -The night before the Ultimate Fighting Championship's 490 00:22:41,652 --> 00:22:42,963 first match, 491 00:22:42,987 --> 00:22:44,798 fighters are in fierce disagreement 492 00:22:44,822 --> 00:22:48,802 over the last-minute addition of new rules and regulations. 493 00:22:48,826 --> 00:22:53,431 UFC creator Art Davie is worried the tournament is in jeopardy. 494 00:22:53,455 --> 00:22:58,728 {\an8}-Who saves my butt is the sumo wrestler, 495 00:22:58,752 --> 00:23:00,730 {\an8}Teila Tuli. 496 00:23:00,754 --> 00:23:02,816 He picks up the one-page release. 497 00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:04,484 He says, "I've already signed it." 498 00:23:04,508 --> 00:23:06,194 He slams it down on the table 499 00:23:06,218 --> 00:23:09,114 and he says, "I'll see everybody else tomorrow night." 500 00:23:09,138 --> 00:23:11,491 [ Applause ] 501 00:23:11,515 --> 00:23:14,411 -When he stood up and said that, it really took away 502 00:23:14,435 --> 00:23:16,079 any opportunity for anybody to say, 503 00:23:16,103 --> 00:23:18,498 {\an8}"Wait a minute, this is supposed to be no rules, 504 00:23:18,522 --> 00:23:23,044 {\an8}anything goes. Why are you taking things away?" 505 00:23:23,068 --> 00:23:25,630 -Ken Shamrock comes up to me and he says, 506 00:23:25,654 --> 00:23:27,257 "Is this a shoot or work?" 507 00:23:27,281 --> 00:23:32,679 A work is a scripted bout, a shoot is a real fight. 508 00:23:32,703 --> 00:23:35,181 -Leading right up to it, it was almost like a question of 509 00:23:35,205 --> 00:23:37,058 is this real or is it not real? 510 00:23:37,082 --> 00:23:39,686 -I said, "Ken, we've been all through this before, 511 00:23:39,710 --> 00:23:41,062 you know that." 512 00:23:41,086 --> 00:23:42,814 {\an8}[ Indistinct chatter ] 513 00:23:42,838 --> 00:23:44,774 {\an8}-It has all the hype and trappings 514 00:23:44,798 --> 00:23:46,776 {\an8}of a Vegas boxing match... 515 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:50,363 Smoke, lights, cameras, and women. 516 00:23:50,387 --> 00:23:53,908 -The following night with pay-per-view cameras rolling, 517 00:23:53,932 --> 00:23:56,870 local fight fans trickle into Denver, Colorado's 518 00:23:56,894 --> 00:23:59,039 McNichols Sports Arena 519 00:23:59,063 --> 00:24:01,458 to witness the Ultimate Fighting Championship's 520 00:24:01,482 --> 00:24:04,836 first-ever mixed martial arts tournament. 521 00:24:04,860 --> 00:24:08,089 -There are no rules, no judges' scores, 522 00:24:08,113 --> 00:24:10,383 and no time limits. 523 00:24:10,407 --> 00:24:13,637 -And no how-to manual for the video crew 524 00:24:13,661 --> 00:24:15,221 hired to capture the action 525 00:24:15,245 --> 00:24:18,892 for the pay-per-view audience watching at home. 526 00:24:18,916 --> 00:24:20,477 -There was a chain-link fence, 527 00:24:20,501 --> 00:24:22,604 and, I mean, your normal cameraman on the ground 528 00:24:22,628 --> 00:24:24,522 is just gonna be shooting through a fence all night. 529 00:24:24,546 --> 00:24:25,982 That looks horrible. 530 00:24:26,006 --> 00:24:27,734 They got to get them higher over this barrier. 531 00:24:27,758 --> 00:24:29,736 And that's when I said, "Okay, there's one thing missing, 532 00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:32,739 and that's looking down 'cause guys are gonna be down there." 533 00:24:32,763 --> 00:24:34,032 It was kind of a cool angle. 534 00:24:34,056 --> 00:24:35,784 Nobody had ever used that before. 535 00:24:35,808 --> 00:24:37,577 Are we good? Yeah, he said, "Good." 536 00:24:37,601 --> 00:24:38,953 {\an8}My name's Mark Lucas, 537 00:24:38,977 --> 00:24:41,414 {\an8}and I was the first live TV director 538 00:24:41,438 --> 00:24:43,875 {\an8}of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's 539 00:24:43,899 --> 00:24:46,753 {\an8}hell of a ride. 540 00:24:46,777 --> 00:24:48,213 I'm a little worried. 541 00:24:48,237 --> 00:24:50,840 I see this almost-empty McNichols Arena, 542 00:24:50,864 --> 00:24:53,176 which is like 18,000 seats. 543 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:55,220 I think maybe there was 3,000. 544 00:24:55,244 --> 00:24:57,097 And so I had to get all the cameramen. 545 00:24:57,121 --> 00:24:59,432 Don't give me wide shots where you see empty seats. 546 00:24:59,456 --> 00:25:01,476 The arena was so empty, I figured maybe 547 00:25:01,500 --> 00:25:04,896 there's only five people watching on a pay-per-view. 548 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:08,274 -Please welcome the contestants for the first matchup tonight's 549 00:25:08,298 --> 00:25:10,276 Ultimate Fighting Championship. 