And so, the UFC 4 tournament became a turning point in the history of sports and it was not a night of triumph, but it was the night of The Beast Dan Severn... #mma #sport 🔥 Edit by Pasha
Man , I ll never forget the first VHS of Ufc . My older brother and I watched it picking fighters . Abbott was our favorite. Being 7 years old my brother 17 we d set up the cushions in the living room like the octagon and he would proceed to kicking my ass . lol Fuck I miss those days and my older brother who was like my dad passed from brain cancer at age 38 . I d give anything to laugh with him and reminisce about the good old days..Sorry for the story seeing this just brings back great memorys..
sry for your loss... just as a very loosely-connected, off-color curiosity to share, one of my closest childhood friends passed from something along those lines (i didn't know him real well by that time). but he did tell me that this cancer might have had some kind of mild connection with the marijuana he smoked (based on what he told me, he was an extreme smoker when he got to college... one of those guys who smokes literally 5 times a day; goes to school high, writes term papers high, and gets straight As). he said studies found that incidents of neck and brain cancer were dramatically increased with heavy mary jane-partakers. i always wondered whether this was true or just bunk... briefly looked it up with differing results. some supporting info... idk
Thank you for sharing many of us here can relate to your pain. Keep those memories safe and keep living the best life you can thats what would have made him happy.
Both Dan and Tank were equally impressive to us early UFC fans. But as I watch this now at the age of 45, I am blown away at just how much was required of these guys in the cardio department that I couldn’t appreciate at the time. The idea of continuous fighting and wrestling for 27 minutes just sounds laughably impossible, considering today’s fights. You have to give it up for the sheer grit these guys had, literally willing to leave it all on the octagon.
I got to meet Dan back when I was trying to break into wrestling. The man is a true gentleman. One of the nicest, kindest individuals you'll ever meet. Quite the contrast compared to how ferocious he could be in the octagon.
I'm so happy you're showcasing this guy, I've always believed he was the real forerunner of wrestlers who made MMA what it is today. But way more impressive is you've also got to remember, Dan was 36 when he started his MMA career, and that alone by itself is amazing! People at 36 start to think retirement or do retire at around that age! Would've been great seeing Dan in 2021 at 23 years of age, he'd have been someone to reckon with.
Dan Severn's early UFC fights were the reason I wrestled in highschool. I ended up with a serious injury and had to give it up but those were the best 2 years of my life.
Dan and his son came to my family cabin for a weekend trip once when I was young. He was so chill and kind. We went tubing, fishing, etc. Now all these years later I'm learning about how much of a fucking monster this guy was in the ring lol
its alarming how two men can slug each other in a fight and waste so much energy yet if someone can grapple and get you in a choke or an arm bar its fight over within a minute or so, i tell you something wrestling and similar techniques where you can disable an opponent are so under rated yet so efficient, such an under looked part of fighting.. everyone wants to be the karate man or the boxer but grappler not so much.
The old UFC was way better than today's trash, no rules no weight classes style VS style just like it should be. Today it is all cookie-cutter fighters who all weight the same, look the same, and fight the same mostly. MMA became its own style and the one who does it best wins but it is boring af.
@@sirbrad4 Do you not care about brain injuries? Also, the old fights could be pretty boring. You only see the highlights. Remember the ground locks that would last 10 effing minutes?
@@Jay.Artista Actually I have been doing MMA since 1995 and the martial arts for 41 years now, full contact karate and kickboxing since the 80's. I rolled with Rorion and Rickson Gracie in the 90's. It takes intelligence to recognize intelligence and judging by your less than pre-school grammar I would say you are the unintelligent one.
I was fortunate enough to attend one of Dan's clinics back in 2010. As someone who had ZERO experience in proper wrestling, I learned so much that day!!! He is such a class act and very kind & humble guy as well!! Extremely patient and knew how to teach.
Dan never got nearly enough credit for his cardio. He had such long, brutal matches, and fought multiple times in a single night. He always had plenty of gas in the tank to overwhelm his opponents even late into an event. It's sad that he never got another shot at Royce. But then, the Gracie's have a lot of pull in the UFC, and they wanted no part of a more experienced Severn.
@@wileybrown3629 hahaha...if you don't know that Dan had TONS of suspect fights, you are clueless. Oh, and I managed Forrest Griffin...I was with Forrest when he had a real fight with Dan. Dan's UFC fights were real.
