10 Days That Changed UFC Forever
7. 12 November 1993 - UFC 1
It's pretty much impossible (and possibly illegal) to create a list of days that changed the UFC forever without including the day that started it all. UFC 1, way back on 12 November 1993, was arguably the birthplace of modern mixed martial arts. At the very least, the event brought the concept into the public eye, though most simply saw it as cage fighting.
Marketed as a competition where there were no rules and no holds barred (which was anything but the truth), UFC 1 was the brainchild of Rorion Gracie and Art Davie. On the Gracie end, the tournament was very much designed to spotlight the legendary Brazilian family's jiu-jitsu prowess, and that's exactly what it did.
In Denver, CO that night, a spectacle almost unrecognizable to UFC fans today unfolded. No Dana White, no Joe Rogan, not even Big John McCarthy in the cage. What you had was Royce Gracie, in full gi, scoring a trio of submission wins.
Even more bizarre, boxer Art Jimmerson decided that, for some reason, wearing one boxing glove would provide him an advantage. Maybe it served as a security blanket, but it certainly didn't help him against Gracie, who submitted him simply by mounting him.
In the end, Gracie won the night, the UFC was (at least initially) a success, with over 80,000 fans ordering it on PPV, and it paved the way for dozens of events to come.