550 00:25:10,300 --> 00:25:12,487 {\an8}[ Cheers and applause ] 551 00:25:12,511 --> 00:25:14,322 {\an8}-It's a shocking sight... 552 00:25:14,346 --> 00:25:16,533 {\an8}200-pound French savate champion, 553 00:25:16,557 --> 00:25:18,034 Gerard Gordeau, 554 00:25:18,058 --> 00:25:20,120 facing off against Teila Tuli, 555 00:25:20,144 --> 00:25:22,580 a sumo wrestler twice Gordeau's size. 556 00:25:22,604 --> 00:25:24,833 -420 pounds. 557 00:25:24,857 --> 00:25:26,876 Make room for the giant. 558 00:25:26,900 --> 00:25:29,170 [ Cheers and applause ] 559 00:25:29,194 --> 00:25:32,340 -What follows is a bloody spectacle. 560 00:25:32,364 --> 00:25:35,468 Tuli lowers his head, extends his arms, 561 00:25:35,492 --> 00:25:39,472 and charges him like he's a bull. 562 00:25:39,496 --> 00:25:41,558 {\an8}-Gerard Gordeau throws a right kick 563 00:25:41,582 --> 00:25:44,144 {\an8}and it hits Teila flush in the middle of the face. 564 00:25:44,168 --> 00:25:45,437 -What do you think? 565 00:25:45,461 --> 00:25:46,896 That's Gordeau. 566 00:25:46,920 --> 00:25:49,065 -I think that he's missing teeth there. 567 00:25:49,089 --> 00:25:50,525 [ Crowd cheers ] 568 00:25:50,549 --> 00:25:54,279 -And you see one of his teeth come flying out. 569 00:25:54,303 --> 00:25:56,322 -And then he finishes up with the right hand, 570 00:25:56,346 --> 00:25:59,451 which catches him in the eye and bust the eye open. 571 00:25:59,475 --> 00:26:03,496 -And all of a sudden, blood, just tons of blood. 572 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:05,290 Horrifying. - There's a bit of blood flowing 573 00:26:05,314 --> 00:26:07,500 out and into that eye. - Yes. 574 00:26:07,524 --> 00:26:10,003 -And I said, "Okay, this is real. 575 00:26:10,027 --> 00:26:11,838 This is really real." 576 00:26:11,862 --> 00:26:13,089 -The match has been called. 577 00:26:13,113 --> 00:26:15,675 Gerard Gordeau is the winner. 578 00:26:15,699 --> 00:26:18,636 -I'm back at that point in the dressing area. 579 00:26:18,660 --> 00:26:25,393 Who's back there watching the monitor is Ken Shamrock. 580 00:26:25,417 --> 00:26:28,688 -That kick, there's no way you can believe that. 581 00:26:28,712 --> 00:26:32,400 He turns around, and he looks at me and he nods. 582 00:26:32,424 --> 00:26:35,987 That's when he knew it was a shoot and not a work. 583 00:26:36,011 --> 00:26:37,489 {\an8}[ Crowd cheering ] 584 00:26:37,513 --> 00:26:39,616 {\an8}-That was a clear groin shot. 585 00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:42,660 {\an8}-The second match pitting kickboxer Kevin Rosier 586 00:26:42,684 --> 00:26:44,913 {\an8}against karate champ Zane Frazier 587 00:26:44,937 --> 00:26:48,416 is also horrifically violent, 588 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:50,752 but it's the final matches of the quarterfinals 589 00:26:50,776 --> 00:26:54,923 that introduced audiences to the UFC's future superstars. 590 00:26:54,947 --> 00:26:59,969 -Out of the red corner, Royce Gracie. 591 00:26:59,993 --> 00:27:01,721 -Royce Gracie was not a very imposing guy. 592 00:27:01,745 --> 00:27:06,392 I thought, "How long is this guy gonna last?" 593 00:27:06,416 --> 00:27:07,685 {\an8}-Here it is. There's the grapple. 594 00:27:07,709 --> 00:27:09,103 {\an8}-And he's on the ground. 595 00:27:09,127 --> 00:27:11,106 -Well, he was like a boa constrictor. 596 00:27:11,130 --> 00:27:12,524 [ Crowd chanting ] - Royce! Royce! Royce! 597 00:27:12,548 --> 00:27:14,567 -And then there was Ken Shamrock. 598 00:27:14,591 --> 00:27:16,111 He was put together like a brick shithouse, 599 00:27:16,135 --> 00:27:17,529 no fat on him. 600 00:27:17,553 --> 00:27:18,947 -I have to admit, he looks pretty fantastic. 601 00:27:18,971 --> 00:27:20,990 -He looked the part, and he could fight. 602 00:27:21,014 --> 00:27:22,325 -There's the tapout right there. 603 00:27:22,349 --> 00:27:23,701 Just too painful. 604 00:27:23,725 --> 00:27:26,412 -I'm like, I'm way up here. [ Laughs ] 605 00:27:26,436 --> 00:27:27,664 I didn't think anybody could beat me. 606 00:27:27,688 --> 00:27:29,249 -Ladies and gentlemen, 607 00:27:29,273 --> 00:27:33,002 our second semifinal match of the evening. 608 00:27:33,026 --> 00:27:34,462 -Now, in the semifinals, 609 00:27:34,486 --> 00:27:38,424 we've got Royce Gracie facing Ken Shamrock. 