COMBAT SPORTS changed forever on a cold winter night in Denver in November 1993.
It was on this night that the world was introduced to the brutal beauty of mixed martial arts.
GETTYUFC 1 took place at the McNichol Sports Arena in November 1993[/caption]
GETTYEight fighters from different disciplines vied to prove the martial art was the most effective[/caption]
GETTYBrazilian jiu-jitsu ace Royce Gracie won the tournament with two quick submissions[/caption]
GETTYThe arena played host to a slew of sports – including the NBA[/caption]
The Ultimate Fighting Championship held its first-ever event in the Centennial State’s McNichols Sports Arena, introducing those in attendance – and watching at home – to a previously unseen blend of combat.
Eight of the toughest men on the planet entered the No Holds Barred tournament to try to prove that their discipline was the most effective.
They didn’t know it at the time, but the competitors would change the landscape of martial arts forever and lay the foundations for one of the biggest promotions in all of sport.
The soft-spoken and un-intimidating Royce Gracie won the tournament and introduced the world to Brazilian jiu-jitsu with two sensational submissions of former WWE star Ken Shamrock and Gerard Gordeau.
But the venue for Gracie’s historic victory – which is still talked about to this day – is now a thing of the past.
In fact, it’s been reduced to a CAR PARK.
The 16,000-capacity McNichol Sports Arena played host to the iconic card, which had attracted 7,800 spectators.
The arena was built back in August 1975 after two years of construction, costing £12.6million ($16m) to erect.
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GETTYThe McNichol Sports Arena was built in 1975 and had a capacity of 16,000 people[/caption]
GOOGLE MAPSThe arena was demolished in January 2000 and turned into a car park[/caption]
A host of teams called the arena home, with the Denver Spurs (NHL), Colorado Rockies (NHL), Colorado Flames (CHL), Denver Nuggets (NBA), Colorado Avalanche (NHL), Denver Grizzlies (IHL), Denver Dynamite (AFL), Colorado Xplosion (ABL) and Denver Daredevils (RHI) all playing their matches there.
The arena was also built to host music concerts and hosted some of the biggest artists to ever take to the stage.
The likes of Elton John, Elvis, The Bee Gees, Prince and Michael Jackson all took to the stage at the Denver venue in 1975, 1976, 1979, 1986 and 1988 respectively.
The venue was extremely popular, so much so it was renovated in 1986 – a revamp which included 26 luxury suites.
But the departure of the Nuggets and Avalanche proved to be the beginning of the end of the unique venue and it was closed in September 1999.
UFCUFC 300 takes place in Las Vegas on April 13[/caption]
GETTYThe historic card will take place at the state-of-the-art T-Mobile Arena[/caption]
The demolition of the arena was swift, with the wrecking crew enlisted to knock it down laying it to rubble in January 2000.
It was demolished to create more parking spaces for NFL fans at the surrounding Empower Field at Mile High – the home of the Denver Broncos.
The UFC hosts its eagerly-anticipated 300th pay-per-view event – UFC 300 – this weekend in Las Vegas.
The historic card will be held at the state-of-the-art T-Mobile Arena, which has been the MMA leader’s Sin City home since it opened in 2016.
Topping the bill of the stacked card will be a light-heavyweight title fight between defending champion Alex Pereira and former titleholder Jamahal Hill.
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