UFC Tournament Champions

Royce Gracie, of the legendary Gracie family, is one of the most prolific and influential MMA fighters in history. He became an 'underdog' hero while changing the landscape of combat sports and revolutionizing martial arts forever. After winning the first UFC Tournament(s) (UFC1, UFC2, UFC4), he proved that with the knowledge of his father's fighting style (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) a "David" could beat a "Goliath". Royce is the only fighter in history to defeat four opponents in the same night; unlike today, these tournaments had no weight divisions, no time limits and no real rules. In Brazil they were called "Vale Todo" in America it became 'no-holds-barred' and was quickly ruled illegal throughout most of the U.S. In 2003, Royce was the first fighter inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. His record of 'victories via submissions' remain untouched. Today he's considered an icon, a pioneer, and "The Godfather" of a sport that will be celebrating it's 20th anniversary, November 12th 2013.

Royce Gracie, of the legendary Gracie family, is one of the most prolific and influential MMA fighters in history. He became an 'underdog' hero while changing the landscape of combat sports and revolutionizing martial arts forever. After winning the first UFC Tournament(s) (UFC1, UFC2, UFC4), he proved that with the knowledge of his father's fighting style (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) a "David" could beat a "Goliath". Royce is the only fighter in history to defeat four opponents in the same night; unlike today, these tournaments had no weight divisions, no time limits and no real rules. In Brazil they were called "Vale Todo" in America it became 'no-holds-barred' and was quickly ruled illegal throughout most of the U.S. In 2003, Royce was the first fighter inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. His record of 'victories via submissions' remain untouched. Today he's considered an icon, a pioneer, and "The Godfather" of a sport that will be celebrating it's 20th anniversary, November 12th 2013.

When Steve Jennum attended UFC 3: The American Dream (1994) as an alternate fighter, he did not expect to compete at that Ultimate Fighting Championship (2000) (UFC) event. One account described him in the parking lot of North Carolina's Grady Cole Center, going to his car to leave before all the fights were completed. Jennum was stopped, and the Nebraska police officer was told he was needed to compete. With only 20 minutes of live Pay-Per-View time remaining, UFC wanted an impromptu main event because injuries and withdrawals changed their plans.

Earlier, Harold Howard made it to the tournament finals with a forfeit victory over Royce Gracie. Gracie left the competition as a consequence of a grueling win over Kimo Leopoldo. Ken Shamrock had advanced by submitting Christophe Leninger and Felix Mitchell. Injured from the bouts, Shamrock lost his motivation to continue after Gracie--whose defeat of him at UFC 1: The Beginning (1993) he sought to avenge--was eliminated. Jennum replaced Shamrock to face Howard, whom had knocked out Roland Payne in his first Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight. Jennum, a ninjutsu practitioner, had no previous professional MMA fight when he competed for the title of Ultimate Fighting Champion.

Jennum was pursued by Howard around the cage who hopped and did forward flips. Howard landed a right punch, Jennum closed the distance, held Howard and tried to take him down. With his back to the cage, Howard locked on a guillotine headlock and both fighters went to the ground with the hold maintained. Jennum escaped, stood up first and landed punches on Howard when he got up. Jennum held Howard again and got a trip, ended up in full mount, unloading right hands--many of them blocked--while holding Howard's neck with his left hand. Howard tapped the mat in submission. About the same time Howard's corner team threw in two towels. Jennum became the third Ultimate Fighting Champion by competing once. UFC changed the rules to require prospective alternate fighters to compete and win at least once to earn their positions.