610 00:27:38,448 --> 00:27:41,010 {\an8}-I think this will be a very exciting bout. 611 00:27:41,034 --> 00:27:42,804 {\an8}-Here they go. Look at that. 612 00:27:42,828 --> 00:27:46,140 {\an8}- Look at that right there. - Leg drop right away. 613 00:27:46,164 --> 00:27:48,101 -Shamrock, in his red Speedos 614 00:27:48,125 --> 00:27:50,061 immediately appears to have the upper hand, 615 00:27:50,085 --> 00:27:54,774 but Gracie, wearing the white gi Shamrock found laughable, 616 00:27:54,798 --> 00:27:56,442 proves he's no joke. 617 00:27:56,466 --> 00:27:59,279 -Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is about weaponizing human body 618 00:27:59,303 --> 00:28:01,531 or in this case, as Royce did, 619 00:28:01,555 --> 00:28:04,534 you can use the fabric of your clothing. 620 00:28:04,558 --> 00:28:05,785 -Here's where the gi comes in, Bill. 621 00:28:05,809 --> 00:28:07,328 Look at that left hand of Royce. 622 00:28:07,352 --> 00:28:09,330 It's grabbing the right gi lapel. 623 00:28:09,354 --> 00:28:11,082 -As he's choking me with his gear, 624 00:28:11,106 --> 00:28:14,794 I'm going like, "Wait a minute. Hold up. What's going on? 625 00:28:14,818 --> 00:28:16,504 I can't wear my wrestling shoes, 626 00:28:16,528 --> 00:28:18,673 but he's choking me with his gi." 627 00:28:18,697 --> 00:28:20,466 -The more that he struggles, the more it starts 628 00:28:20,490 --> 00:28:25,179 to just tighten up and so Ken was in trouble. 629 00:28:25,203 --> 00:28:28,224 -Royce... there's the tap, there's the tap. 630 00:28:28,248 --> 00:28:29,875 -And I tap. 631 00:28:32,419 --> 00:28:35,440 And I remember sitting there going, "I just lost. 632 00:28:35,464 --> 00:28:39,152 I lost to this guy in pajamas." [ Laughs ] 633 00:28:39,176 --> 00:28:42,071 -It's the opening bell of what would be a bitter rivalry 634 00:28:42,095 --> 00:28:45,366 between the two fighters. 635 00:28:45,390 --> 00:28:49,287 Gracie goes on to defeat Gerard Gordeau in the final... 636 00:28:49,311 --> 00:28:51,372 -These Gracies are anacondas. 637 00:28:51,396 --> 00:28:53,458 It's over. 638 00:28:53,482 --> 00:28:56,210 - to become the UFC's first champion, 639 00:28:56,234 --> 00:29:01,591 proving the dominance of his family's fighting style. 640 00:29:01,615 --> 00:29:04,010 Art Davie and his partner, Bob Meyrowitz, 641 00:29:04,034 --> 00:29:08,139 worry their creation hasn't connected with audiences. 642 00:29:08,163 --> 00:29:11,184 Then they hear the pay-per-view numbers. 643 00:29:11,208 --> 00:29:13,937 -$14.95 was the price. 644 00:29:13,961 --> 00:29:17,815 We wound up doing more than 87,000 subscribers 645 00:29:17,839 --> 00:29:20,234 on pay-per-view. 646 00:29:20,258 --> 00:29:21,736 It was stunning. 647 00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:23,404 -It was huge. 648 00:29:23,428 --> 00:29:25,823 -Bob Meyrowitz was a very happy guy. 649 00:29:25,847 --> 00:29:27,659 His gamble paid off. 650 00:29:27,683 --> 00:29:29,869 It was a big success, and right away they knew, 651 00:29:29,893 --> 00:29:31,478 "Oh, we're gonna do another one." 652 00:29:33,563 --> 00:29:37,293 -Four months later, the UFC returns to Colorado, 653 00:29:37,317 --> 00:29:40,129 this time with twice as many fighters. 654 00:29:40,153 --> 00:29:41,631 -People come to see skill. 655 00:29:41,655 --> 00:29:43,341 They come to see courage. 656 00:29:43,365 --> 00:29:46,135 -The fresh roster of contenders aren't the only new faces 657 00:29:46,159 --> 00:29:48,304 appearing in the dreaded octagon. 658 00:29:48,328 --> 00:29:50,556 -Rorion Gracie suggested to me, 659 00:29:50,580 --> 00:29:56,396 "What about 'Big' John McCarthy as the referee?" 660 00:29:56,420 --> 00:29:59,315 -John McCarthy is a Los Angeles police officer 661 00:29:59,339 --> 00:30:01,401 who trains with the Gracies, 662 00:30:01,425 --> 00:30:04,320 but he's hesitant to accept the new job offer. 663 00:30:04,344 --> 00:30:05,905 -I did not want to be a referee, I wanted to fight. 664 00:30:05,929 --> 00:30:07,824 I thought I could do okay with that. 665 00:30:07,848 --> 00:30:10,243 But I love the Gracies, I love the sport, 666 00:30:10,267 --> 00:30:12,996 I love what they were trying to do. 667 00:30:13,020 --> 00:30:15,707 As I was asked to go up and see Art Davie, 668 00:30:15,731 --> 00:30:18,334 he goes, "I need you to start these fights. 669 00:30:18,358 --> 00:30:21,713 I want a statement, and I want a hand signal." 670 00:30:21,737 --> 00:30:25,550 I said, "I got two guys standing inside a cage, one over here, 671 00:30:25,574 --> 00:30:27,510 one over there that want to beat the shit out of each other, 672 00:30:27,534 --> 00:30:28,803 and I'm gonna ask, 'Are you ready'?" 