8 Brutal Fights From The Anything Goes Era Of The UFC

3. Orlando Wiet Vs. Remco Pardoel UFC 2

In the first UFC event, Royce Gracie had demonstrated the potential of grappling in a mixed-rules cage fight. Though his bouts still contained many of the hallmarks of the brutal bouts seen elsewhere in the tournament, finishing his fights via submission rather than brutal striking led to many thinking that ground fighting was a gentler way to navigate the early UFC.

That perception ended at UFC 2.

To provide Gracie with an opponent with some grappling nous in the second event, UFC organisers invited Remco Pardoel to compete on the other side of the bracket.

Pardoel, a black belt in judo, may have adopted a similar style to Gracie, but his 6'4", 260lb frame made him significantly stronger than the Brazilian in the cage.

This was demonstrated when Pardoel faced Orlando Wiet in the second round of the UFC 2 tournament. Weit came into the bout having destroyed Robert Lucarelli in his MMA debut in a fight that narrowly made this list and fans were excited to see a grappler versus striker matchup.

Pardoel wasted no time taking the fight to the mat and locking his opponent in the judo scarf-hold position, crushing Wiet to the mat. After pinning his opponent for long enough to have earned the victory in judo, Pardoel seemed to have a eureka moment in realising that he could now combine his grappling with strikes to his trapped opponent and proceeded to unleash a barrage of elbows that made a chilling sound as they bounced off his opponent's skull.

Pardoel had inadvertently established himself as a pioneer of the ground and pound technique and advanced to the semi-finals.