10 Crazy Facts About UFC 1
2. Alligators, Sharks, Barbed Wire, And Electric Fencing
Over the years, we’ve all heard so many urban myths and online scuttlebutt that couldn’t possibly be true, yet sometimes, amazingly, they are. One such tall tale that turns out to be 100% genuine is the fact that the initial plans for UFC 1 had the fighters surrounded by some of the most dangerous predators on the planet.
Straight from the mouth of UFC co-founder Rorion Gracie, rather than the Octagon that has now become a staple of the UFC, the original idea for that first UFC event was to have a moat around the area where the fighters were due to throw down.
Not just a moat, mind, for some genius thought it would be wise to fill said moat with alligators and/or sharks. Deciding that the risk of a fighter being nudged to their likely death wasn’t one worth taking, the next school of thought was to instead enclose the fighters behind an electric fence that was topped off with barbed wire.
Thankfully, the ultimate call saw the Octagon setup deemed a more sensible approach for UFC 1 – and the structure has since become one of the go-to staples of what fight fans know and love.