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Wrestling might not be given the respect and reputation it deserves but the the men and women of Olympic style wrestling know that they can turn quite a number of people into pretzels 🥋🤼♂️🤼👨👨
Those suplexes he did in his debut are specific ones called german suplexes. Sometimes pro wrestlers or mma fighters will link them together like that and it's truly something to behold as you can see. Mentioning that would have added to the video as they are a much beloved and popular move in the wrestling world.
This guy is everything you want in a fighting legend, fair, respectful, the kind of guy you know is a gentle person when he isn't ripping you to shreds
@@mahalkita7351 I weight a hundred pounds less than him. All I'm saying is if he fought more people his size than maybe. You don't have to get triggered over it
@@swaylee181 there were no weight classes because people thought martial arts skill could make up the difference. You're talking with hindsight. We know more today
@S7 nah, oldschool ufc there was not weight classes and people had to fight 7 matches with no time limit and win them all in one day to be the champion.
The moves, the endurance, the Burt Reynolds haircut, the 80s sport briefs, the dad bod...and lastly...the stach.....this guy definitely built differently..
I have met Dan. He is literally the opposite of what you expect. Such a sweetheart of a person and really friendly with a particular talent for chit-chat. Met him at a signing around circa 2002. Such a nice dude.
He was our coach at ASU in the 80,s. Absolutely Fantastic person, in the wrestling room he was super intense, even his younger brother Rod wasn’t given any grace or leniency. Out of the room the most Nice, Respectful & Enjoyable person to be around. Absolutely Wonderful person to have known!🙏🙏😊
Same, met him a few times, super duper nice fellow. Dan is an MMA legend here in his home state, Michigan, and you're absolutely right, he is well liked pretty much everywhere he goes.
These old school UFC fights were great because not everyone was multi-disciplined and polished and essentially with most learning and training the same series of techniques that became very rules-centric. Here things were rough, fighters were specialists, you got to see how individual styles fared against each other, and it was brutal. Great video.
old Ufc, you can see how each athelete had a specific background and added other skills to it, like dan was a wrestler and added some striking and ground and pound, but he was still a wrestler not a mix martial artist, others were bjj guys, boxers, kick bxers and the list goes on
I remember renting these from the video store in the 90s . It was unlike anything we'd seen before. People are desensitized and numb to MMA fights now ,but watching these as a kid when it was fresh and new was UNREAL !!!
Tbf UFC nowadays is a lot different to how it was back then. It's far more sanctioned, & with adding rounds it's clear they were trying to emulate boxing. I'd trade a few of the new rules for the old ones.
Totally agree. I was in my teens in the 90’s and remember going to a sleepover and someone had a VHS of some UFC. It was ruthless absolutely fucking savage. Porn would have been less hardcore. It was pure fighting - there was no sport. I loved it
I rented them too the first time at CamLej. Those fights were so exciting and I rented the every DVD as soon as they became available. As a matter of fact I bought several DVDs that I still have. 😊 I believe practically everything was legal except eye gouging. The UFC fights today seem watered down compared to those early fights. Still, I’m a UFC fan as ever.
Nostalgia, I was a senior in high school. That match against Gracie is what put me on my now 26-year journey in Jiu-Jitsu, I got my blue belt from Royce himself in 2005. Still rolling every week.
Only part of the video I had a slight issue with. Joyce defeated Dan. True BJJ fashion. I thought the narrative in the video was disrespectful. I believe that fight was my first MMA bout to watch. I have been a BJJ and Gracie fan ever since. Years later I watched the older Gracie through Joe Rogans links. Amazing training.
BJJ is not a real fighting style. It's just for sweaty men to hug each other. I carry deadly weapons, in case I have to fight. You play because you dudes.
@@logangodofcandyusing weapons isn't fighting, it's attempted murder and a war battlefield is not what bjj is intended for anyway so it's a moot point
@@user-nj8xt2wy1k I'm a BJJ and catch wrestling practitioner, and there was nothing disrespectful in my opinion. What was disrespectful was snubbing catch wrestlers in early UFC because of the Gracie's and BJJs losses against it. They viewed it as too dangerous, because the Gracie's historically always lost against the Brazilian catch wrestlers. They went as far as disabling a man for life because they lost against catch wrestling in a massive stadium show. If anything, the UFC in its early days was extremely disrespectful to catch wrestlers, and other art practitioners, like allowing BJJ to use full gi, but not allowing other artists to dress in their art's traditional attire. The early UFC was nothing but a promotion for BJJ.
I remember renting these from a mom and pops video shop. They put these videos in the XXX-rated section in the back. That introduced me to the porn world. LOL
You probably aren't nearly as old you saying. What are you early 40s? Still pretty young, but I get your point. Watching VHS and renting them feels like such a long time ago that you feel old, and I am old enough to have watched VHS too lol, although I was little kid. I remember watching this fight on VHS as well. Severn was a beast. I actually heard of UFC for the first time when Ken Shamrock came to the wwf and they discussed it.
I met Dan, after UFC 4, and had the chance to "roll" with him at an old movie studio. Seeing as how we were separated by about 12 weight classes, we decided just to talk a bit and take some pictures. He autographed his action figure for me, as well as military pressing me for a killer photo. He is as nice as you'd expect and very personable. I still have both the action figure and the picture. Cheers!
What year was this and what are some more details? Like what happened What did he say? What was this for certainly you have something more to say about this
12 weight classes 😂😂😂👏🏼 You need to make that photo your Profile pic that is epic. If Dan had better striking awareness he would have possibly ended Gracie as well. Only thing is the mechanism of striking also favors Gracie style as seen previously but think Dan just too powerful early on if he turned it up a level. Incredible athlete and explosive style insane strength and his character all made him not just great fighter but fan favourite. 💪🏼👍🏼
@@madpriest7822 Maybe 2001/2002?...I would really need to check again! It was a promotional contest sponsored by a local radio station. A friend of mine won and took me along, as she knew nothing about him, but she knew of my wrestling history and how much I appreciated his skills. I really didn't go there to interview him with a bunch of questions about specific people, but we did talk about the difficulties of being a pro-fighter at that time (excluding boxing). He was certainly not making tons of money then. The UFC became something more because of these early guys sharing all they had.
Had a chance to train with him. Sucked that I was the biggest guy in class. I was the training dummy that received the brunt of the blows. He is a really great teacher and man.
I got to sit down and talk to Dan. He wasn’t just a wrestler but a genius at his craft. He taught me the four legs of a table top. If I lived close to him I would train under him all day! Much respect Dan!
If your not training now anyway... Then your just a talker. Get off your arse and train anyway. Any type of training is better then none at all! 🎤 Drop
My family went to school with the Severns. Very nice family. I never met Dan but graduated with his younger sister. As a graduate of Montrose High School, you always look back at the Severn family and what they did for wrestling at our school.
My dad and myself also graduated from montrose! my dad is Dewayne Williams. he maried Lisa (hosea back then) my dad is good friends with rod severn. Small world! do you know my parents?
@etYouBoi No, I'm coming from the very real possibility that he could be part Greek. Around 600 hundred years ago, the Turks were already recruiting young Greeks and raising them as Turks to fortify their armies. Before the fall of Constantinople, the Turkish border next to Greece was not where it is today, it was much more inland, Greeks lived there, it was all Greek. Istanbul was formerly Constantinople. Turks ruled Greeks for 400 years, until 1821 Greeks got their independence back. Winston Churchill said “people will not say any more that the Greeks fight like heroes but heroes fight like Greeks.”
@@zachlukehart7622 I also recall him being quite a big guy in 8th grade as well. Could have passed for a Senior. Hell, probably could have bought beer.
I remember when Severn first came on the scene and have been a fan ever since. Never forget everybody in the room laughing at the "high school wrestler guy" and it was just myself and a friend backing him on the bet. This dude did NOT look like some WWF gimmick play and what a lot of people didn't understand back then is jiujitsu cats had problems with wrestlers that never came up facing off against karate/tae kwon do/muay thai nuts. I was a little nervous when he started throwing blows in later matches, but after seeing that first headbutt lol nah this was a dude ready to weaponize whatever for the win. Glad somebody made this vid for him, brings back memories of the era❤
"and what a lot of people didn't understand back then is jiujitsu cats had problems with wrestlers that never came up facing off against karate/tae kwon do/muay thai nuts." What problems? Gracies had no trouble with him. NO BJJ guys had problems with him. BJJ is different, mate. It still is to this day. No wonder BJJ is way more famous and widely used in MMA and other fighting sports because of that exact reason, as it being THE top martial arts when it comes to grappling/chokes/holds/ ground stuff in general. Nevermind Royce Gracie fighting a guy that was AT LEAST 4 weight categories ABOVE him, and still winning.
