Big Tuli lost a fight but imagine the balls it took to be the first man inside that cage and not knowing what to expect. I've seen guys in street fights rolling around trying to get arm bars while knocking out all the people rushing us. This man is part of why we have the sport today. First to sign contract and step in cage.
I still remember the day in 1993 this happened. At that time, all of us so called tough guys knew we had to step up our game to learn Jiu Jitsu & Kick Boxing. These men truly changed the fight world.
Looking back at the first tournament, it's absolutely incredible that the refs didn't even recognize tap outs. Several guys tapped out, and the refs didn't react whatsoever. Did the refs receive any training at all?
What a guy. No one really knew what to expect until that first fight. Had he really understood, the fight might have went differently. Even after the kick he didn't want to stop when a lesser man would have been out cold. Much respect.
He only had a single MMA match,,, he was stopped by a kick before he was able to touch the guys face.. He was 57-27-14 in Sumo matches. He moved on and had several appearances as a bit actor in TV and films.
Mad respect for being the first man to sign that contract when everyone else was concerned for what they were getting into, even if he loss, he had balls of steel to take a kick to the face a rise back up to do an interviewyears later and still holds no harsh resentment or regret and was blessed to be involved in the first fight that started it all and like the universe it will forever be expanded from the First ufc to what it is now, god bless brother.
This guy is A legend like it or not. that kick he took to his chin was destroyng for his confidence as a fighter but this guy should walk with his head way up in the air like a true warrior .whitout this guy there whould be no ufc that people whould be watching that kick changed evrything. Respect!
Glad to see you guys as Sherdog upping your game. Nice interview series. Even now, after the UFC site has almost the same info, I still go to your site to look up fighters and their histories out of respect to your pioneering spirit in MMA.
Persistent training through injuries, excepting any fight and taking lessons learned into the rest of your life her commendable things for anyone with that kind of heart and likable spirit. Much respect always!
Bas rutten Told he only got in the ufc when they put a referee in the cage to. The first fighters are legends. Winner or loser . You have balls stepping in the cage.
It takes a lot of guts being the first fight in the ufc not knowing what to expect. We know now what will happen but this guy even though he lost is a tough guy and a pioneer
Greetings Mr Tailor Wiley . my name is fahmi and i have just discover your fight 20 years ago on youtube 5 minutes ago. just to let you know, that it was a phenomenal effort u give that day and i admire that. you have lived the life of a man, get bullied, get back up on 2 feet, keep winning and go to japan, still appreciating knowledge years later, man, you are a great person, and a great fighter. i will remember your story till i die. its an inspiration for me. all the way from malaysia. im your fan now. peace out and i hope u will read this. thanks for this. deeply gratefull
@@emmyjasin yup that’s him! Haha some of my family got to work with the show and they all had great things to say about him, his attitude is just like this video 😂. Hope you’re staying safe! 🤙🏻
@@trapkoala8901 thanks for sharing this with me man, haha yeah u too stay safe. Im a bikers and a banker so its good social distancing. Been trying to stay clean and healthy this year.
Much respect !! And only real fighters who's been there really know what's He's talking about. When your mind goes into survival mode ; It becomes between life or death. At that time your killing instinct will kick in. Fighting is as good when it has rules but when there's no rules - It's a question of life or death.
I've watched videos before and wondered what about them makes someone "thumbs down" it...but what...on this good Earth, did 3 people see in this video they didn't like...Tuli was an original UFC tough man...went bad for him, but look at him, he's a big, lovable, full of gratefulness for the chance to be a part of it, and seems like one of the few remaining people in the world I'd like to hang out with...what's wrong with you 3???
I know right? Seriously ridiculous there are 18 dislikes. I was there watching ufc from the very beginning & these were true pioneers & warriors hands down! Sorry, just getting jaded by all the thumbs down on the internet. They'll pretty much thumb down a rainbow, a puppy & a cute laughing baby these days. Well then negative trollers. Here is your "reward" if you wanna call it that. I just made you famous and I do hope you give me a thumbs down just so you can feel like your ego smiles within that dark & gloomy place in those sad little hearts of yours. Lol.
@@joshwilliams2271 probably just people who hate mma, alot of babies out there crying "bloodsport" and calling it savage and uncivilized. I cant really disagree, it is savage but thats what makes it great. Its a primal sport, 1v1 two men going to war
Great guy. No reason to be ashamed at all. He had the guts of a champion. And if he would have fought with the rules now, it very well could have been a different story.
