It was November 12, 1993, in Denver, Colorado. The McNichols Sports Arena wasn't exactly the MGM Grand, and the vibe was more "blood sport" than "Olympic discipline." People were there to see a question answered: which martial art is actually the best? You had a sumo wrestler, a kickboxer, a savate fighter, and a guy wearing one boxing glove. Seriously.
But when we talk about who won UFC 1, the name that changed everything is Royce Gracie.
He wasn't the biggest guy. Not by a long shot. He walked into that Octagon looking like a guy who might teach your neighborhood yoga class, wearing a plain white gi that looked way too baggy for a cage fight. But by the end of the night, Royce had submitted three different opponents and walked away with a $50,000 check.
The Night Royce Gracie Proved Everyone Wrong
Most people expected the massive strikers to just delete whoever they touched. Gerard Gordeau, a savate expert from the Netherlands, started the night by literally kicking a tooth out of Teila Tuli's mouth. It was terrifying. The crowd was ready for a knockout festival.
Then Royce showed up.
In his first match, he went against Art Jimmerson. Art was a professional boxer who, for some reason, decided to wear one boxing glove. Just one. He looked confused from the second the bell rang. Royce didn't even punch him. He just took him down, sat on him, and Art tapped out before anything even happened. It was a bizarre start, but it was just a preview.
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The Real Challenge: Ken Shamrock
If you want to know who won UFC 1, you have to look at the semi-final. This was the real "holy crap" moment. Ken Shamrock was a physical specimen—a shoot-fighter who actually knew how to grapple. He looked like he was carved out of granite.
Shamrock was confident. Maybe too confident.
Royce got him to the ground, but Shamrock actually seemed to have the advantage for a second. Then, in a flash, Royce wrapped his legs around him and sunk in a rear-naked choke. Shamrock tapped, but the ref didn't see it. Royce held on for an extra second until the ref finally stepped in. This win was the turning point. It proved that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) wasn't just a gimmick; it could take down a world-class athlete who was twice as strong as the guy doing the choking.
The Finals: Royce Gracie vs. Gerard Gordeau
By the time the final match rolled around, the arena was buzzing. Gerard Gordeau had been destroying people all night. He was the "villain" of the tournament, known for being incredibly brutal.
Royce didn't care.
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The fight lasted less than two minutes. Royce did what he did all night: he closed the distance, avoided the big strikes, and dragged Gordeau into deep water. He secured another rear-naked choke. Gordeau tapped, Royce won, and the world of martial arts was officially upside down.
Honestly, the crazy part isn't just that Royce won. It’s that he didn't get hit. Like, at all. Throughout the entire tournament, the guy who won UFC 1 barely took a scratch while he was dismantling guys who looked like they belonged in a Saturday morning cartoon.
Why It Still Matters in 2026
You might wonder why we're still talking about a tournament from over 30 years ago. It’s because UFC 1 was the "Big Bang" for what we now call Mixed Martial Arts. Before this, everyone stayed in their lane. Boxers boxed. Karate guys did karate.
After Royce Gracie won, everyone realized that if you don't know how to fight on the ground, you're basically a fish out of water. Every single fighter in the UFC today, from Jon Jones to Islam Makhachev, owes their career to the blueprint Royce laid down that night in Denver.
Breaking Down the UFC 1 Bracket
It’s easy to forget how chaotic the actual bracket was. It wasn't a clean 1-2-3-4 setup like a modern tournament. Here is basically how the night shook out:
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- Quarter-Finals: Gerard Gordeau TKOs Teila Tuli (the tooth incident); Kevin Rosier beats Zane Frazier in a wild brawl; Royce Gracie submits Art Jimmerson (the one-glove guy); Ken Shamrock submits Patrick Smith.
- Semi-Finals: Gordeau beats Kevin Rosier (Rosier's corner threw in the towel because he was exhausted); Royce Gracie submits Ken Shamrock in under a minute.
- The Final: Royce Gracie submits Gerard Gordeau with a rear-naked choke at 1:44.
The Myth of the "Small" Fighter
One thing that gets exaggerated is Royce's size. People act like he was 130 pounds. He wasn't. He was about 175 pounds and 6'1". He was lean, sure, but he wasn't a "tiny" person.
The reason he looked small was because his opponents were giants. Teila Tuli was over 400 pounds. Ken Shamrock was a mountain of muscle. Royce’s victory wasn't just about "small vs big"—it was about "knowledge vs ignorance." He knew something they didn't. He knew how to control a human body on the floor.
The Gracie family actually chose Royce to represent them specifically because he didn't look like a killer. They wanted to prove that their system was so effective that even the "skinny" brother could win. If they had sent Rickson Gracie (who was much more muscular and terrifying), people might have just said, "Oh, that guy is a beast." By sending Royce, they made it about the technique, not the athlete.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Martial Artists
If you're a fan of the sport or thinking about training, the legacy of who won UFC 1 offers a few real takeaways:
- Ground Game is Non-Negotiable: You can be the best striker in the world, but if you can't defend a takedown or survive on your back, you're vulnerable. This is as true today as it was in '93.
- Calmness Wins: Watch the footage of Royce. He never looks panicked. Even when Shamrock is on top of him, he stays composed. Stress makes you gas out; technique keeps you efficient.
- Efficiency over Power: Royce didn't win by being stronger. He won by using leverage. If you're starting martial arts, focus on the "why" of a movement rather than just trying to muscle through it.
If you want to see the footage for yourself, it's all on UFC Fight Pass. It’s worth watching just for the 90s fashion and the look of pure confusion on the commentators' faces when they try to explain what a "choke" is. They literally didn't have the vocabulary for it back then.
To really understand the modern UFC, you have to watch the original. It was raw, it was weird, and it changed the way we think about human combat forever. Royce Gracie didn't just win a trophy; he started a global phenomenon.
Next Steps for You:
Check out the highlights of the Royce Gracie vs. Ken Shamrock fight. Notice how Royce uses his gi to help control Shamrock's posture—a move that would be illegal in most modern MMA but was totally fine back then. After that, look up "Gracie Breakdown" on YouTube to see Royce’s nephews explain the specific mechanics of how he pulled those submissions off. It’ll give you a whole new appreciation for the "gentle art."