@@williamdavis9562 Yep, he had no trouble. Gracie still won, or are we seeing two different things? Royce was at least three wieght classes UNDER Severn, and still won. WON, motherfuker. Without trouble. BJJ >>>>> Wrestling.
@@ButtmanAtHeart Royce had fought againts strikers that were MUCH, MUCH better AND more powerful than Severn, and won, easily. Sakuraba was THE ONE who overthrown the Gracies, and to this day, no one else could. If Severn was indeed kicking and punching, Royce would have ended that fight faster. There is a reason why the top MMA fighters ALL are well versed in BJJ, not in Grappling.
This was the best time in the UFC. No million dollar gyms, pro trainers, big money. Almost no rules, no weight classes. Nobody really knew what they were getting into. It will never be like that again. People brought whatever they had and just got in there and fought.
seems like a whole lot of things are homogenized and made kinda' soulless in the current age... popular regards tend to miss the forest for the trees. too much data and not enough wisdom i guess...? or maybe it all just feels this way :) (I get that the above sentiment is vague and expressed moronically. the stupid truth is that i just believe that there is something important that is increasingly going missing, but it's dfifficult to put a finger on what it is precisely i hear it with every template-forged individual i quietly listen to and i feel it every time i examine people's feelings regarding the popular consensus of reality. incidentally, lots of large, ad nauseum, non-novel egos today too and the way they tend to manifest is pretty nauseating (imo, of course)) just fun musing/venting... (and desperately searching for validation from another weirdo who may feel a tiny bit of what i mean... not rly interested in horribly insulting and aggressive criticism)
@@oogba71 You got that turned upside down. Back then, the average fight was around 3 min. The longest was this one, Royce vs Severn and that one was 15 min. At the time, it seemed like a very long time. Today's guys are in there taking quadruple the head shots the guys in the beginning where. And there's 15 to 25 min for each fight. That seems quite a bit more gladiator than the first 10 UFC's
It's hard to say how that would have played out. Royce would certainly look at it as an opportunity to counter with an arm bar or something in his bag of tricks. And Royce could take a lot of punishment if need be.
absolutely. royce realized he would lose after dan got some experience.... dan's very next match showed a much different fighter. he learned alot from royces fight, and royce would have had no chance against him anymore
@@juyran you dont get it, dan owned royce on ground maneuvers, was much larger. had full control for 5 minutes. He just was not a technical fighter like royce. He refused to punch which would have easily ended royce. Dan's very next fight he clearly had learned his lesson and brutalized his opponent. Royce has even said the same "if dan had used ground and pound, i would have lost" look it up, its not even close. Royce was amazing, and i love bjj, but this would not have been a close fight.
@@flacsmadayeah size difference matters especially when Dan was so skilled on the ground. I still think they might have a point that because he's not use to ground and pound Royce might've been able to catch him out with something
Because in wrestling ( Greco Roman, olympic and even most folk wrestling) there ARE no submissions . That makes it hard to win with submisions in a submission grappling competition. It's also hard to win with strikes becsuse there ARE no strikes .
Literally my first Executive Protection contract was Dan Severn. It was laughable… he was the size of a bear! We both chuckled at the irony because I’m only 5’8. Super nice man, I still remember he talked about his love of wildlife photography. 🇺🇸
@@pamlemm903 Yes ma'am... I was an armed attendant for the duration of his visit to where we were. I knew the area, where to go and not go, good relationship with the local police etc. Just made sure he was generally tended to if he needed anything.
I couldn’t imagine anyone attacking Dan Severn. You’d have to be a real fool. Even if you didn’t know him, physically looking at the guy you know he could kick some ass. Definitely has the presence of a brawler
@@Deetroiter Yes sir, you’re absolutely correct! However, you know, as well as I do alcohol, and a group of buddies causes a false sense of security. But yes, I totally agree with you. That guy was a freaking monster.
as someone who is a complete outsider to the world of UFC and MMA but has a general interest in combat sports, I find the origins of all this to be fascinating. No weight classes, no rounds, hits to the back of the head, it was WILD man! you could see that everyone was rough around the edges and naive, it still wasn't "optimized", they where still figuring out which was the best way to fight. Every fighter was unique and brought a different flare with him, I can see how this allowed for the creation of rich lore and exciment to each fight, amazing stuff!
I'm so glad to have stumbled upon the *original* UFC matches starting with #1, watching the dominance and legacy of Royce Gracie and the entire Gracie family. Dan Severn was an absolute thrill to watch. You could tell there were more than a few fighters that just had no idea what they were getting themselves into. I remember there was a guy that carried a full-size wooden cross over his shoulder while walking up to the octagon. Wild times.
The guy that carried the cross was Kimo Leoploldo. He fought Royce Gracie in UFC 3 and Royce won but took alot of damage from Kimo so he came out in the finals to fight a replacement (Steve Jennum) and before the fight started Gracies corner threw in the towel basically giving Jennum a free win in the finals. At which point Kimo ran out into the octagon and threw his hands up in victory even though he lost fair and square to Gracie. A man named Joe Son was Kimo's corner man in that fight. He went on to carry a cross out in UFC 4 only to get his testicles beat into a fine powder by Keith Hackney. He later went on to play the character Random Task in Austin Powers. (He was the guy that throws a shoe). Then after that he went to prison for gang raping a woman and then killing his cell mate. He is in prison for life. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
@@carlwinslo Aw, yiss I remember that now. Hackney railing that dude in the pills was unreal. I remember the commentators were like, well, there's no rule against that, but... dude, really. I remember one of the rules was no eye gouging. Very few if any other rules were around back then. I'm going to have to go dig through my attic now I'm sure I have those VHS tapes up there somewhere to rewatch the fights.
@@rn6380 They are online to watch if you Google them. Usually in bad quality though. The first few were no biting,no eye gouging,and no fish hooking. That was it. But I think around UFC 5 or 6 they added no groin shots and no headbutting.
I remember watching those fights, and thoroughly enjoyed both Dan Severn's and Oleg Taktarov's time in all the fights they had. I loved how Oleg never backed down.
I agree, Oleg should be proud of his fights and skill. When I think back on the real UFC fighters, I always think of Oleg. He’s a legend in his own right
What a beautiful breakdown of these competitions. I understand how primitive these fights must look to the newer generation but this truly was the ending of the Dark Ages for martial arts. I appreciate the reverence given such pioneers in this video. Subscribed.
I think the UFC should require opponents to wear some kind of clothes. Even a judo uniform. It is more realistic to street fighting. And a harder floor. I have seen suplexes where the guy would have died in a street fight, and it barely fazes the MMA guys. I quit watching when all the new rules were imposed.
@@djdoc06 You are overthinking it. Just make everyone wear at least a heavy duty t-shirt, long slacks, and shoes. Maybe even standardized, handed out by the organization. I'm not going to go further down this rabbit hole on something never going to happen. Just a thought.
@@djdoc06 Yep. All the rules in the Olympics, and every other sport on the planet are too burdensome... Nobody can follow ESPECIALLY uniform rules. That would be CRAZY!!!!!
I've got to say, I really appreciate those dark age martial arts. Took 8 weeks kenpo for self defense because I was a wuss. Busted up a kid's mouth for pushing me. 14 year old vs 16 year old. Then there was the shotokan punch that took out my dad. Another bully, disabled by white belt karate. Then there was the aikido in the parking lot at age 18 against a guy wailing on my little brother. More white belt butt kicking of bullies. Then there was the crazy lady took a swing at me, she high on meth. Double leg takedown and gently smothered her into submission.white belt bjj. Then the guy said he was going to kill me in my house because I asked him to quiet down. Put on my boots, raced downstairs. Turn at the waist, and double hand taiji push. Knocked him over. Banged the back of his head on the pavement. Lights out. At no time have I had delusions I could take on Liddell, Ortiz, Shamrock. Fedor. Bas. Tyson. But self defense against violent idiots and white belt martial arts work just fine, dude
@@MikeSchlesinger correct on the 2nd point, it's sports entertainment. On the 1st point, all entertainment is worthless aside from the fact that it brings joy.
