The past to decades of mixed martial arts has been like watching a mini-evolution. The sport has gone through so many stages of existence, with the blood and sweat of unpaid warriors holding up the foundations.

These early MMA fighters competed at a time when ‘fighter pay’ was literally non existent. It was not a sport back then, more of a brutal hobby. Promotions would pay main event fighters three figure sums to knock lumps out of each other in a cage.

UFC 1 where there were next to no rules...
UFC 1 where there were next to no rules…

The MMA old school would compete without gloves, no weight classes were in place, groin shots and head butts were legal for a time, and really no-one knew what they were doing, least of all the referees.

The lack of firm knowledge and understanding of fighting and the human brain made the early years of this sport so much more dangerous. Thankfully things have moved on a lot since then, but one trend is still very much alive.

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Royce Gracie fights Akebono in 2004…
Yes, freakshow fights are still all the rage, although the modern mixed martial arts spectacle is less about size. But back in the prime years of the MMA old school, a David vs. Goliath type affair would sell out stadiums within hours.

We’ve got some great freakshow MMA fighter vs. Bodybuilder fights on the next page…

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