At UFC 4: Revenge of the Warriors (1994) Jennum returned to fight Melton Bowen, a professional boxer and security guard. Jennum created distance by repeatedly trying to side-kick Bowen. After Bowen missed a punch, Jennum clinched with him in a struggle to take him to the ground. With gloves on, Bowen hit Jennum a few times with Bowen gloved hand. Gloves were optional at that time. Jennum leg tripped him to the ground. In the full mount position Jennum landed punches and grabbed the cage to maintain control. Bowen grabbed the fence and pulled himself up. After an exchange of strikes, Jennum grabbed Melton's upper body and hip-tossed him to the ground, resuming control on top. Jennum's weakened punches continued to hit Bowen who was still defensive. The bout ended when Jennum took Bowen's right arm to get the arm-bar; Bowen tapped the ground with his left hand. Jennum discontinued in the tournament because his bare hands were swollen. His final fight in the octagon happened during UFC: Ultimate Ultimate 1996 (1996) with David Abbott. Abbott brought him to the ground quickly. When Abbott raised up to to connect with punches, Jennum raised most of his body on his shoulders to use his feet to create distance. It was brief and Abbott resumed top control, pressuring the back of Jennum's head against the fence which resulted in a tap-out in a minute and fourteen seconds.

World Vale Tudo Championships 1(WVC) was held in Tokyo, Japan, with Jennum matched up with Marco Ruas in the main event. Ruas secured a body lock to take Jennum down in side-control. Jennum submitted at a minute and 44 seconds following hammer-fists and elbow strikes from Ruas. Jennum last fought in MMA at Extreme Challenge 4 in 1997. Jason Godsey took him down to a corner of the cage. Jennum partially stood up, was punched repeatedly and forced back down. He submitted to a left forearm choke from Godsey.

Jennum made news a decade later when he was the target of an attempted robbery while off-duty in a parking lot. On December 17, 2007, Jennum encountered three attackers who approached him from the back using a bottle. Jennum struggled with one attacker and left when a knife was pulled. He reported the incident and located the car with the suspected 20-year-old knife-wielder. Jennum called the police, who arrested that suspect, and later found the other two.

Royce Gracie, of the legendary Gracie family, is one of the most prolific and influential MMA fighters in history. He became an 'underdog' hero while changing the landscape of combat sports and revolutionizing martial arts forever. After winning the first UFC Tournament(s) (UFC1, UFC2, UFC4), he proved that with the knowledge of his father's fighting style (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) a "David" could beat a "Goliath". Royce is the only fighter in history to defeat four opponents in the same night; unlike today, these tournaments had no weight divisions, no time limits and no real rules. In Brazil they were called "Vale Todo" in America it became 'no-holds-barred' and was quickly ruled illegal throughout most of the U.S. In 2003, Royce was the first fighter inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. His record of 'victories via submissions' remain untouched. Today he's considered an icon, a pioneer, and "The Godfather" of a sport that will be celebrating it's 20th anniversary, November 12th 2013.

Dan "The Beast" Severn is a legend in amateur and professional wrestling and Martial Arts. Born in Coldwater, Michigan, on June 9, 1959, he excelled in wrestling in both high school and college. A winner of over 500 amateur victories and numerous titles, he was an alternate on the USA Olympic Wrestling team. Severn turned to professional Wrestling and captured the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title; a title which he held for 10 years. In the early 1990s, he entered the world of Mixed Martial Arts. He excelled, winning numerous world championships. Severn defeated such greats as Ken Shamrock, Conan Silvera, David Abbott, Oleg Taktarov, Anthony Macias, and Bart Vale. His mixed martial arts record is 77-11-7. He is a noted barnstormer and has been defeating opponents on a monthly basis for the past three years.

"Oleg makes an impression." On his DVD commentary for "Righteous Kill" (2008), director Jon Avnet remarks that he needed a powerful actor to play Russian mob enforcer Yevgeny Mugalat, a character who survives six gunshots at close range. International star Oleg Taktarov, born in Sarov, Russia, proved uniquely capable of fulfilling Avnet's demanding expectations. When Oleg first appears on camera as Mugalat, the director states emphatically in the audio commentary that the actor "makes an impression." Long before "Righteous Kill," Oleg already left global audiences with memorable impressions as "The Russian Bear," a UFC champion who took unconventional paths up to the top of the world's most difficult professions: acting and fighting.