673 00:30:28,827 --> 00:30:30,722 -Are you ready? Are you ready? 674 00:30:30,746 --> 00:30:32,307 "Let's get it on." 675 00:30:32,331 --> 00:30:33,641 And he goes, "That's it. That's exactly what I want." 676 00:30:33,665 --> 00:30:35,643 And I said, "Okay." - Let's get it on! 677 00:30:35,667 --> 00:30:38,312 -I turn to the two at one point, and I say, 678 00:30:38,336 --> 00:30:40,273 "Is he saying, 'Let's get it on'? 679 00:30:40,297 --> 00:30:42,108 That's... ing great. I love this." 680 00:30:42,132 --> 00:30:44,444 And it became his signature thing. 681 00:30:44,468 --> 00:30:46,386 -Let's get it on! 682 00:30:47,095 --> 00:30:50,908 {\an8}- "UFC 2" is an even bigger success than its predecessor, 683 00:30:50,932 --> 00:30:55,079 more than tripling UFC 1's pay-per-view subscribers. 684 00:30:55,103 --> 00:31:00,126 The event also multiplies the unfettered violence. 685 00:31:00,150 --> 00:31:02,503 -It was the bloodiest. 686 00:31:02,527 --> 00:31:04,297 -The UFC's growing fan base 687 00:31:04,321 --> 00:31:06,299 may be thrilled by the bloodshed, 688 00:31:06,323 --> 00:31:09,177 but McCarthy is left shaken by the events. 689 00:31:09,201 --> 00:31:13,139 -The referee was not supposed to be able to stop the fight. 690 00:31:13,163 --> 00:31:17,810 The fighter will tap out or the corner will throw in the towel. 691 00:31:17,834 --> 00:31:20,521 {\an8}I had one instance where Scott Morris 692 00:31:20,545 --> 00:31:22,273 {\an8}was against Pat Smith. 693 00:31:22,297 --> 00:31:24,776 {\an8}Pat Smith starts to open up and hit him with big elbows. 694 00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:26,778 It cuts him in a couple of places, 695 00:31:26,802 --> 00:31:30,823 and he gets just basically knocked out. 696 00:31:30,847 --> 00:31:34,869 And I'm screaming at the corner, "Throw your towel," you know. 697 00:31:34,893 --> 00:31:37,413 And they looked at me, and they shook their head, 698 00:31:37,437 --> 00:31:41,084 and they threw the towel into the audience. 699 00:31:41,108 --> 00:31:45,421 And you've got a corner that has been told by the fighter, 700 00:31:45,445 --> 00:31:47,090 don't ever throw the towel. 701 00:31:47,114 --> 00:31:50,343 And now the fighter is so hurt that they can't even tap 702 00:31:50,367 --> 00:31:53,471 because they don't have that functionality in their brain, 703 00:31:53,495 --> 00:31:55,223 then someone's gonna get seriously hurt. 704 00:31:55,247 --> 00:31:56,599 - He's out. - He's out. 705 00:31:56,623 --> 00:31:58,518 - My goodness. - That's intense, folks. 706 00:31:58,542 --> 00:32:00,144 -I can't be the guy that stands there 707 00:32:00,168 --> 00:32:01,395 and lets someone get beat to death, 708 00:32:01,419 --> 00:32:03,189 and I do nothing about it. 709 00:32:03,213 --> 00:32:07,985 I said, "When a fighter cannot intelligently defend themselves, 710 00:32:08,009 --> 00:32:09,862 the referee has to be able to have the power 711 00:32:09,886 --> 00:32:11,697 to stop the fight." 712 00:32:11,721 --> 00:32:15,368 -Organizers agree with McCarthy and institute the new rule. 713 00:32:15,392 --> 00:32:18,037 {\an8}♪♪ 714 00:32:18,061 --> 00:32:20,581 -What UFC 2 doesn't deliver 715 00:32:20,605 --> 00:32:23,626 is a rematch between its breakout stars. 716 00:32:23,650 --> 00:32:25,086 -Okay. We're back here with Ken Shamrock. 717 00:32:25,110 --> 00:32:26,671 Ken, when you think about it, it's so far? 718 00:32:26,695 --> 00:32:29,215 -Ken Shamrock is out due to an injury. 719 00:32:29,239 --> 00:32:31,384 -How would you beat Royce next time? 720 00:32:31,408 --> 00:32:33,594 -It's a secret. 721 00:32:33,618 --> 00:32:36,931 -And so Royce Gracie is crowned champion once again. 722 00:32:36,955 --> 00:32:40,977 - Art Davie writing in the name. - But organizers make the promise 723 00:32:41,001 --> 00:32:44,105 of a second cage match between the two fighters 724 00:32:44,129 --> 00:32:46,232 the centerpiece of UFC 3. 725 00:32:46,256 --> 00:32:48,818 -I think Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie's rivalry 726 00:32:48,842 --> 00:32:50,736 was very real. 727 00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:53,239 Everything that they've learned is being brought to this moment 728 00:32:53,263 --> 00:32:54,890 to fight each other in a cage. 729 00:32:57,100 --> 00:33:00,746 {\an8}-Despite the hype, the rematch doesn't go as planned. 