The beginning of MMA
Nick Harris

“Hell naw I ain’t tappin”! I could feel the pressure from opponent’s rear naked choke as he squeezed his arm around all the sides of my head. He knew the choke wasn’t in place until his arm was around my neck but still he squeezed with all of his might, to try to get me to tap just from the brute pressure he applied` to my neck. Normally this intimidation move wouldn’t even have me thinking about tapping but as my opponent squeezed my head I could feel my front bottom teeth puncturing my gums. My hands were literally tied behind my back and I couldn’t tap. Once I had finally got my hands free I abruptly tapped out, but it was` to late blood poured out of my mouth like a Kool-Aid fountain but I just wiped it away, “c’mon cuz lets keep going” my rolling partner urged. I couldn’t let all the guys think I was a p!@#$. “Let’s go” I muttered trying to keep the blood in my mouth. After we had finished rolling (rolling is the term for brazilin ju-jitsu sparring), I walked into the gym bathroom, closely examining my shredded gum-line, I was going to need stitches, and my mom was going to be pissed. “Those men are just too big, you don’t need to prove your tough you’re the smallest guy in the gym those men respect you!” I just sat quietly as my mom began to list all of the injuries I have sustained since joining the camp.

I had first learned about MMA thru watching the UFC on TV. I remember at age 14 thinking that was the coolest thing I had ever seen. I watched religiously till I had learned most of the fighter’s names and knew most of the terms. When I turned 16 I was fed up with just watching MMA so I asked my mom if I could find a camp to train at. She had no problem at the time with me being an aspiring cage fighter so we called a camp in Ludlow. The camp was called Team Link, it was a small sweaty Brazilian fight club on the bottom floor of an apartment building. It was by no means nice but that didn’t matter to me. The place smelled of sweat and testosterone. The place was filled with a handful muscled tattooed guys twice my age. I was somewhat intimidated at first but soon I fell into my groove. I was the smallest guy out there and I didn’t give a damn. The first few months were hell, by all means every time I stepped on the mat (the place were both the sparring and the rolling sessions were held) I would get my ass whooped. But after a while I began to hold my own, after a while the same guys, who use to tool on me I was catching them with arm bars and left hooks. As I began to gain respect and skills so did the injuries I came home with. Bruises and cuts were always frequent, but every once and while there were a few dislocated joints to black eyes to cauliflower ear (a term used to describe when wrestlers ears begin to harden due to broken cartilage that makes the ear appear deformed). I looked up to the experienced fighters at the camp like Gabriel Gonzaga heavy weight UFC contender or Paulo Fihlo a Brazilian Jiu jitsu master who is currently the WEC light heavy weight champion. The camp was growing in numbers due to young guys like me who wanted to prove our toughness. MMA has grown so much since its beginning it wasn’t always like this. The first UFC tournament UFC-1 was an 8 man tournament it was appropriately called No Holds Barred. It was held in Denver Colorado, on Nov 12, 1993 in the MicNicholas Sports Arena. There were about 2,800 in attendants. The event was sold on pay per view No rules and no weight classes. The only way you can win is by knockout or submission there was no judges, and unlimited rounds. Your corner could throw in the towel but most fighters back then would rather die then be embarrassed by this form of surrender. There were referees but they couldn’t stop the fight under civilized means, there only purpose was to stop the fight if the fighter tapped out or was knocked out. Why eye gouging, and biting were not allowed but, fish hooking (a move were one would use their index finger to rip their opponents cheek to the jaw), curb stomping, and groin shots. No gloves or headgear were worn. Most fights were described as huge overmatches or mismatches. The crowd was mostly filled with drunken rednecks with a thirst for blood. I probably don’t have to mention That UFC-1 was basically a sanctioned legal fight club. UFC-1 didn’t go down well with politicians or most Americans. Senator John Kerry compared the spectacle to “Human Cockfighting”.
After being brought to the public’s eyes by the disapproving politicians the UFC had a hard time finding states that would sanction their cards with their present “no holds barred” rule. Finally at UFC 12 the UFC overhauled their rules for their fighters. There were finally the use of weight classes 199 and under and 200 and up. Only two weight classes but to a small fighter two are better than none. At UFC-14 after being refused to be sanctioned by numerous states the use of light 4 once gloves were enforced. On October 17th 1997 at UFC-15 the final rule changes that made the UFC you watch today were instated. Strikes to the back of the neck & head, head butts, below the belt strikes, strikes to the back of the head and neck, curb stomping, small joint manipulation, pressure point strikes, and hair pulling were all banned. Once all of the rules were changed to their present day list it increased its liability among Americans. As the UFC began to rake in major dough so did the sports popularity. I can see why young guys like me would be interested in such a brutal. The UFC is way more exciting than boxing and more brutal than wrestling. It has way more contact than karate and is full of crazy characters. For my interview I grilled the UFC heavyweight contender Gabriel Gonzaga.
Me: You always compete in BJJ and Submission; will you dedicate yourself only to MMA now?
Gabriel: Jiu-Jitsu is my root and I don’t intend to leave the gi. When possible I’ll conciliate MMA with Jiu-Jitsu and Submission.
Last words before you leave for your next bout: I would like to thank my team Link BJJ for the support given. I would like to invite people on Massachusetts to join our academy.