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 Although it was not easy, applicants for the Ultimate Fighting Championship began to trickle in. They were pioneers, for sure, and brave to an extent, since no one really knew what was going to happen once all these martial arts disciplines collided.

One of the slots was going to be filled by a member of the Gracie family, but even that wasn’t easy. The original Gracie representative was slated to be Rickson Gracie, one of Rorion’s younger brothers. But there was a business disagreement within the family; one which led to Rickson breaking away and going off on his own. Needless to say, he was out of the maiden voyage of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In is place, Rorion called on another of his younger brothers, Royce, to carry the family colors into the “octagon.”

The event was going to be an eight-man, one-night tournament, with matchups to be determined. Davie sought to put together an eclectic group of individuals to fill out the other seven spots in the competition.

One of those was a huge American who did not know karate, as far as anyone could tell, but was a member of the Japanese Sumo Wrestling Association. Telia Tuli stood 6′2″ and weighed all of 410 pounds, and he provided an interesting visual to the lineup; the “freak show” element, if you will. When promoting a brand new event, the promoters needed every edge they could get their hands on.

Gerard Gordeau, a lean, mean 6′5″ Dutch bruiser, had kicked around the martial arts for many years. He was recognized as a world champion in the “savate” form of karate, and sort of looked like a merchant seaman who was ready, willing and able to beat the hell out of people on the docks in his spare time.

Zane Frasier was a proponent of kenpo karate, and one of three African-Americans in the tournament field. He impressed Davie and Rorion Gracie by the way he whipped up on Frand Dix (of “Bloodsport” fame) in one encounter. Another was Patrick Smith, a veteran of kick boxing and point karate who once knocked out an opponent in five seconds with a spinning back kick. He had also boxed a few times professionally. Smith’s game was predicated on pure power.

Kevin Rosier was another man who, having not found a lot of money-making opportunities in the martial arts, despite winning several karate and kick boxing titles, had made a foray into boxing, with poor results. Rosier had engaged in four professional hands-only fights, winning just one of them. During that time he had ballooned from 205 pounds up to 263, but the UFC promoters would not be prepared for his further weight ascension.

A “real” boxer was also named to the field. Art Jimmerson was actually somewhat accomplished, with a record of 28-5 and a top ten cruiserweight ranking from at least one sanctioning organization. He was no “babe in the woods” when it came to martial arts either, having once been beaten up pretty badly by kick boxing champ Don “The Dragon” Wilson in what was billed an “exhibition” in Florida.

Finally, there was the man who would end up having a more enduring legacy than any of the original Seven Other Than Gracie. Ken Shamrock was a grappling specialist, a shootfighter who had also been involved with a couple of pro wrestling organizations in the United States. He had competed in a number of Toughman contests in his native California, so it is safe to say that he had a well-rounded background. Experienced in ground fighting, he posed a potential problem for Royce Gracie in that regard, perhaps more than anyone else in the field.

And so the UFC was on its way………