Let's Talk One of the Most Legendary Events in History: Jungle Fight 1

[EndlessCritic]

Jungle Fight 1 - Amazonas

Jungle Fight 1 - Amazonas pits Jorge Macaco Patino vs Ronaldo Jacare Souza fight in Ariau Amazon Towers Convention Center, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil on Sep 13, 2003.

www.sherdog.com

It's difficult to convey how many past and future legends appeared on this card.

You had olympic gold medalist wrestler Mark Schultz.

Elite BJJ guys in Fabricio Werdum and Jacare.

NCAA D1 champ and world cup winner Rico Chiapparelli, who founded team RAW.

Lyoto Machida against Stephan Bonnar.

Not to mention future prowrestling superstar Shinsuke Nakamura.

I have to say, nothing about the Schultz match looks suspicious, yet it's been scrubbed from all the record books. I understand Schultz claims it was supposed to be a work, but the match looks completely legitimate:

 

[Bobby Boulders]

I used to have a copy of the event. A bygone era, things were different then

 

[Saku'sEar]

It looked a bit light 'sparry" but who knows.
I think there is a lot of scripts or works in all sports. Not that everyone is in on it but yeah if there is money to be made...
Love these old events, style against style, sport against sport. Those bareknuckle/vale tudo/nhb tournaments and events were something else.
It never will feel the same. Glad i lived thru it.

 

[Bobby Boulders]

It looked a bit light 'sparry" but who knows.
I think there is a lot of scripts or works in all sports. Not that everyone is in on it but yeah if there is money to be made...
Love these old events, style against style, sport against sport. Those bareknuckle/vale tudo/nhb tournaments and events were something else.
It never will feel the same. Glad i lived thru it.

Anyone who was around for that era of the sport really lived through something completely different, something that will possibly never exist again, save JMMA carrying the torch. We were privileged

 

[obublok]

I agree. Around 2005 things went somehow wrong for me, tournaments disappeared and somehow the sport lost it´s edge in my opinion. I sometimes try to watch new fights but something isn´t right. I´ve lost interest or gotten old.

 

[Necrocrawler]

I remember watching some short media about it.
It had a crazy background also, since it was done in the middle of the amazonian rainforest (lots of bugs and mosquitoes). There were also some crazy story about people wanting to get a slap from Antonio Inoki (he was the main investor of the event).

It was a crazy event... Specially because there was needed to get boats to get into the Hotel that was host of the event.

Spoiler

Antonio Inoki entering the event by the swimming into the river was epically epic lol

 

[STAY GOLD]

Inoki was heavily involved in Jungle Fight in it's early days. He and Wallid were the main management figures. I'm certain Inoki funded it and Wallid managed it. Inoki eventually moved on and Wallid to this day has been running it.

I was reviewing the events a few months ago and skimmed through this. I don't think I've ever seen the entire event, just individual fights. I have read on the Schultz fight previously. He was told it would be a pro-wrestling fight first and had an opponent listed and then they changed his opponent and it turned into a shoot. I don't recall the entire details, but I'm sure all of this is easily accessible.

 

[Richard Fannin]

Love that event! Sadly, even though it happened in 2003 (the year I got into MMA), during my first couple years I was only following PRIDE events, and a few UFC ones here and there.

Still, I ended up buying the DVD of the first Jungle Fight in 2006/2007 or so, it was a tradition with my brothers (all of us PRIDE heads heavily into martial arts) than when we'd meet up we'd buy a few random past smaller events (Shooto, IVC, Rings, Pancrase, Cage Rage, UFC, etc etc... ) with a bunch of names we were familiar with and let it play in the background while we were catching up during the less exciting bouts, and then we'd shut up or scream when some serious action was taking place ^^

I don't regret picking Jungle Fight 1, getting some nice memories back right now.

 

[Bobby Boulders]

Love that event! Sadly, even though it happened in 2003 (the year I got into MMA), during my first couple years I was only following PRIDE events, and a few UFC ones here and there.

Still, I ended up buying the DVD of the first Jungle Fight in 2006/2007 or so, it was a tradition with my brothers (all of us PRIDE heads heavily into martial arts) than when we'd meet up we'd buy a few random past smaller events (Shooto, IVC, Rings, Pancrase, Cage Rage, UFC, etc etc... ) with a bunch of names we were familiar with and let it play in the background while we were catching up during the less exciting bouts, and then we'd shut up or scream when some serious action was taking place ^^

I don't regret picking Jungle Fight 1, getting some nice memories back right now.

This reminds me of times I had around that period, 04-05. Sounds like good days for you, they were for me. Miss picking up four or five event sets for like $5. Wish I still had them

 

[Violent Violin]

Damn...just reading the list of participants is mindblowing

 

[Bobby Boulders]

Damn...just reading the list of participants is mindblowing

Small shows really pulled great unknown talent back then. So many events like this that you only know because they held like five events before folding and all of the talent ended up being on the level (obviously, Jungle Fight didn't fold, but you know what I mean). I really, really miss those days. Would trade what we have now for them without a thought

 

[LeonardoBjj]

- I remember waiting to watch that event.