Dan was a monster. Horrible situation to be underneath this strong ass, determined, iron willed, behemoth. Classic fighter, and a great vid for those who didn't know the name of Dan Severn.
I was practicing Jiu Jitsu when UFC came out for the first time on Pay Per View. I remember that Severn was and still a very respectful fighter and human being, great example to follow. Thanks for the great memories...hope one day UFC consider (every now and then) one special fight in old school way.
It was definitely epic to be able to watch the birth of UFC! I will never forget the excitement watching Severn, Gracie, Abbott, Hackney, Shamrock, Kimo, and all the rest I didn't mention! Very special!
I had the pleasure of helping train Dan for the Ultimate Ultimate UFC in 1995. We also trained Don Frye for some of his UFC battles after that. Dan was always very polite, and the furthest from having an ego. He would joke about his nickname The Beast, because he typically was very mild mannered. It was an honor to train, and learn from, an athlete of his stature and skill. Some great memories from a time when the UFC was a very unique and exciting competition. I'll always have the utmost respect for Mr Severn.
Those suplexes he did in his debut are specific ones called german suplexes. Sometimes pro wrestlers or mma fighters will link them together like that and it's truly something to behold as you can see. Mentioning that would have added to the video as they are a much beloved and popular move in the wrestling world.
Wow. I wonder how I never really noticed him before. He was a true master and legend! He also knew how to protect his face and never looked beaten after any match.
I remember all of these matches. They were so good. At the time, UFC was completely new to everybody, so it was very raw and there was little to no history to draw strategies from. So there was a lot of variety in the matches and styles.
Ask him about his tap out to Royce, I did. He got mad and denied he taped out. I lost respect 4 him, no shame in loosing to a master, and he gave Royce a hard time. He had no reason to be ashamed and pretend he did not tap.
@Dude he did talk about that fight but not about the tap (I didn't ask) but you could tell he wasn't happy about it and has a dislike there whether towards Royce/ the gracies or the fight in general idk, but I wasn't interested in digging because I was there to learn and work on things for my game.
@Speeves yeah, best u stuck to learning, woukd suck if you bruised his ego and he asked u ti leave. When I spoke to him it was withing a yr of 2 of that fight. I figured by now he came to understand how effective Gracie JuJitsu is and would not feel like it was weak to loose to a master. But he was a real fighter with real skill, can't take that away from him. Look how long it took Royce to tap him, he has that to be proud of.
One thing that I'll never , ever forget is the sight of Dan hoisting both the UFC and the prestigious NWA belts over his hesd . Being a devoted Pro Wrestling fan and also a life long Mattial Arts enthusiast , i was witnessing something that i had , since childhood , played in my head over and over .
I miss seeing pure styles of Martial Arts facing each other soo epic, Nowadays in MMA everyone trains everything Striker trains Grappling and Grappler trains striking everything has evolved.
The game has evolved for sure but it isn't nearly as interesting as it was back then. Pure styles facing each other was one of the greatest selling points of the early UFC. Not gonna lie I loved the circus aspect of it.
@@djdoc06 Oh completely. Everyone had to adapt. I guess it was only natural. Adding weight classes, again a natural progression, also helped with this homogenized style.
Wrestling is a martial art. Japanese Jujutsu came from Japanese wrestling and various Chinese arts. The triangle choke is not a Brazilian move. It was used in Judo long before BJJ and in Japanese Jujutsu long before Judo. In fact, Dan actually practiced Jujutsu when he competed in Japan.
Really cool to find out he's a big Jujutsu and Judo guy. I train Japanese Jujutsu 45 minutes south of Flint, Michigan. I thought he was just some wrestler but he hits really close to home for me, quite literally!
I would argue that wrestling is a contender for the number 1 martial art, if there is such a thing. You DO NOT want to tangle with a skilled wrestler. They will break whatever ego you may have quickly.
My best friend in highschool was a massive fan of "The Beast". I wasn't a huge UFC guy at the time, and being able to watch this bit of history gives me some perspective as to why my friend was such a huge supporter of Severn. Respect!
Dan Severn was/is strong as all hell. Old UFC was by far the most technical and realistic in my opinion. Everyone ‘run what you brung’…each fighter was unique in how they fought, unlike now where EVERYONE is the same moves and combinations, etc. no variety in modern UFC. Dan Severn made Michigan proud with his fighting and midwestern morals, we still love him to this day!
Nowadays you have to be jack of all trades. Being really good at one thing just isn't enough. We sometimes get some uniqueness like Yair Rodriquez with his flying spin kicks or all the crazy ground control wrestlers from -stan countries, but the top guys like Volkanovski and Adessanya are just good in every position.
I don’t think they were more technical then today’s fighters, but I agree it was more realistic though. Since at first their wasn’t a time limit, no gloves, less rules, ect. But I’d say todays fighters are much more smarter and well rounded .
Imagine being a loudmouth at a bar some crass fool making a scene and Dan Severn and Don the Assassin Fry step to. Good thing Fry and Severn aren't bullies. It's funny hearing Don Frye talk about those early days and Mark Coleman one Coleman was injured and was gassed and was going to pull out of a tournament but he said that you looked around and saw that nobody else there even belong there he said if I send one of these guys out there they're going to get killed. So he fights thst was the fight where Coleman was so bad gassed he could barely stand after his last fight
Those old school UFC matches were brutal. They're lucky no one got killed. I remember watching them, though. It was obviously the birth of a whole new fighting sport.
As a young man watching the early days of UFC I can truly say Dan Severn was a Beast and greatly admired and feared. He was brutal, yet it’s amazing that he had restraint while being so. Early MMA was ridiculous, modern day gladiator matches except without death ☠️
@@Robd07 Dan Severn in his prime… ABSOLUTELY. To know that he was pulling punches in the era on true No Holds Barred is crazy. They were doing prolonged groin shots back then. Early era of UFC was INSANE!
I enjoyed this a lot. Thank you. I was craving some knowledge about the early UFC and this hit so many bells. Some of the things that were allowed back in the day were gnarly.
Anybody who does not consider wrestling a martial art, did not remember the great Gene hackenschmidt. Jean hackenschmidt was a wrestling legend from the late 1800$. He was an immensely strong individual, even by today's standards. He had wrestling matches with other great wrestlers of his age that lasted for hours.
@@fabianojdp Perdeu apenas pq o Severn nesse momento não encheu a cara dele de porrada, senão teria perdido. kkkkk Depois picou a mula pq sabia que numa revanche iria perder. A história está toda aí no vídeo.
He is a rare breed. Despite his size and body type, he didn't get winded. The last fight he wasn't even breathing heavy. That my friends, is a dangerous fighter to face. Big, powerfull, skillful and has a tons of stamina. Wouldn't want to fight a guy like that on the street.
I once owned a book on classic 19th century wrestling and there was a guy in it of whom I only remember that he was an instructor at West Point, had a physique standing out from the other barrel-chested guys, gave the tip to avoid starchy food and Dan Severn very much looking like him. These crazy old days of UFC, literally about as ultimate fights can get below combat. I recall these guys showing up in their respective attire, testing representing their arts (with bar brawling officially qualifying as such) as much as testing their individual skills. Each fight had the potential to come to some interesting conclusion, people getting defeated by techniques they did not know like Severn getting caught in Gracie's leg triangle. That showed that technique could actually defeat a physically superior opponent if caught unawares. Nowadays, the art has evolved to such an extent that 95% of all possible techniques seem nullified, impressive but not necessarily more interesting to watch.
I was at the Severn vs Shamrock superfight in Detroit 1996. We watched them circle around each other for 20 minutes before finally locking up. Shortly after they were separated and then they continued to circle for the rest of the bout. It was boring and there was plenty of jeers. We were even chanting let's go Red Wings, the popular NHL team, to break up our boredom during the so called fight.
The rules of these contests were brutal. I remember watching the first one and I was in shock. But in the other hand it was good seeing martial arts stress tested with real fights. As a martial artist myself, it cemented in me, that sports, rule bound sparring was a safe way to develop skills, NOT a way to prepare for real self-defense situations against all fighters.
@@badart3204 Throw in biting and groin punches and you’d have a real street fight. None of this UFC BJJ crap works in a real life and death fight where two human beings are wrapped together like a pretzel. You bite a chunk out of someone’s arm or calf, you bite someone’s ear off……no one can sustain that level of pain before they release or want to break away. You smash someone’s balls in a real fight and things change quickly. As a sport these old UFC fights were awesome.