730 00:33:00,770 --> 00:33:02,623 Shamrock is in fighting shape, 731 00:33:02,647 --> 00:33:06,002 and he's even allowed to wear his wrestling shoes. 732 00:33:06,026 --> 00:33:07,879 But then the unthinkable... 733 00:33:07,903 --> 00:33:10,798 -The towel is in, Royce Gracie is out of the competition. 734 00:33:10,822 --> 00:33:13,426 -What a shocker. Unbelievable. 735 00:33:13,450 --> 00:33:16,596 - Gracie drops out mid-way through the tournament. 736 00:33:16,620 --> 00:33:18,639 -He threw in the towel, and said he was exhausted, 737 00:33:18,663 --> 00:33:20,600 like his body was exhausted. 738 00:33:20,624 --> 00:33:23,144 -Royce was hurt big time for him not to get in the fight. 739 00:33:23,168 --> 00:33:25,313 -To me, I thought that was chicken. 740 00:33:25,337 --> 00:33:26,772 Everybody's exhausted. 741 00:33:26,796 --> 00:33:29,400 I'm exhausted, I'm hurt. 742 00:33:29,424 --> 00:33:30,776 When he backed out of the fight, 743 00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:32,612 I say I'm not going into the finals, 744 00:33:32,636 --> 00:33:35,490 because I wanted Royce, and I made no bones about it. 745 00:33:35,514 --> 00:33:37,325 I said, "I want Royce." 746 00:33:37,349 --> 00:33:39,368 -His father's there, Bob Shamrock. 747 00:33:39,392 --> 00:33:40,953 And he says to him, 748 00:33:40,977 --> 00:33:42,705 "You're walking away from $60,000." 749 00:33:42,729 --> 00:33:45,166 Ken said, "I'm going home." 750 00:33:45,190 --> 00:33:47,752 He walked out, 751 00:33:47,776 --> 00:33:50,713 but it allowed the feud to continue between 752 00:33:50,737 --> 00:33:52,798 Royce and Shamrock. 753 00:33:52,822 --> 00:33:54,926 {\an8}♪♪ 754 00:33:54,950 --> 00:33:58,095 -The following year, it finally happens. 755 00:33:58,119 --> 00:34:00,890 It will be their bloodiest battle yet. 756 00:34:00,914 --> 00:34:02,975 [ Indistinct shouting ] 757 00:34:02,999 --> 00:34:05,645 But waiting in the wings is a man who threatens 758 00:34:05,669 --> 00:34:08,481 to put a chokehold on the UFC itself. 759 00:34:08,505 --> 00:34:11,216 -Sooner or later someone's gonna get very badly injured. 760 00:34:15,720 --> 00:34:17,198 -At least seven people are dead after a suspected car bomb. 761 00:34:17,222 --> 00:34:18,491 -A lot of blood gushing from the man's head. 762 00:34:18,515 --> 00:34:19,992 -Boxes with human body parts. 763 00:34:20,016 --> 00:34:22,119 -There's a saying in American newsrooms, 764 00:34:22,143 --> 00:34:24,080 if it bleeds, it leads. 765 00:34:24,104 --> 00:34:26,791 And in the early '90s, bloody confrontations 766 00:34:26,815 --> 00:34:30,253 consume television news. [ Gunfire ] 767 00:34:30,277 --> 00:34:32,630 From the mayhem of the Gulf War... 768 00:34:32,654 --> 00:34:35,007 -Chaos in downtown Oklahoma City. 769 00:34:35,031 --> 00:34:38,678 - to the breathless coverage of the Oklahoma City bombing, 770 00:34:38,702 --> 00:34:40,846 broadcasters seem intent on satisfying 771 00:34:40,870 --> 00:34:44,684 their viewers' fascination with extreme violence. 772 00:34:44,708 --> 00:34:46,018 It's against this backdrop 773 00:34:46,042 --> 00:34:47,728 that the Ultimate Fighting Championship 774 00:34:47,752 --> 00:34:51,732 emerges as must-see TV for bloodthirsty audiences. 775 00:34:51,756 --> 00:34:54,110 - Why're you here, man? - To see blood. 776 00:34:54,134 --> 00:34:56,237 Blood. - Break his legs! 777 00:34:56,261 --> 00:34:57,613 -They got the blood going now. 778 00:34:57,637 --> 00:34:58,906 The blood is flowing. 779 00:34:58,930 --> 00:35:02,034 -After four blood-soaked tournaments, 780 00:35:02,058 --> 00:35:04,203 organizers are lighting up the octagon 781 00:35:04,227 --> 00:35:07,081 for their most anticipated fight ever, 782 00:35:07,105 --> 00:35:10,251 a rematch between their two biggest stars, 783 00:35:10,275 --> 00:35:13,129 Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie. 784 00:35:13,153 --> 00:35:16,424 -The match you've all been waiting for. 785 00:35:16,448 --> 00:35:18,926 {\an8}♪♪ 786 00:35:18,950 --> 00:35:23,222 -It's called a superfight, a face off between two fighters 787 00:35:23,246 --> 00:35:26,392 that exists outside of the evening's regular tournaments. 788 00:35:26,416 --> 00:35:28,019 -And here we go. 789 00:35:28,043 --> 00:35:29,937 -But in order to keep the broadcast 790 00:35:29,961 --> 00:35:32,231 within the two-hour pay-per-view window, 791 00:35:32,255 --> 00:35:36,277 a new rule is once again being added at the last minute. 792 00:35:36,301 --> 00:35:38,678 -It has a 30-minute time limit. 