Forgetting Sarah Marshal 😯 when I watched that show n seen this big Hawaiian n i knew I seen him somewhere before, so tonight I watched UFC’s first fight cause I remember watching highlights of this brutal kick to the face so I watched the whole fight n realized HEY I SEEN HIM SOMEWHERE BEFORE back n fourth in my mind lol Teila Tuli. Awesome. Had to google his name n look at movie credits n yup it’s him
I really can't picture ANYBODY I've watched over the last 25 yrs of UFC being able to take a full kick straight to the chops and not get knocked out like this dude was able to do. One tough thick headed guy. However .......it doesn't sound like he got kicked in the mouth 20 yrs ago......he sounds like he got kicked 20 minutes ago...COME ON! YOU WANNA PIECE OF ME! TELL ME I'M A KEYBOARD WARRIOR! DO IT! DO IT NOW! YOU KNOW YOU WANNA!!! ................................................ 'yipe'
Big Tuli lost a fight but imagine the balls it took to be the first man inside that cage and not knowing what to expect. I've seen guys in street fights rolling around trying to get arm bars while knocking out all the people rushing us. This man is part of why we have the sport today. First to sign contract and step in cage.
It was no holds barred he knew what he was getting into. Props for the balls but thought he is bigger nothing bad can happen. Wrong.
Mike Semon you goddamn right!
Mike Semon Knocking out people rushing in while rolling around attempting armbars? Sounds difficult.
@@ShiddyShad808 It wasn't difficult for Royce Gracie
@@ShiddyShad808 Yeah idk what the fuck he meant by that lmfao... sounds like his imagination ran wild.
Big T's Shrimp truck. Awesome, he's done better than most UFC veterans.
He's played Kamekona on Hawaii 5-0 for the past 7 years as well
he was in Adam Sandler movie as well . 50 first dates.
also forgetting Sarah Marshall
Wow, and here I was being impressed by the Shrimp Truck. The guy is a rockstar!
What a great guy honest humble nothing but great wishes to him
Seems like a really cool and likable guy. Sorry, but that headkick was one of my favorite moments from the early UFCs.
I don't understand why people like that fight so much, it was like 2 seconds long.
@@shatterpointgames no one really cares for it
wrestlers are lucky the american top team changed the rules
He seems like the most sincere and kind man on earth.
20 years he looks the same
So true.
Islanders seem to age differently
I still remember the day in 1993 this happened. At that time, all of us so called tough guys knew we had to step up our game to learn Jiu Jitsu & Kick Boxing. These men truly changed the fight world.
This guy will forever be in history as long as UFC stays relevant.
Crazy
What a good man. The first time I ever watched his fight, I felt bad. Refs didn't have a clue what they were doing the entire tournament.
Looking back at the first tournament, it's absolutely incredible that the refs didn't even recognize tap outs. Several guys tapped out, and the refs didn't react whatsoever. Did the refs receive any training at all?
That was the craziest fight ever. Got his Teeth Kicked out of his mouth.
The Barbaric days. No Rules, No Weight Class.
What a guy. No one really knew what to expect until that first fight. Had he really understood, the fight might have went differently. Even after the kick he didn't want to stop when a lesser man would have been out cold. Much respect.
If he had trained in boxing and some greco-roman for a month or two he could of probably done somewhat decently.
Guy would have ended up with no teeth if he kept going
I respect this man for doing this interview. Very truthful and and simple. You can't win everytime. Although you can with Shrimp. Go get them Sir!
How has he not aged. Royce looks like Helio these days and this guy looks exactly the same!!!
Pacific Islanders age really well it seems. If they keep their vices like drinking and drugs to a minimum, they age well.
A bit of fat can make you look younger because it smooths out wrinkles.
He hasn't aged a day. His strongest muscle is his heart.
Rest in peace he’ll forever be in our hearts
Massive respect man! Would certainly give him props if I ever met him! Warrior, and what sounds like a damn cool dude too!
He was suppose to have a bad reputation in MMA for eye gouging. Now I do not know if this is true I only read about it.
He only had a single MMA match,,, he was stopped by a kick before he was able to touch the guys face.. He was 57-27-14 in Sumo matches. He moved on and had several appearances as a bit actor in TV and films.
This guy has nothing to regret or be ashamed of. There's a loser in every fight, he just happened to be 1st in the order.
What a COOL guy! God bless him!
I wish I was as tough as this guy... now this guy is a truly tough man.
