Back in the day, the UFC was a whole different ball game altogether. There weren’t as many rules for the fighters to adhere to, and the promotion only had two weight classes. Lightweight and heavyweight. Fighters that weigh less than 200 pounds were classified as lightweights. Wherein the heavyweight division had competitors who were over 200 pounds. No barrier to that whatsoever. Recently, a clip of one of the absurd fights from the UFC’s early years reappeared online, shocking modern fans. It featured the fight between Emmanuel Yarbrough (600 lbs) and Keith Hackney (200 lbs). And the sheer ruthlessness of the fight made the UFC community nostalgic, who demands a similar kind of intensity in the fights today.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Although the rules the UFC has today are formulated to prevent the fighters from serious injuries. But what fans miss is maybe the high-octane bouts that would give them the adrenaline rush.
Emmanuel Yarbrough was an American sumo wrestler who also held a Guinness World Record for being the heaviest living athlete at the time. Even so, he still fell short in his fight with the 200-pounder Keith Hackney. The phrase “skill beats size” is how the fans explain this.
View this post on Instagram
The fans were stunned to witness the blatant savagery that this crazy bout from the UFC had. Given the size difference and the blows on the back of the head, it was a shock for them to see how mild the UFC was back then.
Fans take a back trip over a wild UFC fight
Check out how the modern UFC fans reacted to this fight:
One fan stated things were pretty straightforward back in the day:
“Everyone’s Technique Was Just “Fighting.””
It was too much for this fan to witness:
“Shots to the back of the head from someone weighing over 600lbs is insane…”
Another fan hilariously mentioned the UFC referee Herb Dean for his early stoppage reputation:
“Herb dean would have stopped the fight after the first punch.”
This is the UFC one we want, said a user:
“We need this back.”
It was legit back then, claimed one fan:
“UFC used to be a proper league”
One user claimed that the UFC is no good today:
“When UFC was good. Now it’s barely better than WWF.”
Skills oversize, stated this user:
“Just goes to show skill beats size every time”
This fan was too stunned by the early days of the UFC:
“No gloves they was really on some ish back then”
And this fan subtly criticized Dana White for bringing Power Slap:
“Now we have slap boxing”
Over the years, the rules and conduct of the UFC have progressively changed. It gradually evolved and necessitated all the rules, keeping the fighters’ safety in mind. But back then, it was as brutal as it gets.
Watch this story: Joe Rogan 2022 Recap: Beef With Dwayne Johnson, Conor McGregor, Liver King, Spotify Backlash And More
Written by
Edited by
Vineet Nandwana