Reader Reax
READER REAX: What hooked you on the UFC and MMA in general? (Part Three)
Nov 16, 2013 - 11:50:09 AM READER REAX: What hooked you on the UFC and MMA in general? (Part Three)

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In celebration of the UFC's 20th anniversary this week, we asked MMATorch readers what fight got them hooked on the UFC and the sport of MMA in general. We ran some of those responses earlier this week. Here's another large batch into tonight's 20th anniversary event at UFC 167!

Alex M.: So I had my final exam on a Monday morning, and on the Sunday before (Australian time) I was procrastinating with a little channel surfing, and I came across "THE BIGGEST FIGHT IN THE HISTORY OF TELEVISION"; or as I think of it today, UFC on Fox 1: Velasquez v Dos Santos.

I thought the claim of biggest fight ever must surely have been a bit over the top, but, despite my clear need to be studying, I decided to check it out. I'd heard of the UFC before, but never watched it, so this was probably the best place to start.

I bought into the hype and excitement real quick; I loved the intense walkouts, and Bruce Buffer's introductions had me genuinely pumped up. As we all know, Junior starched him in a minute. I think Junior's celebration showed me the emotion and passion with which these fighters go at it. While the fight had been real quick, I loved the excitement, and I knew I had to watch more.

The next weekend, I bought UFC 139, and, without truly appreciating it for what it was, saw one of the greatest fights of all time. Now, I simply cannot miss an event. While I'm learning to appreciate the individual fighters' talents and skills, I would have to say that the pure theatre and excitement of the UFC is what got me hooked.


Mike S.: A long time ago, I was working a dead end job at now dead Circuit City, and one magical night I was invited to a house party to watch UFC. I had never watched UFC prior to this night, I didn't think much of it at the time, but little did I know the first fight I was about to experience was Forrest Griffin vs. Shogun Rua 1. I've never been so sucked into a TV in my life than when I saw that fight; I've been consumed by following MMA ever since. I'm in the marines now and I still try to catch anything MMA, even when I'm on deployment.


Jared: The defining moment that really had me hooked on MMA was Cain Velasquez vs. Big Nog. I had seen a small amount of the sport up until that point, meaning I knew who Big Nog was right away but wasn't familiar with this wrestler from California. I remember watching this giant of the sport fall to this rising physical phenomenon and being amazed at his ability. from that moment on MMA became my obsession, and to this day its my favourite thing in the world.


Brent S.: I was always good on the ground. None of my friends could beat me. I even beat an amateur MMA fighter while I had no training at all. So everyday after football practice I'd turn on Spike TV. I always heard about this "Ultimate Fighter Season Finale" coming up. So I researched a bit about and found out about MMA, and that it was the same thing I had been doing my whole life but with punching and kicking. Well, one lazy Saturday after watching some college football, I turned to Spike TV. It was 1:27 in to the first of Griffin vs Bonnar 1. My jaw dropped. I was calling my brother, cousins, friends, anybody who would listen. From Dana offering both men a contract on, I was hooked hardcore.


Kelly C.: Seeing Frank Shamrock KO Igor Zinoviev via double leg and end his career at UFC 16. My friend and I rented a couple fight tapes from Blockbuster and I was flabbergasted that a man could execute something so beautiful yet so violent at the same time. Not to mention how quickly it happened after all the hype leading up to the fight. It was like pro-wrestling but real. After that I knew I would never be able to stop watching.


Martin R.: Although, I enjoyed some UFC fights before this particular fight, what got me "hooked" was Tito Ortiz vs Ken Shamrock I. Everything from the buildup and dislike between the two to Tito's awesome walkout to the cage. The walkout itself was an event and to top it off to witness a major beat down just did it for me. Keep up the good work guys and thanks for keeping us informed on the latest.


Jim S.: The first time my brain got the flow of blood cut off to it. That's the short answer. That happened in 2005 when I went up to my first jiu jitsu class. I was a lean 205 pounds with a good wrestling back ground. My first roll was with a 155 pound pro fighter. Based on my past experience in wrestling my 50 pound weight advantage meant that I was going to dominate. Within one minute I was trapped in a triangle choke. 30 seconds from that I was laying face down on the mat wondering how I got there. That day I realized I was a boy amongst men when it comes to the fight game. Since then the sport has been my obsession.


James C.: When I was a kid, I always wondered why the ref in boxing stepped in to separate fighters, because any real fight I had ever seen was nothing like that. Fights I saw were always short and usually involved the ground at some point, as well as kicking (and anything else) if you could, all while no one was separating you. MMA is as real as high level fighting gets. So I was drawn to the real fighting aspect, but I also believe it provides the absolute best functional strength of any exercise, and a nice side effect of it is to know self defense, which is why I train in addition to being a huge fan!


Jason G.: I used to watch the VHS tapes of early UFC in like the mid 90s I was only about 7-8 at the time and didn't fully comprehend what I was watching. The fight (or fight card) that sticks out in my mind: UFC 6 and the incredible Don frye. That man was something special to watch. And UFC 6 was his greatest night. I remember my first thought being that he looked like the brawny paper towel man. The he unloaded that brutal :21 finish and I was hooked on watching the rest of that tape. I must have watched that tape 10 times before I had to return it to video warehouse and from then I was grabbing every event they had to rent. It meant I didn't get to always see them in order or soon after they happened but I didn't care. As long as I got to watch it I was a happy child.


Duffy C.: What got me hooked on MMA? Ken Shamrock. Being a huge fan of him in pro wrestling & seeing him fight in a cage when I was six years old was cooler than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! His physique also made me always cheers for him as I was obsessed with bodybuilding growing up. And those awesome sideburns! Haha


Jeremy K.: MMA commanded my full attention after the first fight I ever saw. I used to be a huge pro wrestling fan, so when a friend told me that Brock Lesnar was now in full contact fighting, I had to check it out. I caught his title fight against Randy Couture when the UFC put it on Spike TV. I was in awe of how physical and real it was. I had seen boxing, but this was a different, more diverse sport. It was pure excitement, and ever since that day I've soaked up as much MMA content as I can. I am a fan for life after that one fight.


Dylan G.: The fight that got me hooked to the UFC and MMA as a whole was Diego Sanchez vs Clay Guida "Fight of the Year" at the Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale back in '09. I remember watching that first round in complete amazement. Non stop action from the moment they met in the middle of the octagon and not to mention that head kick Sanchez landed on Guida. To this day I look back at that fight as my personal Griffin vs Bonnar type fight that introduced me to the most entertaining sport in the world.

[Cain Velasquez art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]