@@TURKISH-1453 There was no fluked win. That was most definitely a fair win on Gracie’s part. He would rather be on the ground for the entire fight and did an excellent job. Don’t be salty that Royce is a more technical fighter.
Multiple fights on one night. No holds barred ruleset... beyond tough. And all through it Big John prevented anyone from being killed. Dan had the original blueprint for what is most effective now....a strong wrestling base..Truly a beast! Thanks for uploading this.
@Enzo Morf 1995 and 2021 are wildly different in literally every aspect of the world. We've advanced so much that we now know how bad strikes like that are for people. If they knew then they probably wouldn't have let it happen.
Ah my favorite UFC days. In the red corner Aversge Joe weighing in at 120 pounds, and in the blue corner King Kong weighing in at scale breaking pounds.
@@naturalman1972 Hackney obliterated him. I always thought Keith Hackney could've won UFC 3 if hadn't destroyed his hand on Yarborough's melon head. Had he finished the big boy with some soccer kicks or some knees inn the ground, nobody would've ever known who Steve Jennum was.
I was a huge Tank Abbott fan back when this fight happened , my friend and I watched this thinking , there's no way this porn stache old guy can beat the Tank and boy was I wrong! This was my introduction to collegiate wrestling and the dominance it can have if used correctly in MMA. Dan Severn is a real beast , to this day!
17:08 It's so sweet how they've been friends for so long and now run a podcast together too. That's rare to have such a long friendship into old age. And both of them are living sports legends.
It's also funny how Dan is the bigger older one, yet Don looks older and sounds older. Two genuine straight shooters that make grown bearded hipsters look like bearded ladies.
I learned all about respecting wrestling back in '88. I was in basic training with a kid who'd won the Pennsylvania state wrestling title in HS. He was a good bit smaller than me too, but the kid handled me easily. I was confident too. I'd always been able to take good care of myself in a scrap, but that little wrestling match was a real eye opener.
I love this video giving the history of the beast. I never knew Dan brought the NWA heavyweight title to the cage with him. Kinda cool to see Harley Race’s world title in the UFC
I once had the good fortune of attending a seminar with Dan Severn and when asked about this fight, he said he didn't want to hurt Royce. He was expecting Royce's corner to throw in the towel, but it didn't happen. He thought Helio was willing to watch his son die in that ring for Gracie Jiu Jitsu. So he stopped throwing strikes. Severn was smart. Unlike a lot of the other fighters back then, he know how to avoid injuries. There were so many alternates brought into the tournament in those early days. You had these guys who weren't used to punching and kicking without protection, they would injure their hands, wrists, legs and feet. Other times they went through such a war that they simply couldn't continue. Severn knew how to win fights without taking himself out of the tournament. I love the story of Severn being this big powerful good guy who beats up the bully Tank Abbott. A little bit of pro wrestling storytelling in there. I guess he just couldn't help himself!
This is when I started watching UFC, I love that Dan Spanked the Tank, he was such an arrogant SOB. Why unload on a already knocked out fighter, no class, no sportsmanship.
Uh, that happens all the time. The ref has to call the knock out to stop it. Severn didn’t like Tank making fun of the knocked out fighter after he won.
@@danabney4433 It happens all the time NOW and has for several years since MMA has developed these standards. Back then it was way different man. All this was new. Watching Tank Abbott fight back then was something novel and amazing. It was fucking awesome.
Ehhh did you see the fight between Jorge Masvidal and Kamura?? Masvidal vs adkren? Or just about any other modern MMA fight? Fighters are trained to keep going until the ref pulls them off and stops the fight.
Geezus! This is insane. Fighting multiple, not fights, but wars in the same night. No wonder a lot of these moves are against the rules now. These guys were beasts.
Look up Dan Severn's records and stats. I have never seen a more decorated human athlete. The guy has competed in and been champion of more categories than most people know exist.
I remember those two fights. I ended up being the Taktarov fan after that because the guy wouldn't quit. To this day I remember how much I admired the heart.
@@jerrywoods4066 what fighting styles did he cross train? since he seldom ever kicked or used knee strikes, I noticed he used alot of that Bas Rutten style of palm striking, which still could put someone on their ass if hit on the right spot lol, his ground impound was pretty damn savage also.
Dan Severn will always be my favorite, he was terrifying at his peak how powerful he was and how much punishment he could take and keep going. He is also a fantastic guy when not fighting. He is a fellow Michigander which also makes me proud.