Today, Oleg ranks among Russia's three most popular movie stars and its highest paid actors. His frank autobiography, "Up To The Top," is a best seller in Russia where Oleg's series "The Guardian" was also a number one television show. In America, Oleg works with the A List of actors and directors in hit blockbusters. He will play one of the leads with Adrien Brody and Topher Grace in "Predators" (2010), produced and written by action film innovator Robert Rodriguez. Oleg's distinguished list of achievements began while he was only a child in Sarov, a home to some of Russia's most eminent scholars and scientists. By age twelve, he was a recognized martial arts expert throughout the country.

Before he came to America in 1994 to pursue his dream of acting in the movies, Oleg Taktarov was an established global hero with records as the World Sambo Champion, the Russian National Judo Champion, and a four-time European and Asian Jujitsu Champion. Just six months after his arrival in the United States, Oleg defeated David "Tank" Abbott in July 1995 and became the reigning UFC Champion. At his classic 1996 "Superbrawl" with Ken Shamrock in Buffalo, New York, Oleg's fans in the U.S. audience waved signs that declared, "Russian Bear becomes American Hero!"

With the momentum of his UFC success and an enthusiastic American fan base to support him, Oleg learned English and studied acting at the prestigious L.A. Playhouse. After minor roles in a handful of Hollywood movies including "Air Force One" (1997), Oleg beat a thousand actors competing in auditions for his first significant film part as one of the antagonists in John Herzfeld's "15 Minutes" (2001) starring Robert DeNiro.

Again, Oleg made an unforgettable impression in "15 Minutes" as an unrelenting baddie, who aspires to be a movie director and steals a camcorder to photograph the criminal mayhem he inflicts upon Manhattan. During the shoot, Robert DeNiro shared acting advice with Oleg who returned the favor with pointers for more realistic fight scenes. The two were reunited for Avnet's "Righteous Kill" (2008), also starring Al Pacino.

After "15 Minutes," Oleg played charismatic heroes in "Red Serpent" (2002) and in the remake of "Rollerball" (2002). Reflecting events in his own life as a fighter, Oleg's character in "Rollerball" incites wild cheering by the fans in a Kazakhstan arena when he resists the dictates of a greedy sports league owner played by Jean Reno. Oleg continued to build his impressive resume' in American movies and television series with performances in "Bad Boys II" (2003), "National Treasure" (2004), "Alias" ("The Two," 2003), and "Navy NCIS" ("Judgment Day," 2008). He returned to movies depicting the brutal street culture of New York City with his riveting performances in "Rockaway" (2007) and "We Own the Night" (2007) with Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix. James Gray, the director of "Night," compared Oleg to a "young Charles Bronson," another dynamic Hollywood actor of Russian heritage.

Oleg's dramatic leading work in American films has proven that he can deliver both big moments and subtle ones. In "Rockaway" (2007), he quietly recounts a brutal memory of his character's service in Afghanistan with harrowing pain. In "Montana" (2008), Oleg's sympathetic hero Nikolai escapes from his adversaries into the streets of Los Angeles where he is befriended and hidden by a single mother and her son. Before the final showdown, Nikolai symbolically mends the fences between the everyday people of the U.S. and Russia. Oleg's empathetic performance of a Russian seeking a new life in America enables the film to succeed on many levels as a personal drama, crime adventure and a plea for understanding. At the premiere of "Montana," Oleg said, "I already knew all about this hero."

During one of his triumphant nights as UFC Champion, Oleg exited the ring after a victory and stated to a reporter, "I can do anything." It was not an idle boast. The fans of Oleg Taktarov know that "Up To The Top" is only the first chapter in volumes of future achievements by the native son of Sarov. When "Rolling Stone" celebrated its fourth year of publication in Russia, the magazine sponsored an exhibit of its celebrity photographs in Moscow. Oleg's dramatic photograph was a highlight of the exhibit, proving that the "Russian Bear" has fought his way to the top and achieved rock star status.

Marco Ruas was born on 23 January 1961 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is an actor, known for The Eliminator (2004), Kickboxer 3: The Art of War (1992) and Where Are They Now? (2016).