Does Jason DeLucia Get Enough Credit?

[Bobby Boulders]

Twenty years ago I'd have knocked down Bas' Lil Sister. Probably not today, bc she's probably almost 60, but, maybe

 

[Royce Greasy]

Interesting thread and yes Jason never got that much credit, he was way ahead of his time and unfortunately fought only once after UFC 2 in UFC Japan against Joe Slick which was a disappointing fight where he suffered a brutal knee injury, it's too bad because I thought he was better than Slick.

Since we're on the topic of how good was he, can someone who has good knowledge of the first UFC's and early Pancrase tell me if they believe he could have beaten either of Gordeau, Smith because those two were the finalists of the first two UFC events and I personally think Jason was better than them both in skill that doesn't necessarily mean he could beat them. Some how he got unlucky drawing Royce in UFC 2 early on I feel he would have been in the finals had he been on the other side of the bracket, I believe he could have beaten Either Gordeau or Smith since he holds a win over Funaki but would love to know what others think about those hypothetical matches.

 

[Simple Southerner]

Hi Jason

 

[Pequeño Corey]

You had to be a mad man or just plain stupid to enter early UFC. Or, as I’m told, there were already guys mixing the martial arts that were banned because they wanted to protect the Gracies.

 

[ComeChooDaddy]

He was so good Rockstar Games named the GTA 6 main characters after him

 

[Coconutwater]

He was a well-rounded fighter who had never became popular because he had to face legends in the sport who were just better. He also suffered a freak accident in his UFC return after gaining valuable experience overseas. He is underrated as far as what he brought to the table when he did.

 

[Royce Greasy]

He was a well-rounded fighter who had never became popular because he had to face legends in the sport who were just better. He also suffered a freak accident in his UFC return after gaining valuable experience overseas. He is underrated as far as what he brought to the table when he did.

Yes that is all true but how would he do against Gordeau or Pat Smith was he good enough to beat either of them?

 

[Lycandroid]

I feel like Rex Kwon Do was inspired by Jason Delucia

 

[Coconutwater]

Yes that is all true but how would he do against Gordeau or Pat Smith was he good enough to beat either of them?

He might have beaten Gordeau, I mean, he did the first mounted triangle in UFC history before anyone. Guy fought Royce twice but was so respectful, he got beat faster the 2nd time instead of just opening up. Against Smith? He’d probably lose, but Pat Smith was a decent MMA fighter at that time (got KTFO in K1, but that’s another story.)

 

[Royce Greasy]

He might have beaten Gordeau, I mean, he did the first mounted triangle in UFC history before anyone. Guy fought Royce twice but was so respectful, he got beat faster the 2nd time instead of just opening up. Against Smith? He’d probably lose, but Pat Smith was a decent MMA fighter at that time (got KTFO in K1, but that’s another story.)

Thanks a lot for your opinion, these hypothetical match-ups from the dark ages are important because they should have happened.

From my perspective I'd say Jason was more skilled than both but he was also smaller in height and weight as well, it is very possible that he gets destroyed by both of them, Gordeau destroyed his first two opponents badly and Pat Smith while not having a good ground game was so damn strong and vicious, another interesting fight of Pat's was when he went against Fabio Gurgel this is disappointing that it got stopped prematurely from Pat grabbing the ropes but before that Fabio had him in a body lock and was about to trip him, Gurgel was basically the same size as Jason and the same kind of skills also it's just too bad the fight ended the way it did.


Having said all that Jason did defeat Funaki who I'm pretty positive was better than both those guys, his career I wish he fought a few more times in UFC at least.

 

[Coconutwater]

Thanks a lot for your opinion, these hypothetical match-ups from the dark ages are important because they should have happened.

From my perspective I'd say Jason was more skilled than both but he was also smaller in height and weight as well, it is very possible that he gets destroyed by both of them, Gordeau destroyed his first two opponents badly and Pat Smith while not having a good ground game was so damn strong and vicious, another interesting fight of Pat's was when he went against Fabio Gurgel this is disappointing that it got stopped prematurely from Pat grabbing the ropes but before that Fabio had him in a body lock and was about to trip him, Gurgel was basically the same size as Jason and the same kind of skills also it's just too bad the fight ended the way it did.


Having said all that Jason did defeat Funaki who I'm pretty positive was better than both those guys, his career I wish he fought a few more times in UFC at least.

Yeah, can’t have your UFC legacy end with a loss to Joe Slick.

 

[BowserJr]

Hey everyone,

We all know UFC 1 was a game-changer for MMA in the U.S. While legends like Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock often steal the spotlight, there's one fighter who doesn't get much attention: Jason DeLucia. He might not have reached the same fame, but DeLucia had some serious skills and a solid career.