This guy proved that no matter what your school.is what really matters is how you uses it. His style is simple but quick and effective. He's a very respectful fighter and the most effective I have ever see.
I remember watching UFC when I was young and had to rent them from the video store because it was too brutal for cable TV. Back then, it seemed to be the prerogative of each fighter to showcase their particular martial art. It was awesome. To be honest, without that, and with all modern fighters using the same style essentially, it's just not as exciting.
Dan is NOT only a GREAT fighter, but an absolute gentleman as well. (Okay, so "outside" of the Octagon, a gentleman. Inside the Octagon, he would flip a switch and become THE BEAST!!!!!!!)
Excellent narration! Great job explaining the difference between early UFC with no rules, compared to MMA today. The "Beast" proved that wrestling is the ultimate unarmed combat sport!
This video is Gold especially with all of the og fighters and living legends who helped lay the foundation of what we have today 😅 it's actually crazy these gentlemen were fighting bare knuckles with minimal rules
very informative video, I love this. Im not a consistent fan of martial art leagues and tournaments but I loved watching this video on Dan Severn! I was shown what just a high school champ (let alone a world champ) can do with wrestling one time, its no joke!
Always love reliving Severn's mauling of Tank Abbott....always a personal favorite of mine. That showed TRULY how tough, skilled and focused Dan Severn was...The BEAST was the MAN
Thanks for watching!
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Wrestling might not be given the respect and reputation it deserves but the the men and women of Olympic style wrestling know that they can turn quite a number of people into pretzels 🥋🤼♂️🤼👨👨
You might have a drop in views because you don't know how to pronounce terminology correctly or recognize what submissions are what
@@emperortrevornorton3119Severn tried do It and Royce finish him Jiu Jitsu it's The best.
Done
Those suplexes he did in his debut are specific ones called german suplexes. Sometimes pro wrestlers or mma fighters will link them together like that and it's truly something to behold as you can see. Mentioning that would have added to the video as they are a much beloved and popular move in the wrestling world.
This guy is everything you want in a fighting legend, fair, respectful, the kind of guy you know is a gentle person when he isn't ripping you to shreds
Half the people he fought were smaller than him. Not impressed
@@mahalkita7351 I weight a hundred pounds less than him. All I'm saying is if he fought more people his size than maybe. You don't have to get triggered over it
@@swaylee181 He'd eat you for breakfast
and an epic tash!
@@swaylee181 there were no weight classes because people thought martial arts skill could make up the difference. You're talking with hindsight. We know more today
Old school UFC was the closest thing to a real life Bloodsport.
@S7 nah, oldschool ufc there was not weight classes and people had to fight 7 matches with no time limit and win them all in one day to be the champion.
MORTAL KOMBAT!!!!
@@viper22jc brutal
@S7 Nah, not even close. Pride has weight classes and a lot of rules, it's nothing like those first few seasons of UFC.
OMG so true.
The moves, the endurance, the Burt Reynolds haircut, the 80s sport briefs, the dad bod...and lastly...the stach.....this guy definitely built differently..
Indeed. I'm 6'9" and trained. But even that stach has me a little intimidated lol.
Can tell he's a decent guy from early fights
@@panzfaust9812 he was very decent, that fight with Gracie, he could have won it easily with ground and pound.
Severn was an old school wrestler. Looking like a bodybuilder doesn't make a person a better fighter or wrestler
@@MH-zg5yw well aware...
I have met Dan. He is literally the opposite of what you expect. Such a sweetheart of a person and really friendly with a particular talent for chit-chat. Met him at a signing around circa 2002. Such a nice dude.
He was our coach at ASU in the 80,s. Absolutely Fantastic person, in the wrestling room he was super intense, even his younger brother Rod wasn’t given any grace or leniency. Out of the room the most Nice, Respectful & Enjoyable person to be around. Absolutely Wonderful person to have known!🙏🙏😊
@@kevindittler6524 Thanks for sharing that.
Same, met him a few times, super duper nice fellow. Dan is an MMA legend here in his home state, Michigan, and you're absolutely right, he is well liked pretty much everywhere he goes.
That's exactly what I expect from big guys with nothing to prove
A true warrior is a balance between violence and gentlemanship.
These old school UFC fights were great because not everyone was multi-disciplined and polished and essentially with most learning and training the same series of techniques that became very rules-centric. Here things were rough, fighters were specialists, you got to see how individual styles fared against each other, and it was brutal. Great video.
old Ufc, you can see how each athelete had a specific background and added other skills to it, like dan was a wrestler and added some striking and ground and pound, but he was still a wrestler not a mix martial artist, others were bjj guys, boxers, kick bxers and the list goes on
você deveria aprender a falar a minha língua.
yeah well it got more professional
@@pauloserggio740 cala a boca, não passa vergonha
@@jungleking6743I always enjoyed a bit of extra 'j' with my bjs.
I remember renting these from the video store in the 90s . It was unlike anything we'd seen before. People are desensitized and numb to MMA fights now ,but watching these as a kid when it was fresh and new was UNREAL !!!
Tbf UFC nowadays is a lot different to how it was back then. It's far more sanctioned, & with adding rounds it's clear they were trying to emulate boxing. I'd trade a few of the new rules for the old ones.
Totally agree. I was in my teens in the 90’s and remember going to a sleepover and someone had a VHS of some UFC. It was ruthless absolutely fucking savage. Porn would have been less hardcore. It was pure fighting - there was no sport. I loved it
@@glossypompom4465 you got that right !!! Growing up when we did was AWESOME.
I rented them too the first time at CamLej. Those fights were so exciting and I rented the every DVD as soon as they became available. As a matter of fact I bought several DVDs that I still have. 😊
I believe practically everything was legal except eye gouging.
The UFC fights today seem watered down compared to those early fights. Still, I’m a UFC fan as ever.
@@calcifiedinnerbaldurYeah like the Kimo and Tank fight where they were punching in the groin. 😮😂
This guy was like an old time gladiator. He didn't have the roided action figure body but the strength and endurance were massive. Great video.
Dan had old man strength.
That's the word I was looking for. That kind of strength is very specific. Like farmer strength or something.
That's what matters more than looking pretty for the pictures, I think so anyway
100% he was a real warrior, not a performer first
@@Oromanowarfulfuck yeah!
Nostalgia, I was a senior in high school. That match against Gracie is what put me on my now 26-year journey in Jiu-Jitsu, I got my blue belt from Royce himself in 2005. Still rolling every week.
Only part of the video I had a slight issue with. Joyce defeated Dan. True BJJ fashion. I thought the narrative in the video was disrespectful. I believe that fight was my first MMA bout to watch. I have been a BJJ and Gracie fan ever since. Years later I watched the older Gracie through Joe Rogans links. Amazing training.
BJJ is not a real fighting style. It's just for sweaty men to hug each other. I carry deadly weapons, in case I have to fight. You play because you dudes.
@@logangodofcandyusing weapons isn't fighting, it's attempted murder and a war battlefield is not what bjj is intended for anyway so it's a moot point
@@user-nj8xt2wy1k I'm a BJJ and catch wrestling practitioner, and there was nothing disrespectful in my opinion. What was disrespectful was snubbing catch wrestlers in early UFC because of the Gracie's and BJJs losses against it. They viewed it as too dangerous, because the Gracie's historically always lost against the Brazilian catch wrestlers. They went as far as disabling a man for life because they lost against catch wrestling in a massive stadium show.
If anything, the UFC in its early days was extremely disrespectful to catch wrestlers, and other art practitioners, like allowing BJJ to use full gi, but not allowing other artists to dress in their art's traditional attire.
The early UFC was nothing but a promotion for BJJ.
Gracies don't fight, they cuddle 😂 It's because they can't take a straight up punch to the mouth. I could knock out Gracie 😂😂😂
As a 40 yr old I watched all of these live. Legal groin shots, no weight class. It was wild
And I think it's like a 1 day league, where fight continues after another 😅
@@SuperIyotube You're right, I forgot that you fought like 3 times in one UFC
You might enjoy Burmese Boxing - like Muay Thai but with no gloves and with headbutts allowed.
