Intro to Look Back Series, Focused on Mixed Martial Arts and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

 

With my "Look Back" series, I want to help introduce the new school fans to some of the old school MMA fights that they might not be aware of - and I think some of these moments should absolutely be known about. I have no idea how frequently I will publish these blog posts - especially here to kick things off at the beginning - and only want to really share things I find interesting that can be somewhat educational. 

Truthfully, I sometimes mindlessly scroll around YouTube, where the algorithm shows me quite a bit of MMA highlights and discussions. Before I knew it, I was down the proverbial combat sports rabbit hole, with my mind running after watching both new and older clips. Realistically, I'm not interested in a lot of the clickbaity drama content that blows up on the socials - and would rather focus on the fights and technical discussions. As such, I thought about my brief tenure as a blogger covering MMA, with content published on Bleacher Report, Heavy, Concede MMA, and more, with a lot of fun times at regional and major MMA/grappling events. 

The sport has evolved so much since Royce Gracie helped introduce Gracie Brazilian jiu-jitsu to the world outside his homeland. Since my nostalgic days tend to be PRIDE era fights and UFC starting around Rich Franklin vs. Evan Tanner (UFC 42), Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell (UFC 43), Tito Ortiz vs. Chuck Liddell I (UFC 47) era - though I did end up watching early VHS recordings of the original UFC fights...Though I was too young to really understand what I was seeing at the time.

 

Of course the sport today features fighters that are extremely well-rounded, but the old school fights often highlighted the clash of styles between specialists. Truth be told, I look at this period as the MMA foundational DNA that paved the way for the sport in its current shape. Maybe I will expand into some ADCC grappling coverage, or elite K-1 kickboxing content as part of the Look Back series, but there are no promises here. 

While I enjoy my nostalgic look back at the sport, maybe I'll be able to share a story, video, or some type of information that will give you a fresh perspective on some MMA goodness. 

Thumbnail image courtesy of Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels 

Story image courtesy of Youssef Samuil / Pexels