The Jeff Osborne thread got me to thinking about how much I miss going to Hook and Shoot etc
the small shows are the best and it is so amazing how mainstream MMA has become.
My first show was a SFC or show in Belleville Il
I think this was in 1999
other shows I have been to all over MO. Il and Indiana
Ironheart Crown, Phil Johns show and I was at ED KIMS BATTLEGROUND (dont be a hater)
what are some of your small show memories back in the day?
My first show was Shamrock/Ortiz I. I've been to lots since, but even for me who didn't start watching live events till fairly late in the game, I still think a lot has changed.
UFC40 was a blast
did you go to the WFA fights the same weekend?
a lot of fighters were in the audience
UFC 17 and the second Griffin Submission Open in Griffin GA both on the same weekend. Both great events.
ufc 16
Missed quite a few ones that came to New Jersey due to school and work, finally made it to UFC 32 at the Meadowlands. ttt for Elvis vs. Tito.
ufc 7 , (brawl in buffalo) I got to see and HEAR ruas kick down varlens and watch my former teacher get beat down by mark hall.
IHC in Chicago, at St. Andrews gym and what is now the TFC in Hammond was called something else and held at Madonna H.S. When there was MMA in Chicago.
FutureBrawl I. Gussie L'Amour's '94 or '95, can't remember.
Samoa.
Old Extreme Challenges were damn good. Rings USA with many rising stars kicked ass too.
my first event was back in 2002. it was the first day of the superbrawl 24: return of the heavyweights tournament. the first fight of the night was with then unknown prospect Tim "The Grizzly Bear" Sylvia. also featured was mike Whitehead, Jason Lambert, Ron Faircloth, Ben Rothwell, Cabbage, and the one half of the "UFC's most boring fight," Kevin Jordan.
ufc 18 and it was unreal how loud pedro rizzo leg kicks on coleman were
UFC 20 and at the fighters meeting I guess I was expecting some kind of Springer style brawl to break out with the fighters and they were so damn nice and polite that they blew me away. Haven't been the same since. lm
ufc 52. had a blast. ufc 69 was a good time too.
"Something tells me I'm going to seem really out of place when I say UFC
58... but yeah, UFC 58 was the first live show I went to. Also my first trip
to another timezone... good times."
Don't worry, I'm sure a few people here are probably lying about their first
show. If not, I'll be first:
Yeah, I was on sitting on the beach in Brazil back in the 80's, I look over
and some guy in Neon shorts starts fighting another guy in speedos.
Years later, I realized I was at a Gracie's in action show... Rickson and
Duarte.
IFC #? it had diaz vs. lytle and carter williams vs, gary marshall. great card.
UFC 33 - Victory in Vegas. The event was not as bad as people make it out to be and there were so many fighters around. It was also the first time I met Royce Gracie. That was the best!
11/20/1999 Neutral Grounds
Jeremy Horn vs John Marsh. Main event didn't start till 2:00am and by that time it was 40 degrees.
one time I flew out of st louis to Hawaii and went that night to Superbrawl
Egan vs Joe Doerkson
Cabbage fought
John Renken fought
good times
the first event I actually attended was a TERRIBLE event in Richmond Virginia called Excalibur. Guy who put it on was a sleezeball. Somehow he was associated w/Randy Couture though which amazed me. He gave out swords instead of belts. Screwed over fighters and everyone else out of money.
One event was a fight event / bike show! One guy came down from NY (I think) to fight but his opponent was a no show. The promoter found a kid from the audience who had never even trained to fight. Fought in jean shorts w/no mouth peice. Terrible.
He doesn't put on events anymore