Same I was in elementary school
Nice to see 70 year-old fans still engaging with the MMA community. Good on ya, pops!
i'm so old, i remember renting and watching this on vhs in my bo-hunk town... i remember watching severn vs gracie
I remember renting these from a mom and pops video shop. They put these videos in the XXX-rated section in the back. That introduced me to the porn world. LOL
Where is this porn world you speak of?
@@tomf4087 it's a magical place that I cannot reveal the location of.
You’re so old you got me through high school math - absolute legend
You probably aren't nearly as old you saying. What are you early 40s? Still pretty young, but I get your point. Watching VHS and renting them feels like such a long time ago that you feel old, and I am old enough to have watched VHS too lol, although I was little kid. I remember watching this fight on VHS as well. Severn was a beast. I actually heard of UFC for the first time when Ken Shamrock came to the wwf and they discussed it.
Seeing Don Frye in Dans corner was PERFECT
Absolutely. Them damn dans and dons! lol
Delivering fist in yo Face is better 🤜😵💫
BY THE POWER OF MUSTACHE
Al Snow is there too!
@@zeropoint546
😂😅💪
This video was alot better than I thought it would be , it was very cool watching his fighting evolve , great video!
Dan Severn and Don Frye, the two most feared Moustaches in MMA history.
You forgot Tom select
No there's one more, Michael D. Echanis
@@tigerboy60
And Will Smith. 😂
Would be cool if they fought each other
Burt Reynolds
I met Dan, after UFC 4, and had the chance to "roll" with him at an old movie studio. Seeing as how we were separated by about 12 weight classes, we decided just to talk a bit and take some pictures. He autographed his action figure for me, as well as military pressing me for a killer photo. He is as nice as you'd expect and very personable. I still have both the action figure and the picture. Cheers!
What year was this and what are some more details? Like what happened What did he say? What was this for certainly you have something more to say about this
12 weight classes 😂😂😂👏🏼
You need to make that photo your Profile pic that is epic.
If Dan had better striking awareness he would have possibly ended Gracie as well.
Only thing is the mechanism of striking also favors Gracie style as seen previously but think Dan just too powerful early on if he turned it up a level.
Incredible athlete and explosive style insane strength and his character all made him not just great fighter but fan favourite. 💪🏼👍🏼
@@madpriest7822 Maybe 2001/2002?...I would really need to check again! It was a promotional contest sponsored by a local radio station. A friend of mine won and took me along, as she knew nothing about him, but she knew of my wrestling history and how much I appreciated his skills. I really didn't go there to interview him with a bunch of questions about specific people, but we did talk about the difficulties of being a pro-fighter at that time (excluding boxing). He was certainly not making tons of money then. The UFC became something more because of these early guys sharing all they had.
@@bigh6109 Great idea! Although, it is an old Polaroid instant photo- but maybe that makes it even better? I am not sure...it's worth a try!
@@mrfuriouser SHARE THE GLORY!!!!! 😂😂😂
Does anyone remember the old Capcom game Final Fight? Dan Severn looks exactly like the character Haggar. 🤣
Mayor Mike Haggar...😂😂
tottaly!
Mike haggar. Mayor of New York 😅
Should said it was Inspire from him.
Awesome observation ❤
Dan was an absolute trailblazer for the wrestling world. now wrestling has become the most important element in today’s MMA Fighter
Had a chance to train with him. Sucked that I was the biggest guy in class. I was the training dummy that received the brunt of the blows. He is a really great teacher and man.
honestly the biggest honor because when you see the young cats go up and compete and win you kno u played a part in that.
Wow! This guy is seriously amazing . You must be pretty brutal yourself ! Training dummy for this guy?! No thank u I would like to live 😂
How big are ur cauliflower?
@@KingMuncheezi'm now allex "the broken Elf".😂 My sensei also used me as the dummy because I had judo and Tang Su Do backgrounds. I'm 60 btw
What year was this when was this What are some more details you can't just say that and not give any details on what you're talking about
I got to sit down and talk to Dan. He wasn’t just a wrestler but a genius at his craft. He taught me the four legs of a table top. If I lived close to him I would train under him all day! Much respect Dan!
If your not training now anyway... Then your just a talker. Get off your arse and train anyway. Any type of training is better then none at all! 🎤 Drop
@@KattD.Ok buddy 👌
@@KattD.Where did he say he doenst train??
@@KattD.STFU, you don't know if he doesn't train.
@@KattD.🤨
My family went to school with the Severns. Very nice family. I never met Dan but graduated with his younger sister. As a graduate of Montrose High School, you always look back at the Severn family and what they did for wrestling at our school.
My dad and myself also graduated from montrose! my dad is Dewayne Williams. he maried Lisa (hosea back then) my dad is good friends with rod severn. Small world! do you know my parents?
@@heytrentsonI don't know your dad but I know your mom really well. Jk 😜
I thought he went to Coldwater High School. Maybe he moved to Coldwater after high school. I know he was very famous around here.
I had the pleasure of meeting him at BattleJax 1 in 2000. Yes, he seemed like a genuinely friendly person.
@@thejohn6614 Lol! 😂😂
Loved the video, made me remember of the old days watching UFC with my dad.
Dude has over 125 mma fights under his belt and fought well into his 50’s. A true beast
i think he's part Greek!!!!
No Turkish @@rocketspushoffair
@@EdgeLordOmen Same thing, at least 1/3 of Turks are actually Greeks, they were taken as young kids and raised Turkish.
@@rocketspushoffairhe does greco roman wrestling. maybe thats where the confusion came
@etYouBoi No, I'm coming from the very real possibility that he could be part Greek. Around 600 hundred years ago, the Turks were already recruiting young Greeks and raising them as Turks to fortify their armies. Before the fall of Constantinople, the Turkish border next to Greece was not where it is today, it was much more inland, Greeks lived there, it was all Greek. Istanbul was formerly Constantinople. Turks ruled Greeks for 400 years, until 1821 Greeks got their independence back. Winston Churchill said “people will not say any more that the Greeks fight like heroes but heroes fight like Greeks.”
I wrestled against his son David. Never again. That was a horrible experience. His dad taught him well.
Lmao
I went to school with David, Dan was my first wrestling coach.
@@zachlukehart7622 Coldwater or Bronson? I believe I wrestled him at an invitational while he was still at Coldwater.
@@fieryjalapenos4442Coldwater, I started freestyle in 6th grade with him. I remember him being so big for a middle schooler 😂
@@zachlukehart7622 I also recall him being quite a big guy in 8th grade as well. Could have passed for a Senior. Hell, probably could have bought beer.
I remember when ufc first started. Me and my buddies watched damn near every single one. I miss Dan he was ruthless.
No doubt ! He is a real Beast !
127 fights and over 101 wins and he fought 10 times in a year !
Impressive !!
I remember when Severn first came on the scene and have been a fan ever since. Never forget everybody in the room laughing at the "high school wrestler guy" and it was just myself and a friend backing him on the bet. This dude did NOT look like some WWF gimmick play and what a lot of people didn't understand back then is jiujitsu cats had problems with wrestlers that never came up facing off against karate/tae kwon do/muay thai nuts. I was a little nervous when he started throwing blows in later matches, but after seeing that first headbutt lol nah this was a dude ready to weaponize whatever for the win. Glad somebody made this vid for him, brings back memories of the era❤
"and what a lot of people didn't understand back then is jiujitsu cats had problems with wrestlers that never came up facing off against karate/tae kwon do/muay thai nuts."
What problems? Gracies had no trouble with him. NO BJJ guys had problems with him.
BJJ is different, mate. It still is to this day.
No wonder BJJ is way more famous and widely used in MMA and other fighting sports because of that exact reason, as it being THE top martial arts when it comes to grappling/chokes/holds/ ground stuff in general.
Nevermind Royce Gracie fighting a guy that was AT LEAST 4 weight categories ABOVE him, and still winning.
@@sombraarthur "Gracie had no trouble with him."
🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@williamdavis9562 Yep, he had no trouble. Gracie still won, or are we seeing two different things? Royce was at least three wieght classes UNDER Severn, and still won. WON, motherfuker. Without trouble.
BJJ >>>>> Wrestling.
@@sombraarthurthe only reason he won was because dan wasnt throwing any punches or kicks. It would have been different if he had j/s
@@ButtmanAtHeart Royce had fought againts strikers that were MUCH, MUCH better AND more powerful than Severn, and won, easily. Sakuraba was THE ONE who overthrown the Gracies, and to this day, no one else could.
