Ken Shamrock discusses the evolution of MMA over the past 30 years. The US-born Shamrock has been there since the very beginning as he was competing in mixed rules combat even before the UFC began, and then competed in the very first UFC event.
Ken Shamrock on the Evolution of MMA
The early UFC events were brutal. No rules, no gloves, no weight classes, and no time limits. The sport was quickly outlawed. Fighters often engaged in brutal exchanges with few restrictions, such as prohibitions against biting and groin shots.
In Japan, Pancrase was the mixed rules form of combat and it was an extension of professional wrestling, but real grappling, rather than street toughs that the UFC was promoting.