There are not many people who have been in it since day one.
But Art Davie can certainly claim to be one of them as it was he who came up with the idea of havinga Jiu-Jitsu practitioner face off with a boxer and a Sumo wrestler go up against a Savate champion.
Davie approached John Milius, Rorion Gracie and Ivan Shields with the concept of a one-night, eight-man tournament in 1993 and while the early days are a world away from what we currently know as the UFC, they were certainly pivotal in paving the way for the modern era of mixed martial arts.
Nowadays, Davie doesn’t have any dealings with the UFC but he’s still a key figure in the sport.
And he was in high demand when he took control of a Twitter Q&A on Sunday evening, as organised by MMAHistoryToday.
Davie was asked to name his favourite fighter in the UFC at the moment and there was only one man who came to mind.
I love Conor! MMA is sports entertainment. We need stars!!! https://t.co/nVj8ectNCQ
— Art Davie (@ArtDavie) January 24, 2016
Davie also had a piece of advice for Conor McGregor as rumours abound that it won’t be long before ‘The Notorious’ parts ways with the UFC in order to set up his own promotion under his business, McGregor Sports and Entertainment Limited.
Tougher than he thinks it will be. If I were advising him I’d tell him to stay with the UFC. https://t.co/4rmxLZkn87
— Art Davie (@ArtDavie) January 24, 2016