If Severn was indeed kicking and punching, Royce would have ended that fight faster.
There is a reason why the top MMA fighters ALL are well versed in BJJ, not in Grappling.
This was the best time in the UFC.
No million dollar gyms, pro trainers, big money.
Almost no rules, no weight classes.
Nobody really knew what they were getting into.
It will never be like that again.
People brought whatever they had and just got in there and fought.
Absolutely. What we see today is just a pale imitation.
I'll never forget the first time I saw a "Tapout" sticker on an SUV, ca 2001. I knew the golden age had come to an end.
seems like a whole lot of things are homogenized and made kinda' soulless in the current age... popular regards tend to miss the forest for the trees. too much data and not enough wisdom i guess...?
or maybe it all just feels this way :)
(I get that the above sentiment is vague and expressed moronically. the stupid truth is that i just believe that there is something important that is increasingly going missing, but it's dfifficult to put a finger on what it is precisely i hear it with every template-forged individual i quietly listen to and i feel it every time i examine people's feelings regarding the popular consensus of reality. incidentally, lots of large, ad nauseum, non-novel egos today too and the way they tend to manifest is pretty nauseating (imo, of course))
just fun musing/venting... (and desperately searching for validation from another weirdo who may feel a tiny bit of what i mean... not rly interested in horribly insulting and aggressive criticism)
Gladiator matches instead of sporting events
@@oogba71 You got that turned upside down.
Back then, the average fight was around 3 min.
The longest was this one, Royce vs Severn and that one was 15 min.
At the time, it seemed like a very long time.
Today's guys are in there taking quadruple the head shots the guys in the beginning where.
And there's 15 to 25 min for each fight.
That seems quite a bit more gladiator than the first 10 UFC's
Dan’s personal decision not to punch the opponent in the early days of his fighting was the only reason Royce survived that match.
It's hard to say how that would have played out. Royce would certainly look at it as an opportunity to counter with an arm bar or something in his bag of tricks. And Royce could take a lot of punishment if need be.
absolutely. royce realized he would lose after dan got some experience.... dan's very next match showed a much different fighter. he learned alot from royces fight, and royce would have had no chance against him anymore
Yeah, sure. No one has ever tried to punch Royce before. That would be unfair and totally surprising. 🙄🤣
@@juyran you dont get it, dan owned royce on ground maneuvers, was much larger. had full control for 5 minutes. He just was not a technical fighter like royce. He refused to punch which would have easily ended royce. Dan's very next fight he clearly had learned his lesson and brutalized his opponent. Royce has even said the same "if dan had used ground and pound, i would have lost" look it up, its not even close. Royce was amazing, and i love bjj, but this would not have been a close fight.
@@flacsmadayeah size difference matters especially when Dan was so skilled on the ground. I still think they might have a point that because he's not use to ground and pound Royce might've been able to catch him out with something
How can wrestling not be considered a martial art, it's one of the best fighting techniques there is.
So glad i learned wrestling in middle school. Taught me skills for life. Hell i should brush up on it.
Couldn't agree more!
The explanation for your question is in the video... it is kinda amazing that you can watchit and do not lear anything from it.😅
Because in wrestling ( Greco Roman, olympic and even most folk wrestling) there ARE no submissions . That makes it hard to win with submisions in a submission grappling competition. It's also hard to win with strikes becsuse there ARE no strikes .
Majority of wrestling in UFC is all about hugging and using weight no excitement
I remember when I first saw Dan UFC fights in the 90's, that german suplex performed in a real fight left me speechless.
Im seeing this for the first time and it left me speechless! He slammed him into the future!
Literally my first Executive Protection contract was Dan Severn. It was laughable… he was the size of a bear! We both chuckled at the irony because I’m only 5’8. Super nice man, I still remember he talked about his love of wildlife photography. 🇺🇸
What is an executive protection contract? Like a body guard? Thanks!
@@pamlemm903 Yes ma'am... I was an armed attendant for the duration of his visit to where we were. I knew the area, where to go and not go, good relationship with the local police etc. Just made sure he was generally tended to if he needed anything.
@@billysmith915 right on thanks for elaborating!
I couldn’t imagine anyone attacking Dan Severn. You’d have to be a real fool. Even if you didn’t know him, physically looking at the guy you know he could kick some ass. Definitely has the presence of a brawler
@@Deetroiter Yes sir, you’re absolutely correct! However, you know, as well as I do alcohol, and a group of buddies causes a false sense of security. But yes, I totally agree with you. That guy was a freaking monster.
as someone who is a complete outsider to the world of UFC and MMA but has a general interest in combat sports, I find the origins of all this to be fascinating. No weight classes, no rounds, hits to the back of the head, it was WILD man! you could see that everyone was rough around the edges and naive, it still wasn't "optimized", they where still figuring out which was the best way to fight. Every fighter was unique and brought a different flare with him, I can see how this allowed for the creation of rich lore and exciment to each fight, amazing stuff!
This man wasn’t a beast, he hunted beasts. A legend ❤
no
Yeah, that sound better than just being a beast with no brain.
I'm so glad to have stumbled upon the *original* UFC matches starting with #1, watching the dominance and legacy of Royce Gracie and the entire Gracie family. Dan Severn was an absolute thrill to watch. You could tell there were more than a few fighters that just had no idea what they were getting themselves into. I remember there was a guy that carried a full-size wooden cross over his shoulder while walking up to the octagon. Wild times.
The guy that carried the cross was Kimo Leoploldo. He fought Royce Gracie in UFC 3 and Royce won but took alot of damage from Kimo so he came out in the finals to fight a replacement (Steve Jennum) and before the fight started Gracies corner threw in the towel basically giving Jennum a free win in the finals. At which point Kimo ran out into the octagon and threw his hands up in victory even though he lost fair and square to Gracie. A man named Joe Son was Kimo's corner man in that fight. He went on to carry a cross out in UFC 4 only to get his testicles beat into a fine powder by Keith Hackney. He later went on to play the character Random Task in Austin Powers. (He was the guy that throws a shoe). Then after that he went to prison for gang raping a woman and then killing his cell mate. He is in prison for life. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
@@carlwinslo Aw, yiss I remember that now. Hackney railing that dude in the pills was unreal. I remember the commentators were like, well, there's no rule against that, but... dude, really.
I remember one of the rules was no eye gouging. Very few if any other rules were around back then.
I'm going to have to go dig through my attic now I'm sure I have those VHS tapes up there somewhere to rewatch the fights.
@@rn6380 They are online to watch if you Google them. Usually in bad quality though. The first few were no biting,no eye gouging,and no fish hooking. That was it. But I think around UFC 5 or 6 they added no groin shots and no headbutting.
recall.that too!
I remember watching those fights, and thoroughly enjoyed both Dan Severn's and Oleg Taktarov's time in all the fights they had. I loved how Oleg never backed down.
I agree, Oleg should be proud of his fights and skill. When I think back on the real UFC fighters, I always think of Oleg. He’s a legend in his own right
The Tank Abbot vs Oleg Taktarov match was one of the top 5 early UFC matches in my opinion.
Love these - thank you for posting!!!
What a beautiful breakdown of these competitions. I understand how primitive these fights must look to the newer generation but this truly was the ending of the Dark Ages for martial arts. I appreciate the reverence given such pioneers in this video. Subscribed.
I think the UFC should require opponents to wear some kind of clothes. Even a judo uniform. It is more realistic to street fighting. And a harder floor. I have seen suplexes where the guy would have died in a street fight, and it barely fazes the MMA guys. I quit watching when all the new rules were imposed.
@@djdoc06 You are overthinking it. Just make everyone wear at least a heavy duty t-shirt, long slacks, and shoes. Maybe even standardized, handed out by the organization. I'm not going to go further down this rabbit hole on something never going to happen. Just a thought.
@@djdoc06 Yep. All the rules in the Olympics, and every other sport on the planet are too burdensome... Nobody can follow ESPECIALLY uniform rules. That would be CRAZY!!!!!