Mad respect for being the first man to sign that contract when everyone else was concerned for what they were getting into, even if he loss, he had balls of steel to take a kick to the face a rise back up to do an interviewyears later and still holds no harsh resentment or regret and was blessed to be involved in the first fight that started it all and like the universe it will forever be expanded from the First ufc to what it is now, god bless brother.
You gotta have guts to sign the contract then. Great respect.
Oh he has guts they weigh more than i do
Big respect to this man a true UFC legend.
Rest in Love Big T! ❤
This guy is A legend like it or not. that kick he took to his chin was destroyng for his confidence as a fighter but this guy should walk with his head way up in the air like a true warrior .whitout this guy there whould be no ufc that people whould be watching that kick changed evrything. Respect!
Glad to see you guys as Sherdog upping your game. Nice interview series. Even now, after the UFC site has almost the same info, I still go to your site to look up fighters and their histories out of respect to your pioneering spirit in MMA.
I watched that entire UFC, you did a good job bro... Keep your head up ✊🏾
Very insightful interview. Really glad I saw this. Respect to Teila for his courage and honestly. Anything can happen in that cage.
Persistent training through injuries, excepting any fight and taking lessons learned into the rest of your life her commendable things for anyone with that kind of heart and likable spirit. Much respect always!
Pioneer. Respect.
He was the Hardest muthafucka in UFC 1 and we had no idea haha he is epic!
Are you immortal, SIR?? Havent aged!! Respect to all those first guys! It was just insane...brave people
Really enjoyed this interview. Thanks.
Thanks for taking the kick bro 💪
I was wondering what happened to him. Glad to see he is doing well.
Humbled man much respect
Teila Tuli, Thank you, Sir. Salute. 😎🙌🏾💯
The first ufc fight ever, cool
Every single fighter who stepped into the octagon at that first UFC is legendary imho.
Taylor , i hope You see this .
You , my friend , are a damn good man. A real dude is a rare breed now a days
I have so much respect for him after hearing this interview.
"Are those sad tissues or happy tissues?" Forgetting Sarah Marshall
GREAT stuff from Sherdog!!
20 years later he looks the same--- but new front teeth!
Oh my God, he was so great human being, rest in peace good man
I love this guy
Bas rutten Told he only got in the ufc when they put a referee in the cage to. The first fighters are legends. Winner or loser . You have balls stepping in the cage.
There was a referee in the first.
He means whenever they gave refs the power to stop it tho. Kind of confusing cause bas worded it broadly
I WON A CASE OF SPAM AND SOME RICE
omg best looping clip every at 1:21 PLAY FOR 5 SECONDS
Wat?
oh my god I exploded into laughter when I heard that line, solid gold
Spam is a delicacy in some cultures.
@@jeffertonalive8536 because it is.
Spam is a delicacy on the REZ
Those guys made whats ufc today. I dont longer watch it but it use to be something back in a day
"Are those happy tissues or sad tissues?"....Big T was in Forgetting Sarah Marshall😂😂😂😂
Alex Scott also a major character in the current Hawaii 50
Great man
I only remember him and Royce. He's part of history and he should be proud of himself.
huge respect brother
It takes a lot of guts being the first fight in the ufc not knowing what to expect. We know now what will happen but this guy even though he lost is a tough guy and a pioneer
Much respect
You got big balls bro cause I sure the hell would not step in that cage especially back then when it was crazy
Awesome interview!
Greetings Mr Tailor Wiley . my name is fahmi and i have just discover your fight 20 years ago on youtube 5 minutes ago. just to let you know, that it was a phenomenal effort u give that day and i admire that. you have lived the life of a man, get bullied, get back up on 2 feet, keep winning and go to japan, still appreciating knowledge years later, man, you are a great person, and a great fighter. i will remember your story till i die. its an inspiration for me. all the way from
malaysia. im your fan now. peace out and i hope u will read this. thanks for this. deeply gratefull
Hey if you like his attitude here, he’s in a TV show called Hawai’i 5-0 he’s really funny in it. Greetings from Hawaii 🤙🏻
@@trapkoala8901 dude i love that show. Didnt know thats him. Hes the shrimp truck guy?
Foodtruck. Now i know thats him hahah thanks for the info
@@emmyjasin yup that’s him! Haha some of my family got to work with the show and they all had great things to say about him, his attitude is just like this video 😂. Hope you’re staying safe! 🤙🏻
@@trapkoala8901 thanks for sharing this with me man, haha yeah u too stay safe. Im a bikers and a banker so its good social distancing. Been trying to stay clean and healthy this year.