793 00:35:40,096 --> 00:35:43,993 -Shamrock and Gracie are two of the UFC's toughest fighters, 794 00:35:44,017 --> 00:35:46,537 but neither one of them can land a definitive blow 795 00:35:46,561 --> 00:35:48,289 to turn the fight in their favor. 796 00:35:48,313 --> 00:35:51,751 -These two are so good we might have another long bout 797 00:35:51,775 --> 00:35:53,336 right here. 798 00:35:53,360 --> 00:35:57,256 {\an8}-The fight ended up going 31 minutes. 799 00:35:57,280 --> 00:35:59,467 And I stop the fight, give them a minute's rest, 800 00:35:59,491 --> 00:36:01,677 then put them back for a five-minute overtime. 801 00:36:01,701 --> 00:36:05,431 - Let's get it on! - Five-minute OT under way. 802 00:36:05,455 --> 00:36:07,350 -Ken landed one punch that, you know, 803 00:36:07,374 --> 00:36:10,019 it puffed up Royce's eyes, cut him and stuff. 804 00:36:10,043 --> 00:36:11,687 -He nailed Gracie. 805 00:36:11,711 --> 00:36:14,607 [ Indistinct shouting ] 806 00:36:14,631 --> 00:36:15,858 -It looks like Shamrock 807 00:36:15,882 --> 00:36:18,944 is finally besting his longtime foe, 808 00:36:18,968 --> 00:36:22,239 which will make the grappler the first Superfight Champion 809 00:36:22,263 --> 00:36:25,868 in UFC history. 810 00:36:25,892 --> 00:36:27,453 -All right, pull it apart, pull it apart. 811 00:36:27,477 --> 00:36:28,788 Pull it apart. - And that is the end 812 00:36:28,812 --> 00:36:31,207 of the superfight. 813 00:36:31,231 --> 00:36:34,251 -But it isn't meant to be. 814 00:36:34,275 --> 00:36:35,544 -It was a draw. 815 00:36:35,568 --> 00:36:37,630 [ Crowd booing ] 816 00:36:37,654 --> 00:36:39,382 -And the crowd does not like it at all. 817 00:36:39,406 --> 00:36:42,635 -It was a draw, that's the way it is. 818 00:36:42,659 --> 00:36:46,347 -The crowd is treating Shamrock as though he's the winner. 819 00:36:46,371 --> 00:36:49,850 {\an8}-I just had fought Royce to a so-called "draw" 820 00:36:49,874 --> 00:36:52,311 {\an8}after he was beat up to snot. 821 00:36:52,335 --> 00:36:55,981 Why aren't you labeling me the champion? 822 00:36:56,005 --> 00:36:58,484 The Gracies, who were instrumental 823 00:36:58,508 --> 00:37:01,195 in creating the no rules UFC, 824 00:37:01,219 --> 00:37:03,989 are equally upset after the superfight. 825 00:37:04,013 --> 00:37:06,742 -Rorion said, "Oh, we can't fight with time limits. 826 00:37:06,766 --> 00:37:08,494 We're gonna get out of this now," 827 00:37:08,518 --> 00:37:11,956 and he pulls Royce out of the UFC. 828 00:37:11,980 --> 00:37:16,752 -Shortly after the Gracies exit the Fighting League, 829 00:37:16,776 --> 00:37:18,879 a Republican senator from Arizona 830 00:37:18,903 --> 00:37:23,134 embarks on a crusade to destroy the UFC forever. 831 00:37:23,158 --> 00:37:25,928 -We would prevent such matches between animals. 832 00:37:25,952 --> 00:37:27,888 I'm not sure why you can argue 833 00:37:27,912 --> 00:37:30,641 that we would allow such things between human beings. 834 00:37:30,665 --> 00:37:34,395 {\an8}-He'd written a letter to all 50 governors in which he said, 835 00:37:34,419 --> 00:37:37,690 {\an8}"Please do not let this come to your state. 836 00:37:37,714 --> 00:37:39,442 This is human cockfighting." 837 00:37:39,466 --> 00:37:41,986 -We expect certain standards of behavior in our society, 838 00:37:42,010 --> 00:37:45,072 and this is clearly in gross violation of that. 839 00:37:45,096 --> 00:37:47,491 {\an8}-I really noticed it when John McCain 840 00:37:47,515 --> 00:37:50,536 {\an8}debated Bob Meyrowitz on CNN. 841 00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:54,373 -The fact is that nobody has been injured, seriously injured, 842 00:37:54,397 --> 00:37:56,750 doing this Ultimate Fighting Championship. 843 00:37:56,774 --> 00:37:58,836 -36 states have already outlawed them. 844 00:37:58,860 --> 00:38:00,838 It won't be long before all 50 do. 845 00:38:00,862 --> 00:38:03,257 {\an8}-Community outrage has led to it being banned 846 00:38:03,281 --> 00:38:06,343 {\an8}in North Carolina, banned in Mississippi. 847 00:38:06,367 --> 00:38:08,345 {\an8}-All of these states were starting to come up 848 00:38:08,369 --> 00:38:11,015 with ways of trying to stop the events 849 00:38:11,039 --> 00:38:15,519 and so we were ending up in court. 850 00:38:15,543 --> 00:38:19,273 -The UFC finds itself fighting a battle for survival, 851 00:38:19,297 --> 00:38:21,358 and Art Davie can't see a path 852 00:38:21,382 --> 00:38:24,695 to victory for the brutal sport he helped create. 