Is This Legal by Art Davie

Author:Art Davie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Is This Legal?: The Inside Story of The First UFC from the Man Who Created It
ISBN: 9780991275649
Publisher: Ascend Books LLC
Published: 2014-06-03T16:00:00+00:00

Royce Gracie, the light-heavyweight jiu-jitsu master, reigned supreme at the inaugural Ultimate Fighting Championship. Here he is with the gold medal that I had designed. A true champion.

Shamrock responded exactly how I was hoping, that he would absolutely be able to handle it, would win the $50,000 first prize, and would show the world what he could really do with his grappling and submissions.

How could I resist? He was built like a Greek God, at 6 feet, 215 lb., with a 47-inch chest, huge biceps, bulging muscles everywhere and with a model handsome face. He called himself a “shoot fighter” and he had that top-of-the-marquee name, Ken Wayne Shamrock. Not only was he a shark, he was a shark who might just be able to swallow Royce whole.

I knew that I needed at least one European stand-up fighter, to help give us some instant legitimacy and credibility. Unlike their U.S. kickboxing counterparts, who primarily focused their kicks above the waist, the top European guys employed the Asian style of attacking the entire body, with ferocious kicks to their opponent’s legs as a hallmark. I discovered that the Western epicenter of this fighting style was the Netherlands, and that there were two gyms in Amsterdam that had pioneered Muay Thai boxing in Europe—Thom Harinck’s Chakuriki Gym and Jan Plas’ Mejiro Gym. They threw knees, elbows, fists and feet, just like they did in Bangkok. It was pretty brutal stuff.

No inquiries were coming in from Amsterdam or anywhere in Europe, so I started making overseas calls. The star of the Plas gym was Ernesto Hoost, and I went after him hard from my big blue desk in Torrance. But Hoost wasn’t available, having already booked a fight in Japan doing kickboxing. To his credit, he was going to honor that commitment.

As an alternative, Plas offered me up a legitimate tough guy named Gerard Gordeau. In addition to being a bad ass in Muay Thai, Gordeau was also a world champion in Savate. He had the combat sports pedigree, having fought across Europe and in Japan. And the guy was built to knock people out at 6-foot-5 and 215 lb. with a lean, long, sinewy physique. Plas asked me if I minded that Gordeau’s second career was working as a leg breaker for the brothel and porn show owners in Amsterdam. Minded? I told him that was a huge bonus. Just like that, I figured I had another shark.

One of the first fighters that I reached out to was Benny “the Jet” Urquidez, thinking that he’d love the chance to settle the score in his long-standing feud with Rorion, this time by potentially getting a shot at his foe’s kid brother, Royce. I called “Blinky” Rodriguez, Benny “the Jet’s” brother-in-law, and asked him to see if he was interested. “Blinky” got back to me, and told me that Benny “the Jet” said, “I’m a professional fighter, and these guys are all amateurs. The Gracies are not in my class. I’ve already proven myself.”

I thought that Dennis Alexio would be a perfect fit.

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