Much respect !!
And only real fighters who's been there really know what's He's talking about.
When your mind goes into survival mode ; It becomes between life or death.
At that time your killing instinct will kick in.
Fighting is as good when it has rules but when there's no rules - It's a question of life or death.
Big MAN with big HEART
Thanks champ
This Guy Doesn't realize he's a Legend in MMA world
I love this guy! He's cool.
What a cool dude
Very cool interview.
That kick he took to his eye from Gordeau scared the shit out of me, brutal as fuck.
Legend!!!
I like this guy!!! Typical cool 🇼🇸 Samoan.
Hell Yeah his strongest muscle is his heart.. respect ❤
I've watched videos before and wondered what about them makes someone "thumbs down" it...but what...on this good Earth, did 3 people see in this video they didn't like...Tuli was an original UFC tough man...went bad for him, but look at him, he's a big, lovable, full of gratefulness for the chance to be a part of it, and seems like one of the few remaining people in the world I'd like to hang out with...what's wrong with you 3???
I know right? Seriously ridiculous there are 18 dislikes. I was there watching ufc from the very beginning & these were true pioneers & warriors hands down! Sorry, just getting jaded by all the thumbs down on the internet. They'll pretty much thumb down a rainbow, a puppy & a cute laughing baby these days. Well then negative trollers. Here is your "reward" if you wanna call it that. I just made you famous and I do hope you give me a thumbs down just so you can feel like your ego smiles within that dark & gloomy place in those sad little hearts of yours. Lol.
@@joshwilliams2271 probably just people who hate mma, alot of babies out there crying "bloodsport" and calling it savage and uncivilized. I cant really disagree, it is savage but thats what makes it great. Its a primal sport, 1v1 two men going to war
Has not aged one bit.
Taylor, if you read this, all respect.
This guy us tough as nails. Respect.
If only he wore a mouth guard
Thats what you call class. Salute
Great guy. No reason to be ashamed at all. He had the guts of a champion. And if he would have fought with the rules now, it very well could have been a different story.
Respect!
The ending @ 9:35 is the funniest part of this interview, HILARIOUS!!!
Dude got his chiclets knocked out into the front row!!!!
Seems like a really cool guy
Fucking gangsta straight boss
New tuffest Samoan
Forgetting Sarah Marshal 😯 when I watched that show n seen this big Hawaiian n i knew I seen him somewhere before, so tonight I watched UFC’s first fight cause I remember watching highlights of this brutal kick to the face so I watched the whole fight n realized HEY I SEEN HIM SOMEWHERE BEFORE back n fourth in my mind lol Teila Tuli. Awesome. Had to google his name n look at movie credits n yup it’s him
I love this guy! Aloha brutha 🤙
Too funny this guy really does have a Shrimp Truck... not just part of his character on Hawaii Five-O where he has a Shrimp Truck
Ufc when it first came out was the best shit
I've seen him on Hawaii 5-0 and had no idea he was that guy. And he really sells shrimp? Very cool
Legend
What a cool guy.
I searched for first UFC fight ever and I noticed he’s from Hawaii Five-O 😂
It was the second fight actually. First was DeLucia vs Jenkins.
It was the first televised fight.
He had balls for sure.
You should have done more fights brother
Seems like a good guy.
Se ufa to tha birds! 🤟🏽 Malo og
Beautiful person
UFC 1 The Beginning
Really brave, to be first up
Wish he would’ve fought again. Would’ve been interesting to see him vs. a grappler
I watched the first fight, but I didn’t realize HE was the big guy until a couple of years ago.
I really can't picture ANYBODY I've watched over the last 25 yrs of UFC being able to take a full kick straight to the chops and not get knocked out like this dude was able to do. One tough thick headed guy. However .......it doesn't sound like he got kicked in the mouth 20 yrs ago......he sounds like he got kicked 20 minutes ago...COME ON! YOU WANNA PIECE OF ME! TELL ME I'M A KEYBOARD WARRIOR! DO IT! DO IT NOW! YOU KNOW YOU WANNA!!! ................................................ 'yipe'
MUD SPELLED BACKWARDS yep
Chatterbox
Lol
Lmao you sounded like you have brain damage
The dentist did a good job considering he got a lot of teeth knocked out on that fateful day.
at 6'2" 410 lbs. why the hell would you think that anyone else could possibly beat you.. big time respect
RIP big man!