MMA reporter Susan Cingari interviews Art Davie

Art discusses the first UFC in his book Is This Legal? The Inside Story of the First UFC from the Man Who Created it. Art talks about the Gracies, SEG, Chuck Norris and the ten fighters who competed in UFC 1. Art always identifies his favorite fighters over the years.

Goes down as one of Art Davie’s most interesting interviews.

Here’s the link:

http://youtu.be/_f60SVVe6RU .

IS THIS LEGAL?

On November 12, 1993, in Denver, Colorado, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) unleashed an explosion of blood – both figuratively and literally – as 6’5” Dutch kickboxer Gerard Gordeau smashed 420 lb. sumo wrestler Teila Tuli flush in the face, less than 30 seconds into the night’s opening fight. The kick sent one of Tuli’s teeth flying into the crowd, instantly establishing that, as one of the commentators said that night, “fighting is not what we thought it was.”

The UFC’s launch came with virtually no warning or fanfare. Yet nearly 90,000 households ordered and watched the event on pay-per-view television. This style-versus-style martial arts tournament was the creation of Art Davie, an ad man and serial entrepreneur who first conjured the idea four years prior.

Now, for the first time, the true story about the creation of mixed martial arts and the inaugural UFC is told by the man who started it all. Equal parts Abner Doubleday, PT Barnum, and Dr. James Naismith, Davie explains how he turned his vision, of a single-night tournament involving the greatest martial arts fighters, into the first UFC, which now stands as an international billion-dollar sports franchise.

This vivid and fast-moving first-person account explores Davie’s adventures navigating through a world of financial risks, political power-plays, egotistical fighters, family feuds, and numerous powder-keg situations – all to answer the age-old question of who is the world’s best fighter?

Written with noted MMA television play-by-play commentator Sean Wheelock (with the foreword by legendary MMA referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy), Is This Legal? is not just for fight fans, but also for anybody who appreciates the tale of a maverick who’ll stop at nothing to fulfill his vision and achieve his dreams.

Is This Legal? also features a highly improbable cast of characters, including Academy Award nominee John Milius, NFL Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, action film star Chuck Norris, kickboxing champ Benny ‘The Jet’ Urquidez, Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Rorion Gracie and pay-per-view TV pioneer Bob Meyrowitz.

With the creation of the UFC, Art Davie started a revolution in the world of martial arts. And this revolution was televised.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SIX-PART “ART DAVIE SPEAKS OUT” VIDEO SERIES
DEBUTS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22… RUNS THRU 11/26/14
Los Angeles, CA –
In conjunction with the 21st anniversary of ‘UFC 1: The Beginning,’ the UFC’s inaugural event from 1993, the University of MMA has produced a six-part video interview series featuring Art Davie, creator of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The first episode will launch this Wednesday, October 22, at 11:00am PST on the University of MMA’s YouTube channel (www.YouTube.com/UofMMA).

Entitled ‘Art Davie Speaks Out,’ the series will spotlight Mr. Davie’s thoughts on several topics related to the creation and evolution of mixed martial arts in North America.

HERE ARE THE LINKS:

EPISODE 1…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVMTDEJLtvM&list=PLaDolmsQ2vH9M0xdcXZberwoPUelxaKGc&index=2

EPISODE 2…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIPq_TYYALA&list=PLaDolmsQ2vH9M0xdcXZberwoPUelxaKGc&index=3

EPISODE 3…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOxNAcsPguc&index=4&list=PLaDolmsQ2vH9M0xdcXZberwoPUelxaKGc

EPISODE 4…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjwU-IkQq0o&list=PLaDolmsQ2vH9M0xdcXZberwoPUelxaKGc&index=5

EPISODE 5…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvLJUQdygbk&index=6&list=PLaDolmsQ2vH9M0xdcXZberwoPUelxaKGc

EPISODE 6…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufrRs5GcE-g

Is This Legal?

On July 1, Mr. Davie’s tell-all memoir, Is This Legal? The Inside Story of the First UFC From the Man Who Created It, hit Amazon.com and bookstores across the country. Since it’s launch, Is This Legal? has ranked at the top of Amazon.com’s martial arts biographies numerous times in both the digital and hardcover categories.
The University of MMA interviewed the pioneering promoter to commemorate his appearance and book signing at the U’s previous show, Fight Night 8. Originally intended as a two-part interview, the discussion proved to be substantial enough to expand into a larger series.
“I’m a firm believer that knowing one’s history is an important part of evolution, whether you’re talking about people, sports, society at large, or whatever. It was an honor just to have Art at our show. Now, to have this interview series as part of the U’s library, is a company high water mark for us,” said University of MMA matchmaker Jay Tan.
“To say that Art Davie is a legend is an understatement. Whatever a legend is, he’s several notches above that,” added University of MMA founder Turi Altavilla. “Without his vision and the courage to pursue that vision, chances are we’d all be doing something a lot different than being involved in MMA.”
When informed of the plans to break the interview up into multiple installments, Mr. Davie noted “this was one of the most penetrating and incisive interviews that I’ve enjoyed since the book was released in July. I’m thrilled that the (University of MMA videographer/editor) Bob Skolnick was able to take what we recorded and expand it into something larger,” said Mr. Davie. Among the topics Mr. Davie discusses are his relationship with Rorion Gracie, why he wrote Is This Legal?, the fighters of UFC 1, how the ‘UFC’ name was conceived, the evolution of MMA, and his views on amateur MMA.
***** ***** ***** ***** ****
CONTACT: Either Jay Tan at jaytan@UofMMA.com and (213) 618-0332 or Turi Altavilla at turi@UofMMA.com and (310) 701-8331.
***** ***** ***** ***** ****
ABOUT THE University of MMA (www.UofMMA.com): The University of Mixed Martial Arts (aka “The U of MMA”) is a Los Angeles-based fight promotion specializing in exciting, high-octane, upscale amateur MMA events around the Southern California region. Its mandate is to provide a stage for young, aspiring fighters to hone their MMA skills and develop themselves as marketable personalities and respectable ambassadors of the sport. The U of MMA was founded in 2010, and ran its first show on September 19th of that year at the Irvine Mariott in Irvine, CA, as part of the inaugural California Amateur MMA Organization (CAMO) State Tournament. The U of MMA serves as a scouting show for professional organizations such as King of the Cage and the Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA). Each event is sanctioned by the CAMO, which upholds the highest safety standards in the nation for amateur competition. The team behind the U of MMA collectively has over 20 years of professional promoting experience at the highest level of the sport, including international and domestic events which were broadcast on pay-per-view, cable, and network television in the United States, Japan, and Great Britain. For tomorrow’s MMA stars and champions … IT STARTS HERE!