I remember the very first UFC. Maybe it was pre-UFC, I can't be sure, but I remember that it was very, very early in the MMA days. There were fighters entering

I remember the very first UFC. Maybe it was pre-UFC, I can't be sure, but I remember that it was very, very early in the MMA days. There were fighters entering the ring citing their discipline as "Shaolin Tiger Kung-fu" and the like. One-by-one, we watched the fights devolve in to a standing clinch, with many athletes sporting a confused look, glancing at the referee as if to ask "aren't you going to separate us?" The fact was that many of these fighters, althogh well respected in their individual arts, had absolutely no idea how to "fight". We even saw a few self-defense specialists enter the ring. One guy had formed some self-defense art with "bear" in the name. I can't remember the specifics. He was refreshing. During the pre-fight interview, he was confident, but humble. His comments could be summarized as, "I feel pretty confident that what I've developed works, but we're about to find out for real." It was a unique time with a lot of the layers of delusion being stripped away with the swipe a leg and a thud on the mat. Sometimes I wish we could turn the clock back, just to watch it all over again.