I've got to say, I really appreciate those dark age martial arts. Took 8 weeks kenpo for self defense because I was a wuss. Busted up a kid's mouth for pushing me. 14 year old vs 16 year old. Then there was the shotokan punch that took out my dad. Another bully, disabled by white belt karate. Then there was the aikido in the parking lot at age 18 against a guy wailing on my little brother. More white belt butt kicking of bullies. Then there was the crazy lady took a swing at me, she high on meth. Double leg takedown and gently smothered her into submission.white belt bjj. Then the guy said he was going to kill me in my house because I asked him to quiet down. Put on my boots, raced downstairs. Turn at the waist, and double hand taiji push. Knocked him over. Banged the back of his head on the pavement. Lights out. At no time have I had delusions I could take on Liddell, Ortiz, Shamrock. Fedor. Bas. Tyson. But self defense against violent idiots and white belt martial arts work just fine, dude
What a formidable fighter with the true martial arts spirit. Respect is everything in Sports like this.
The only person who held MMA and pro wrestling championship belts simultaneously
Also Ken Shamrock
Pro wrestling belt is worthless as is pro wrestling. It's not a sport.
@@MikeSchlesinger but everyone knows it is not a sport, so whats your point?
@@MikeSchlesinger correct on the 2nd point, it's sports entertainment.
On the 1st point, all entertainment is worthless aside from the fact that it brings joy.
@@kosanstanojevic maybe the matches but alot of idiots still think the kafabe is real. They actually believe the whimsical tough guy stories
Great fights!!! Awesome techniques!!!
Dan was a monster. Horrible situation to be underneath this strong ass, determined, iron willed, behemoth. Classic fighter, and a great vid for those who didn't know the name of Dan Severn.
I was practicing Jiu Jitsu when UFC came out for the first time on Pay Per View. I remember that Severn was and still a very respectful fighter and human being, great example to follow. Thanks for the great memories...hope one day UFC consider (every now and then) one special fight in old school way.
They wouldn’t be able to get it licensed
@@JamesF-fd4rt Signing a waiver will do.
A new haircut would do
@@fatherpaulstone896 I think you are in the wrong topic.
I remember Dan Severn! He has always been my favorite! It was nice to see him again! He was a warrior! But respectful!
Dan Severn belts are combat sports history legend. He was a Gladiator when the sport was no holds barred
It was definitely epic to be able to watch the birth of UFC! I will never forget the excitement watching Severn, Gracie, Abbott, Hackney, Shamrock, Kimo, and all the rest I didn't mention! Very special!
I've heard of Dan Severn, but I've never seen any of these old fights. That man really was a beast! So brutal! Incredible.
I had the pleasure of helping train Dan for the Ultimate Ultimate UFC in 1995. We also trained Don Frye for some of his UFC battles after that. Dan was always very polite, and the furthest from having an ego. He would joke about his nickname The Beast, because he typically was very mild mannered. It was an honor to train, and learn from, an athlete of his stature and skill. Some great memories from a time when the UFC was a very unique and exciting competition. I'll always have the utmost respect for Mr Severn.
Dan is like a real life all-American action hero if there ever was one
Dam lol 😂 true.
dude was so buff @@williammckinney567
Those suplexes he did in his debut are specific ones called german suplexes. Sometimes pro wrestlers or mma fighters will link them together like that and it's truly something to behold as you can see. Mentioning that would have added to the video as they are a much beloved and popular move in the wrestling world.
Severn is also a German surname.
@@0Turbox Severin maybe. Severn sounds fairly uncommon, tho
That was No joke! One suplexe is enough to kill a man! Even i said dammnnnnnnnn...thats gotta hurt!
Wow. I wonder how I never really noticed him before. He was a true master and legend! He also knew how to protect his face and never looked beaten after any match.
These were the best of MMA. No breaks the match lasted as long as it needed to get a win.
I remember all of these matches. They were so good. At the time, UFC was completely new to everybody, so it was very raw and there was little to no history to draw strategies from. So there was a lot of variety in the matches and styles.
Dan Severn fought in the UFC 10 years past his prime he is a legend imo.
underrated comment! 100% he did, think about what he would have done if he was 27 coming into the UFC.
Yup, a "old" man champion 🏆.
With a man like him, his prime is whatever he says it is. 😂😂😂
And kept in mma till he was 57
Tapped out by a guy half his size lol
The early days were so raw man. Love that stuff!
I legit just took a private lesson from Dan Severn. So much knowledge given in just 1hr. A true legend.
Ask him about his tap out to Royce, I did. He got mad and denied he taped out. I lost respect 4 him, no shame in loosing to a master, and he gave Royce a hard time. He had no reason to be ashamed and pretend he did not tap.
@Dude he did talk about that fight but not about the tap (I didn't ask) but you could tell he wasn't happy about it and has a dislike there whether towards Royce/ the gracies or the fight in general idk, but I wasn't interested in digging because I was there to learn and work on things for my game.
@Speeves yeah, best u stuck to learning, woukd suck if you bruised his ego and he asked u ti leave. When I spoke to him it was withing a yr of 2 of that fight. I figured by now he came to understand how effective Gracie JuJitsu is and would not feel like it was weak to loose to a master. But he was a real fighter with real skill, can't take that away from him. Look how long it took Royce to tap him, he has that to be proud of.
how can I get to train with him?
@jj3287 idk lol my gym brought him in for a seminar and we had the opportunity to sign up for private lessons while he was in town.
Severn. What a legend
What a legend. I got into mma much later so missed out on this mans incredible style and story. Thanks
When I was a child and I use to play Final Fight, Mike Haggar always reminded me to Dan Severn!!
Haggar was also in the 1st Capcom Street Fighter game, right? Before some people broke away from Capcom to form SNK.
That Oleg fella may have technically lost, but he went further than the distance and was still standing, thats impressive
Dan's mustache tested positive for steroids.
And Crabs.
😂😂😂
That makes the only thing UFC tested for PEDs.
One thing that I'll never , ever forget is the sight of Dan hoisting both the UFC and the prestigious NWA belts over his hesd . Being a devoted Pro Wrestling fan and also a life long Mattial Arts enthusiast , i was witnessing something that i had , since
childhood , played in my head over and over .
Well that’s gay lol
@@ClutchClick... said a random dude, chewing on the asphalt.
@@ArissXAS I chew on asphalt because pro wrestling is gay? Ok bro. Have fun being gay
@@ArissXAS This comment is also gay lmfao
I miss seeing pure styles of Martial Arts facing each other soo epic, Nowadays in MMA everyone trains everything Striker trains Grappling and Grappler trains striking everything has evolved.
Watch Street Beefs and you see mixed fighting styles colliding and how BJJ still wins every time (even against wrestlers).
Well severn used striking and kicking, which is not common in his sport. Had he used that in his first fight with gracie, gracie would have lost.
The game has evolved for sure but it isn't nearly as interesting as it was back then.
Pure styles facing each other was one of the greatest selling points of the early UFC. Not gonna lie I loved the circus aspect of it.
Everyone's style is homogenized now. I preferred the styles clash of the old days as well.
@@djdoc06 Oh completely. Everyone had to adapt. I guess it was only natural. Adding weight classes, again a natural progression, also helped with this homogenized style.
Wrestling is a martial art. Japanese Jujutsu came from Japanese wrestling and various Chinese arts. The triangle choke is not a Brazilian move. It was used in Judo long before BJJ and in Japanese Jujutsu long before Judo. In fact, Dan actually practiced Jujutsu when he competed in Japan.
Really cool to find out he's a big Jujutsu and Judo guy. I train Japanese Jujutsu 45 minutes south of Flint, Michigan. I thought he was just some wrestler but he hits really close to home for me, quite literally!
Nobody cares.
I would argue that wrestling is a contender for the number 1 martial art, if there is such a thing. You DO NOT want to tangle with a skilled wrestler. They will break whatever ego you may have quickly.
@@MrEazyE357 you do realize that judo and jujitsu has been wrestling more times than you can count. 😂😂
Bjj came from judo brah
This is gem! Thank you Sir
My best friend in highschool was a massive fan of "The Beast". I wasn't a huge UFC guy at the time, and being able to watch this bit of history gives me some perspective as to why my friend was such a huge supporter of Severn. Respect!
It's always good to see respectful videos about individual carriers. Nice
Dan was a true pioneer of the sport and every fighter on earth owes him a piece of his own game.
Dan Severn was/is strong as all hell. Old UFC was by far the most technical and realistic in my opinion. Everyone ‘run what you brung’…each fighter was unique in how they fought, unlike now where EVERYONE is the same moves and combinations, etc. no variety in modern UFC. Dan Severn made Michigan proud with his fighting and midwestern morals, we still love him to this day!