853 00:38:24,719 --> 00:38:26,489 -I saw where we were going. 854 00:38:26,513 --> 00:38:30,743 Maybe we would be banned, maybe McCain would win. 855 00:38:30,767 --> 00:38:34,163 So I figured, let me get out now while the getting is good. 856 00:38:34,187 --> 00:38:36,499 -After the UFC's fifth tournament, 857 00:38:36,523 --> 00:38:40,085 Davie decides to sell his share to his co-founder, 858 00:38:40,109 --> 00:38:42,880 Semaphore CEO Bob Meyrowitz. 859 00:38:42,904 --> 00:38:46,008 But first, Davie needs to convince his partner, 860 00:38:46,032 --> 00:38:47,676 Rorion Gracie. 861 00:38:47,700 --> 00:38:49,428 -Rorion was very upset. 862 00:38:49,452 --> 00:38:51,055 He didn't really want to sell. 863 00:38:51,079 --> 00:38:53,599 And I said, "We should sell. It's the right thing." 864 00:38:53,623 --> 00:38:57,394 So Bob made me a seven-figure offer for Wild Promotions, 865 00:38:57,418 --> 00:38:59,855 and it was a good seven-figure offer. 866 00:38:59,879 --> 00:39:01,649 {\an8}♪♪ 867 00:39:01,673 --> 00:39:04,652 And I said yes. 868 00:39:04,676 --> 00:39:07,696 Two weeks later, I get a call from Bob Meyrowitz and he says, 869 00:39:07,720 --> 00:39:10,157 "I don't know how to put together the fights. 870 00:39:10,181 --> 00:39:13,661 I need to have you still be the booker, the matchmaker." 871 00:39:13,685 --> 00:39:15,871 I became the Ultimate Fighting Commissioner, 872 00:39:15,895 --> 00:39:19,667 -The greatest martial arts competition in the world, 873 00:39:19,691 --> 00:39:21,043 the Ultimate Fighting Championship. 874 00:39:21,067 --> 00:39:22,586 -Now just an employee 875 00:39:22,610 --> 00:39:24,964 {\an8}of the organization he helped create, 876 00:39:24,988 --> 00:39:27,466 {\an8}Davie sees his worst fears realized. 877 00:39:27,490 --> 00:39:30,803 {\an8}-The judge said, "Your show's gonna get shut down." 878 00:39:30,827 --> 00:39:34,539 {\an8}♪♪ 879 00:39:38,793 --> 00:39:40,104 -Is it a thrilling sport or a killing sport? 880 00:39:40,128 --> 00:39:42,106 - Man-to-man blood combat. - It is called 881 00:39:42,130 --> 00:39:43,524 Ultimate Fighting. 882 00:39:43,548 --> 00:39:46,068 -By the late '90s, the UFC is more often 883 00:39:46,092 --> 00:39:47,820 making news for its battles 884 00:39:47,844 --> 00:39:50,614 outside of the company's famous octagon. 885 00:39:50,638 --> 00:39:52,408 -Is Jack Kevorkian the referee? 886 00:39:52,432 --> 00:39:56,036 {\an8}It's just a tacky, disgusting kind of way to make money. 887 00:39:56,060 --> 00:39:59,582 -The owner is in a constant state of damage control 888 00:39:59,606 --> 00:40:03,210 as he's forced to find ways to appease state regulators. 889 00:40:03,234 --> 00:40:05,588 -Anyone who thinks they can tell us a way to make this 890 00:40:05,612 --> 00:40:07,006 a better, safer sport, 891 00:40:07,030 --> 00:40:08,507 we're happy to have it. 892 00:40:08,531 --> 00:40:11,468 {\an8}♪♪ 893 00:40:11,492 --> 00:40:15,806 -All that drama, all that controversy 894 00:40:15,830 --> 00:40:18,100 got in the way of me focusing on going out there 895 00:40:18,124 --> 00:40:21,061 and doing my job. 896 00:40:21,085 --> 00:40:24,523 -Ken Shamrock is the UFC's highest paid fighter. 897 00:40:24,547 --> 00:40:26,650 But as he struggles to maintain his spot 898 00:40:26,674 --> 00:40:29,278 at the top of the UFC's roster, 899 00:40:29,302 --> 00:40:32,197 he also finds ways to deal with the stress. 900 00:40:32,221 --> 00:40:33,616 -I did abuse drugs. 901 00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:35,159 I did do that stuff. 902 00:40:35,183 --> 00:40:36,952 I wanted to be able to kill the pain, 903 00:40:36,976 --> 00:40:38,412 I wanted to have a good time, 904 00:40:38,436 --> 00:40:40,205 and I didn't want to think about anything. 905 00:40:40,229 --> 00:40:43,709 -I got to tell you something about mixed martial arts. 906 00:40:43,733 --> 00:40:45,419 It's a very hard sport. 907 00:40:45,443 --> 00:40:49,214 If you add that also the pressures of being a celebrity, 908 00:40:49,238 --> 00:40:52,009 quite frankly, some of them crack up. 909 00:40:52,033 --> 00:40:54,386 -We all go out and fight and then we would club it. 910 00:40:54,410 --> 00:40:57,848 And you get in those clubs, alcohol make people brave. 911 00:40:57,872 --> 00:41:02,061 And with my face, my name, guys would want to fight me. 912 00:41:02,085 --> 00:41:04,396 The one guy who hit me in the back with a bat 913 00:41:04,420 --> 00:41:06,148 and I just react. 