@@arthurfonzarelli9331 no he wouldn’t. Tank would gas out after a minute the Royce would submit him. Tank can’t beat any elite fighter that can last his initial onslaught.
I remember watching The Beast jack up Tank Abbott long ago and I was absolutely amazed over the beating that guy took and was still able to get up. I think if it was anybody but Tank, they would have left the ring on a stretcher. The Beast had no mercy in that match, he made his point.
That's the dumbest shit I'm pretty sure they would rape these unathletic old guys they just don't do it no more because it's not safe and it's not a good product watching a guy fight multiple times in one night Don Frye can't even walk and hell will tell you he was retarded for doing it
It would be interesting to see how things would change, who would rise, and who would fall, in today's modern UFC if they changed the rules back to the way they were.
Fun fact: Dan has a total of 127 MMA fights. 101 wins, only 19 losses and 7 draws. Another fun fact is Dan had a hard time making weight. It's almost impossible to shrink your balls in a sauna and his weighed close to 30 lbs.
Wah wah wah I'm only making 400k a fight wah wah, these dudes only win money if they win. Cry me a fkn river. Modern PRO sports are so weak now and the negative effect on youth sports is showing with taunting, no sportsmanship, bad techniques etc
Those were the days! I owned all of those UFC's on VHS and would watch them over and over again and again. This was when the UFC was the real deal! Don't get me wrong, I love the UFC now, but these guys were a different breed!
I think Dan Severn would be a problem in today's UFC. His cardio, toughness and tenacity were unbelievable. He was ahead of the game with crazy wrestling/grappling, striking and submission techniques.
@@mf_dom08 wtf are you on about, it’s well known that BJJ is required for any ground game, judo or wrestling for takedowns and some form of striking for standup, the best UFC fighters are MMA specialists, what do you think that stands for?Idiot fanboy
Agreed Joshua Duenas, he was one of the first to incorporate multiple disciplines, along with his size and strength he was way ahead of his time. I don’t think he’d live the likes of DC etc though nowadays
This was great. I appreciate this kinda content. MMA fans dont really know anything about the history of MMA and how it evolved, they only focus on who is current and who is popular unfortunately.
Yeah we used to have to rent a m video tape 📼 from Blockbuster and it was pretty much like a real life street fighter video game. A sumo wrestler vs a kick boxer. It could be anyone any weight fighting anyone.
Got to be at a fight with the beast watched his came confidence and hung out at the afterparty listened to him impart wisdom about fighting still my favorite fighter
Olek is remembered but seriously I've never forgotten Dan, who could if they watched the beginning you definitely didn't. Kids these days don't know either of them.
@Monk Paw if u are talking to me then why? He had no strikes at all. Great wrestler and very strong but could not stand up against any great striker tapped out to a leg kick by Pedro rizzo.
Wrestled with Dan's nephew back in MI. in 94 free style and Dan was in the open class, got to see him first hand and got to that insane suflay. Love this video!
Likely because him graduating in 1976 would require the teachers and coaches to be 50 year veterans. Usually the schools staff passes on the word of a great student athlete. When I graduated in 2007 there was a lot of talk about athletes in the 80s because the teachers there that were teaching for 30+ years already passed the word down about them. Him being a 70s student makes it unlikely there are any teaching or coaching staff from that ers still present. Cool topic though.
I remember this was the most brutal professional fighting in the world during this era. There were only 3 rules, no gouging eyes, no biting, and no striking your opponent's package. These men would fight 2 or 3 times in 1 night. Often, they would fight with injuries and stitches in their face/head bandaged. There were matches when these men's faces were covered with blood. Many times by the end of the night the octagon was covered with blood. Sometimes, pure savagery. These were the true warriors of fighting. Excuse me, I'm thirsty for some tomato juice.
I remember renting these early UFC videos at the video store and having a cow, yelling at the TV by myself lol. Knowing DULL WELL what was to come in the back of mind---the world of MMA. Great video and narration! Ty 👍
I used to watch Dan in UFC back in the day. He was awesome. Even into his 40s, he was hungrier and fought harder than guys half his age. He would just go in there and destroy guys, literally a one-man wrecking crew.
Severn would've easily beaten Gracie if he was willing to hit Gracie in the face, after that loss Severn realized he couldn't play nice and that's why he started beating guys on the ground. Gracie knew he couldn't compete with Severn, Frye, Abbott and Shamrock and that's why he quit.
