Just over 26 years ago, a series of flukes led to the birth of MMA as a sport. The term MMA wouldn’t be used for several years, and at first, there was some question as to whether it even was a sport.
Art Davie, a quick-talking Southern California salesman, and Rorion Gracie, a Brazilian transplant, attempted to put together a show called War of the Worlds. Fighters from several different disciplines were put in a one-night tournament in Brazil with almost no rules. The idea was style versus style fights, to a finish. While it sounded like a nice plot for a martial arts movie, everyone in television who heard the proposal slammed doors in their face.