914 00:41:06,172 --> 00:41:07,941 I turn around and hit him, bam. 915 00:41:07,965 --> 00:41:09,652 Hit him in the temple and blinded him. 916 00:41:09,676 --> 00:41:12,571 There was another time I put a dude in a coma, 917 00:41:12,595 --> 00:41:14,281 shoved his cheekbone up into his brain, 918 00:41:14,305 --> 00:41:16,116 put him in a coma. 919 00:41:16,140 --> 00:41:21,455 I must have had two $300,000 in lawsuits, 920 00:41:21,479 --> 00:41:24,208 paying attorneys to defend me. 921 00:41:24,232 --> 00:41:28,253 And I got to a point where I just I decided 922 00:41:28,277 --> 00:41:29,963 I wasn't going to clubs anymore. 923 00:41:29,987 --> 00:41:33,926 If I was gonna do something, it was gonna get my house. 924 00:41:33,950 --> 00:41:37,012 -The UFC has a run in of its own, 925 00:41:37,036 --> 00:41:39,598 this time with lawmakers in New York State 926 00:41:39,622 --> 00:41:42,935 who threaten to deliver a death blow to the organization. 927 00:41:42,959 --> 00:41:46,438 -We were scheduled to do UFC 12. 928 00:41:46,462 --> 00:41:48,691 We had already sold several thousand tickets. 929 00:41:48,715 --> 00:41:50,567 -The state of New York all of a sudden starts saying, 930 00:41:50,591 --> 00:41:52,403 you got to follow what we want. 931 00:41:52,427 --> 00:41:55,322 And the UFC goes back to court saying, "We can't do this." 932 00:41:55,346 --> 00:41:58,409 -Among the new rules proposed by the state, 933 00:41:58,433 --> 00:42:01,203 a requirement that the 32-foot octagon 934 00:42:01,227 --> 00:42:04,999 be widened to a minimum of 40 feet in diameter. 935 00:42:05,023 --> 00:42:06,750 There's no time to rebuild, 936 00:42:06,774 --> 00:42:09,837 and floor seats around the stage are already sold out. 937 00:42:09,861 --> 00:42:12,631 -With a sold out show set for tonight in Niagara Falls, 938 00:42:12,655 --> 00:42:16,719 promoters filed a $32 million lawsuit against the state, 939 00:42:16,743 --> 00:42:20,806 arguing such rules would have a catastrophic effect on business. 940 00:42:20,830 --> 00:42:22,725 -The judge in the end is saying, "Look, they're saying 941 00:42:22,749 --> 00:42:24,351 these are what our rules are. 942 00:42:24,375 --> 00:42:25,769 If you want to follow the rules, 943 00:42:25,793 --> 00:42:27,229 you can put on your show. 944 00:42:27,253 --> 00:42:28,605 If you don't follow them, 945 00:42:28,629 --> 00:42:30,232 your show's gonna get shut down." 946 00:42:30,256 --> 00:42:32,735 -Semaphore Entertainment's last-minute appeal 947 00:42:32,759 --> 00:42:35,487 in federal court is thrown out. 948 00:42:35,511 --> 00:42:41,326 {\an8}♪♪ 949 00:42:41,350 --> 00:42:44,747 And after all the work to create the league, the broken bones, 950 00:42:44,771 --> 00:42:48,333 the blood on the canvas, it looks like the final bell 951 00:42:48,357 --> 00:42:51,378 is being run for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. 952 00:42:51,402 --> 00:42:52,963 -We had to leave in the middle of the night 953 00:42:52,987 --> 00:42:55,549 because the court had shut us down. 954 00:42:55,573 --> 00:42:57,676 -There's got to be a law against that. 955 00:42:57,700 --> 00:42:59,678 All of a sudden, they come in after you've already spent 956 00:42:59,702 --> 00:43:04,183 all of that money and then tell you, "No, you can't be here." 957 00:43:04,207 --> 00:43:09,521 -Can you imagine all the people, all the cameras, the cage, 958 00:43:09,545 --> 00:43:11,523 the people who sell the T-shirts, 959 00:43:11,547 --> 00:43:16,445 everything canceled. The show's over. 960 00:43:16,469 --> 00:43:18,346 [ Lights click off ] 961 00:43:20,389 --> 00:43:23,535 When you're part of a team that feels like a family, 962 00:43:23,559 --> 00:43:27,414 where all of us together are creating this thing 963 00:43:27,438 --> 00:43:29,792 that's a very special period. 964 00:43:29,816 --> 00:43:32,377 It emboldens and strengthens you 965 00:43:32,401 --> 00:43:35,714 as a human, as a team, as individuals, 966 00:43:35,738 --> 00:43:38,759 and it strengthened the UFC. 967 00:43:38,783 --> 00:43:41,261 {\an8}These fighters, this is what they needed. 968 00:43:41,285 --> 00:43:43,514 {\an8}This is who they were, their purpose. 969 00:43:43,538 --> 00:43:45,432 {\an8}They needed the producers. 970 00:43:45,456 --> 00:43:48,769 {\an8}They needed the cameras, the referee. 971 00:43:48,793 --> 00:43:50,437 {\an8}Everybody needed each other. 972 00:43:50,461 --> 00:43:53,899 {\an8}And so we're gonna go put a show on somewhere else. 973 00:43:53,923 --> 00:43:55,150 {\an8}The show must go on. 974 00:43:55,174 --> 00:43:58,845 {\an8}♪♪