8 Brutal Fights From The Anything Goes Era Of The UFC
4. Teli Tuli Vs. Gerard Gordeau UFC 1
It is perhaps fitting that the first fight in UFC history made its way on to this list.
When the Ultimate Fighting Championship staged its first event all the way back in November 1993, it isn't an understatement to say that future of the sport of MMA in the west depended on its success. In staging a fighting competition ostensibly enforcing no rules, the UFC had successfully marketed their fledgeling product, garnering over 80,000 pay-per-view buys.
However, if the action in the cage didn't live up to the level of violence promised by the organisation's marketing team, the UFC would've likely been unable to stage a second event.
The success of the UFC rested on the fighters chosen for the event, and luckily they didn't disappoint.
In the first bout of the evening, Dutch striker Gerard Gordeau stood across the cage from sumo wrestler Teila Tuli. With the total lack of mixed-rules fights to go off, most spectators assumed that the gargantuan Tuli would have no problem flatting Gordeau.
Ultimately though, Gordeau would demonstrate the frightening potential of striking in a fight with limited referee intervention. As Tuli charged towards his opponent, Gordeau landed a series of strikes on the feet before battering the sumo wrestler with a vicious kick that saw several of Tuli's teeth go flying into the audience.
The brutal finish of Tuli vs. Gordeau was a marketing dream for the company, setting the tone for the early days of the UFC in violent fashion.