Nowadays you have to be jack of all trades. Being really good at one thing just isn't enough. We sometimes get some uniqueness like Yair Rodriquez with his flying spin kicks or all the crazy ground control wrestlers from -stan countries, but the top guys like Volkanovski and Adessanya are just good in every position.
I don’t think they were more technical then today’s fighters, but I agree it was more realistic though. Since at first their wasn’t a time limit, no gloves, less rules, ect. But I’d say todays fighters are much more smarter and well rounded .
Probably much less technical, but pure fighters. Today's best are considerably more technical than the early UFC guys.
Lol
"D'Iam Noy bwaying gams I no detz bwastic wuuuuUhuhub!"
delusion to think old ufc was more technical lol, insane.
Dan and Don Fry's podcasts are so amazing! Funny, interesting and they're so endearing.
Not sure who I like to watch fight more, both are amazing combatants.
Imagine being a loudmouth at a bar some crass fool making a scene and Dan Severn and Don the Assassin Fry step to. Good thing Fry and Severn aren't bullies. It's funny hearing Don Frye talk about those early days and Mark Coleman one Coleman was injured and was gassed and was going to pull out of a tournament but he said that you looked around and saw that nobody else there even belong there he said if I send one of these guys out there they're going to get killed. So he fights thst was the fight where Coleman was so bad gassed he could barely stand after his last fight
@@superimposedfun Seeing Coleman beat up Don staggered me! I just couldn't imagine someone that tough!
Those old school UFC matches were brutal. They're lucky no one got killed. I remember watching them, though. It was obviously the birth of a whole new fighting sport.
Because, fights are stopped easily.
Compared to other combat sport like boxing and Muay Thai.
These were real good fights I don’t understand why you don't have more likes.
Thank you
Dude conquered the world singing Bohemian Rhapsody and years later joined to MMA and rule again. What a legend!!! 😅
Thinking the same thing 😅
He’s actually just a viltrumite
conquered AIDS too!
Yes I find him rather familiar too 😂
momma, just killed a man.
folded his butt up to his head, head a snap and now he's dead.
As a young man watching the early days of UFC I can truly say Dan Severn was a Beast and greatly admired and feared. He was brutal, yet it’s amazing that he had restraint while being so. Early MMA was ridiculous, modern day gladiator matches except without death ☠️
I wonder of Dan Severn van beat Kurt Angle
@@Robd07 Dan Severn in his prime… ABSOLUTELY. To know that he was pulling punches in the era on true No Holds Barred is crazy. They were doing prolonged groin shots back then. Early era of UFC was INSANE!
@@BiblicalHebrewAwakening i watched ufc in the 90s as a kid but only now discovered Dan on what he did! Hes a beast!
And big John single handedly takes over all of the fights .. what a perfect man to officiate the Octagon 💪💪
I enjoyed this a lot. Thank you. I was craving some knowledge about the early UFC and this hit so many bells. Some of the things that were allowed back in the day were gnarly.
Anybody who does not consider wrestling a martial art, did not remember the great Gene hackenschmidt.
Jean hackenschmidt was a wrestling legend from the late 1800$. He was an immensely strong individual, even by today's standards.
He had wrestling matches with other great wrestlers of his age that lasted for hours.
It's really boring. Just hugging someone to submission.
@@Jlk-rm1jv Hugging someone very tightly
George Hackenschmidt?
@@pauldarthurs No, Gene or Jean, he can´t decide 🙂 And I think it was closer to 1850$.
@@Jlk-rm1jvpunching is dumb and risky. Grappling is the most efficient and effective form of fightinf. Bjj and this guy proved that
Seeing Dan with that NWA heavyweight belt is priceless!!
The Man, The Myth, The Legend, The Beast. Dan Severn.
Perdeu para um brasileiro magrelo
@@fabianojdp Perdeu apenas pq o Severn nesse momento não encheu a cara dele de porrada, senão teria perdido. kkkkk Depois picou a mula pq sabia que numa revanche iria perder. A história está toda aí no vídeo.
Wow, The Beast was incredible. I'm not much into this type of fighting, but this video made a fan out of me. Amazing fighter. Great video.
He is a rare breed. Despite his size and body type, he didn't get winded. The last fight he wasn't even breathing heavy. That my friends, is a dangerous fighter to face. Big, powerfull, skillful and has a tons of stamina. Wouldn't want to fight a guy like that on the street.
He was one of the main reasons catch wrestling was integrated into the mix
I once owned a book on classic 19th century wrestling and there was a guy in it of whom I only remember that he was an instructor at West Point, had a physique standing out from the other barrel-chested guys, gave the tip to avoid starchy food and Dan Severn very much looking like him.
These crazy old days of UFC, literally about as ultimate fights can get below combat. I recall these guys showing up in their respective attire, testing representing their arts (with bar brawling officially qualifying as such) as much as testing their individual skills. Each fight had the potential to come to some interesting conclusion, people getting defeated by techniques they did not know like Severn getting caught in Gracie's leg triangle. That showed that technique could actually defeat a physically superior opponent if caught unawares. Nowadays, the art has evolved to such an extent that 95% of all possible techniques seem nullified, impressive but not necessarily more interesting to watch.
What a legend, thank you for such a professional video.
I was at the Severn vs Shamrock superfight in Detroit 1996. We watched them circle around each other for 20 minutes before finally locking up. Shortly after they were separated and then they continued to circle for the rest of the bout. It was boring and there was plenty of jeers. We were even chanting let's go Red Wings, the popular NHL team, to break up our boredom during the so called fight.
Lmao, I watched on VHS, but remember this. 😂 It was nice to see the UFC evolve a bit and add rounds and rules to force them to engage
Wasn't this the event where they would get arrested if they punched each other? Lmao
Very well researched and presented, good work! Dan really is the beast!
Awesome mustache, no nonsense fight style and outfit. Dan was the man.
A very enjoyable video, I thank you.
The rules of these contests were brutal. I remember watching the first one and I was in shock. But in the other hand it was good seeing martial arts stress tested with real fights. As a martial artist myself, it cemented in me, that sports, rule bound sparring was a safe way to develop skills, NOT a way to prepare for real self-defense situations against all fighters.
I mean if you look at KOTS you can get a better idea of what street stuff looks like because they allow eye gouges and its kinda fucked
@@badart3204
Throw in biting and groin punches and you’d have a real street fight. None of this UFC BJJ crap works in a real life and death fight where two human beings are wrapped together like a pretzel. You bite a chunk out of someone’s arm or calf, you bite someone’s ear off……no one can sustain that level of pain before they release or want to break away. You smash someone’s balls in a real fight and things change quickly. As a sport these old UFC fights were awesome.
the rules are no rules
One of my favorite old school fighter
Those are still classic days of UFC!
This guy proved that no matter what your school.is what really matters is how you uses it. His style is simple but quick and effective. He's a very respectful fighter and the most effective I have ever see.
I remember watching UFC when I was young and had to rent them from the video store because it was too brutal for cable TV. Back then, it seemed to be the prerogative of each fighter to showcase their particular martial art. It was awesome. To be honest, without that, and with all modern fighters using the same style essentially, it's just not as exciting.
Yea that's what it's all about. Mma is lame now everyone does the same thing
Dan was the man back in the day. His matches with Ken Shamrock were always awesome.
Dan is NOT only a GREAT fighter, but an absolute gentleman as well. (Okay, so "outside" of the Octagon, a gentleman. Inside the Octagon, he would flip a switch and become THE BEAST!!!!!!!)
Excellent narration!
Great job explaining the difference between early UFC with no rules, compared to MMA today. The "Beast" proved that wrestling is the ultimate unarmed combat sport!
1v1
This video is Gold especially with all of the og fighters and living legends who helped lay the foundation of what we have today 😅 it's actually crazy these gentlemen were fighting bare knuckles with minimal rules
Dan was a class act and admirable champion.
Respect to all those fighters who stepped in the octogon. Takes balls and putting your ego on the line
It’s for idiots. Human beings devolving into animals by attention on violence . Sad
Ego and health. Gotta respect that.
very informative video, I love this. Im not a consistent fan of martial art leagues and tournaments but I loved watching this video on Dan Severn! I was shown what just a high school champ (let alone a world champ) can do with wrestling one time, its no joke!
Always love reliving Severn's mauling of Tank Abbott....always a personal favorite of mine. That showed TRULY how tough, skilled and focused Dan Severn was...The BEAST was the MAN