Many from that first UFC event faded away or ended up with losing records. Gerard Gordeau, for example, didn't do much after UFC 1. Ken Shamrock had his moments but got tangled in controversies and probably fought longer than he should have. Royce Gracie also faced some issues. Patrick Smith continued fighting and grabbed some wins later on, but his legacy is marred by a conviction for a serious offense involving a minor.

Jason DeLucia, on the other hand, made notable contributions to MMA. He was part of the first-ever UFC fight and later faced Royce Gracie at UFC 2, though he lost via submission. Beyond the UFC, DeLucia became a key figure in Pancrase, a Japanese MMA organization. In 1996, he was the runner-up in the King of Pancrase Championship Tournament, showcasing his skill and resilience. One memorable match was a nearly 30-minute bout against Yuki Kondo, highlighting his endurance. DeLucia's professional record stands at 33 wins, 21 losses, and 1 draw, with victories over notable fighters like Matt Hume, Chris Lytle, Masakatsu Funaki, Yuki Kondo, Minoru Suzuki and Ikuhisa Minowa.

Beyond fighting, DeLucia was active in the MMA community, especially on the Sherdog forums, sharing his experiences and insights.

So, what do you all think of Jason DeLucia?

I was gonna make a thread about Jason lol!

Dude is an unsung legend for sure. He had some solid wins too and fought some of the best from the first era. He did pretty decent t too!

 

[Royce Greasy]

Yeah, can’t have your UFC legacy end with a loss to Joe Slick.

That was so unfortunate and I truly believe he would have beaten Slick, even with that he should have came back and had at least another fight too bad.

 

[acannxr]

They ended up arguing about it on Sherdog way back in the day which was pretty funny. Iirc Jason also had shit grammar.

Man I wish I was around when that type of stuff used to happen on here.

He was a cheater. Trying to use performance enhancing witchcraft.

Shit grammar is an understatement. He's barely legible.

Post in thread 'Q for Jason DeLucia...'

Jun 13, 2004

Originally posted by chriszacher
hey jason i read in teh first thread you had that you said "we all know why Bas was that strong then." what exactly are you trying to say? If you are trying to say what i think you are, then i find that very disrespectful to Bas, and maybe he shoudl know what you are saying on the internet.

i'm sure bas knows what i say on the internet.and i don't care.i listened to his comentary on his third fight with me ,and he said the majic words.''I WISH I COULD DO IT AGAIN''.
WELL SO DO I!since you have so much clout with dana white and...

• Jason DeLucia

Post in thread 'Q for Jason DeLucia...'

Jun 14, 2004

i'm sure bas knows what i say on the internet.and i don't care.i listened to his comentary on his third fight with me ,and he said the majic words.''I WISH I COULD DO IT AGAIN''.
WELL SO DO I!since you have so much clout with dana white and family.set it up .and when you lose you should retire.i'll make the same agreement for show ,but i will not lose ,YOU WILL!

OK, they emailed me about this so I have to give one comment, ONE only!

These are Jason's words?
Man, I thought that he would spell better then I do, because he's a born American, but what do you know, he can't. Majic...

• Bas Rutten

• 
• 

 

[Bowel-forged Stool]

But can a modern fighter compete if their training comes from VHS?

 

[Hank Grill]

If he wasn't such a boozer he'd had lived

 

[Big Tuppy Hole]

What's Next? A Edenesa Frontes Braga thread. What about Vernon Tiger White. Shout out to Anthony Macias.

 

[JakePaulMMA]

Man I wish I was around when that type of stuff used to happen on here.

Before the TUF noobs

 

[JakePaulMMA]

Interesting thread and yes Jason never got that much credit, he was way ahead of his time and unfortunately fought only once after UFC 2 in UFC Japan against Joe Slick which was a disappointing fight where he suffered a brutal knee injury, it's too bad because I thought he was better than Slick.

Since we're on the topic of how good was he, can someone who has good knowledge of the first UFC's and early Pancrase tell me if they believe he could have beaten either of Gordeau, Smith because those two were the finalists of the first two UFC events and I personally think Jason was better than them both in skill that doesn't necessarily mean he could beat them. Some how he got unlucky drawing Royce in UFC 2 early on I feel he would have been in the finals had he been on the other side of the bracket, I believe he could have beaten Either Gordeau or Smith since he holds a win over Funaki but would love to know what others think about those hypothetical matches.

Jason DeLucia will never be as cool as Joe Slick

 

[cmw43]

Looking at his record he had a great stretch 1995-99 went 25wins and 5 losses beating Minowa, Chris Lytle, Yuki Kondo, Suzuki and loses to Bas, Kindo, Funaki. Very respectable run.