10 iconic photos from UFC of the 90s

The UFC today is a far-cry from the UFC of the '90s. It was a time when the competition was slowly gaining traction, quietly moving from the obscure underground to embracing mainstream popularity. It was vicious and it was brutal, with fewer rules governing attacks.

Fights would often go on for hours, at times, making it an even more demanding affair.

Here are some of the most iconic pictures captured from the formative years of the Ultimate Fighting Championship:

#1 Royce Gracie’s famous arm-raise

The harbinger of change

The first-ever Ultimate Fighting Championship event was a place for Royce Gracie and the entire Brazilian jiu-jitsu fraternity to shine. A competition which boasted of an array of fighters hailing from various disciplines had a prize of 50,000 US dollars up for grabs.

It was this event which sowed the seeds for UFC’s popularity over the years and Royce Gracie, courtesy his grappling and BJJ prowess, took the cake. His efforts brought BJJ into the mainstream leaving people stunned at his ability to pull-out submission moves which were previously unheard of. Gracie went on to win three UFC competitions in total.

#2 Tito Ortiz’s flipping of the bird

Tito decided to go overboard with the celebrations

Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz have had bad-blood spawning a trilogy of fights. This feud has often been regarded as one of the biggest feuds in mixed martial arts history. Tito was brash, reckless and youthfully exuberant for a fighter and Ken was someone who was well-respected (though currently in the WWE, then).

Ken wasn’t very happy with Ortiz’s conduct after defeating Jerry Bohlander. Tempers were frayed and he leapt up the cage to teach the young lad, an ounce of respect. In this picture, you can see the typical jubilant way in which Ortiz celebrated his victory over Bohlander.

#3 Gracie placing Shamrock in a submission hold

Gracie showing his technical prowess

The picture speaks for itself. When the “World’s Most Dangerous Man” locked fists with one of the finest Brazilian jiu-jitsu exponents, it resulted in one of the most technically contested inter-disciplinary battles.

The first ever UFC tournament saw Shamrock tasting defeat at the hands of the Gracie original and in the picture above you can see the BJJ-sorcerer securely placing his opponent in a submission hold.

#4 A visibly shattered Fred Ettish

Ettish after being battered and bruised

The name Fred Ettish will always be remembered for the person’s ill-fated matchup against Johnny Rhodes in UFC 2. The karate black-belt fought on a moment’s notice and he wished he hadn’t… In less than three minutes, Rhodes almost decimated him, blinding him and cutting him open with a bare-knuckle punch.

Ettish later tapped out to a rear-naked choke. Ettish doesn’t remember much of what happened when this picture was clicked. Not a very memorable picture, but an iconic one for sure.

#5 Teila Tuli’s search for the missing tooth

The fight lasted for less than 30 seconds!

When Samoan actor and sumo wrestler Teila Tuli decided to fight in the UFC, it raised many eyebrows, because Tuli had neither the background nor the physique for the gruelling sport of mixed martial arts. However, his name made it to the fight card and he squared-off against the Dutch fighter, Gerard Gordeau.

The fight went on for under than 30-seconds with a brutal kick to Tuli’s face causing the loss of a tooth. In the picture, you can see him haplessly looking for the missing tooth. Mick Foley, anyone?

#6 The “elbow pop” armbar to Jason DeLucia

Gracie not letting go of the arm

UFC enthusiasts would remember Jason DeLucia as the unfortunate victim of an armbar submission hold resulting in first-of-many losses for the American fighter. At the sophomore event of UFC, DeLucia went toe-to-toe against Royce Gracie in a high-octane match-up.

A technically proficient Gracie landed an arm and didn’t let go of it, despite DeLucia tapping out to it which led to the commentator claiming that DeLucia’s elbow had popped. However, the popping of the elbow was denied later.

#7 Herrera on a cross

One of the most brutal submissions, ever

It was Gary Goodridge’s MMA debut against Paul Herrera and it turned out to be an unfortunate one for the latter. Herrera was no match for the well-built Canadian who evaded an earlier attack and used that against the aggressor.

Goodridge trapped one of Herrera’s arm (after Herrera made a dart for him) and used his legs to complete a “human crucifix” move! He then proceeded to knock him out with repeated elbow attacks.

#8 Gary Goodridge and Don Frye

Sharing a moment

Speaking of Goodridge, his first loss in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, came at the hands of Don Frye. Frye was one of the earliest well-rounded fighters inside the octagon and when both men collided, the fight barely lasted for more than 2 minutes.

Frye picked up the victory following a brutal barrage of punches after taking Goodridge to the ground. The rematch at Ultimate Ultimate 96 would also go in Don’s favour. In the picture above, both men can be seen sharing a lighter moment.

#9 A younger Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen sharing space with Jeff Monson

Remember Chael Sonnen? Yes, the same lad who bad-mouthed Anderson Silva and hyped the fight between the two men, only to tap-out to a triangle armbar!

In this picture, he can be seen with a relatively “under-tattooed” Jeff Monson. This picture was clicked around the time of Sonnen’s initiation into the UFC.

#10 Kevin Rosier’s stomp

The headstomp KO

While this move would have been illegal in today’s UFC competitions, head stomps were legit moves back in the day. Rosier knocked Zane Frazier down and proceeded to kick him repeatedly in the head till the latter’s corner threw in the towel.