All are heavyweight whereas royce is a middleweight. If they were all same weight, royce would probably beat them, but at that time gracies decided to make an openweight tournament, so they cant say they were disadvantaged by the weight difference
Royce Gracie was 80 freaking kilos bro. That's why MMA has weight divisions now. Pound for pound Gracie was an awesome fighter who applied his disciplines so well that it forced the entire sport to raise the bar.
@@johndehaan2764 No he didn't raise any bars. He had a double leg takedown and then fight from the laying down guard. And wait out a chance to choke. Once other fighters stopped letting him do things his way, he was ineffective
They stopped those knee strikes to the head as well I believe a couple other things because of injuries, also gave grappling an advantage later on. That helped some of them gracies
I've got another, "I miss old UFC," comment for you... I miss old UFC. "Bbbbut, those were deadly blows!!! You liked seeing extremely dangerous combat??!? That's messed up. You're messed up!!" Yes. Yes I did like seeing extremely brutal combat with extraordinarily limited rules. Yes, I did. It was effing awesome as hell. Besides, those guys knew what they were getting into; THEY SIGNED UP FOR IT. I am 100% fine with modern UFC existing, and I will never say those guys and gals aren't talented as shit. They are. But today's stuff all feels the same, and TO ME (opinion, remember), it's lame by comparison. I feel there's still a place for the old school gladiator UFC combat. Uniquely different styles clashing, multiple fights a night, hardcore MMA fests.
Great Vid. Dan was definitely a Beast. As much as I love modern mma, these early cards hood such a special place in my heart. We couldn’t wait for these /events/ppvs….some of these guys performing in 3 fights in a night, no rounds and fight till the finish. Simply crazy. I miss it so. Another thing, I absolutely love Dan and Dons “Toxic Masculinity” podcast. I feel like I’m hanging out with a couple of my fishin buddies when listening. Lol.
Holy shit! I forgot how brutal Severn became after losing to Gracie. Gracie would have been annihilated in that fight had Severn been willing to inflict those headbutts, elbows, and hammer fists.
@@shafo4384 Nah, not likely with that size difference....I mean, it wouldn't have been impossible for Gracie to still have won, just not likely. If Severn were more aggressive, he could've picked Gracie up and dropped him on his head...armbar and all
True. After Gracie loss Dan unleashed a new style called beat the shit outta them. He's so aggressive I think Gracie would have been spanked on this version of Dan.
@@shafo4384 Perhaps. Gracie could submit anyone during those early days of MMA. But I think all Severn had to do was to unleash those headbuts when he had Gracie's head pinned. I honestly think it would have shattered Gracie's skull and ended his career or life right there. No need to offer up any limbs to do it either.
@@ThalassicMeasure could hv, would hv, should hv. Dan was in a long drawn out fight with Royce. At that point anyone would do anything to win. It was a FIGHT with minimal rules. Dan was already an experienced MMA fighter then, dont u think he could hv done that if he could (headbutt/beat up Royce)? U guys are theorising too much here. And im not a Gracie fanboy
Dan's physique is that of a old-school wrestler like Killer Kolwaski or Bruno Sanmartino. He couldn't punch to save his life but he got it done. My Jeet Kune Do school traveled to Tulsa to watch UFC. I was hooked.
Thank you so much for that awesomeness 😎🍻🤙🤕🥊 Old Man Dan is the very reason I signed up for high school wrestling. I was a Thai fighter at the time seeing his debut live thinking my guy MAD DOG (yup I know his name) was gonna wipe the floor with this bum 😂😂😂
Don Frye and Dan Severn….best friends….and 2 men I wouldn’t want to meet (on the wrong side of a fight) in a billion years. I would, however, drink a beer with these gods.
Would have absolutely loved to see an Oleg and Gracie matchup up in the early/mid 90s! That would have been freaking awesome ! Remember , Oleg would not have tapped out . There were almost one of a kind with the same mental Mentality and style. I got into UFC when I saw UFC 3, as a senior in high school in 1995.
When Sakuraba beat the hell out of Royce, to his credit he didn't tap. Mind you another 15 seconds in the first round and Gracie would have had a broken are. That dude would never tap either.
Todays MMA fighters have no clue what toughness is. Fighting three times in one night, no weight class, to win a UFC fight? Those were the good old days of the UFC.