Old school fans: how did you follow the sport back in the day?

I made a comment in the Shogun and Fedor thread about how hard it must have been to follow the sport back in the day, probably especially in the "dark ages" when the UFC didn't have PPVs available on cable (I believe this happened pre-Zuffa?)

I started following late 2000s so by then torrents were available, then they started showing a lot more free content on cable and there were lots of "other" ways to watch events so i've been spoiled.

Anyway tell us your war stories. One dude whose name escapes me was saying he got a Pride event ruined by a commentator at a UFC event, though there was a 1 year (!) propagation delay in the event and him getting to watch it!

 

blockbuster lol

 

MMA underground forums was big and also kickboxing gyms had folks who were in to the MMA or NHB and they knew how and who to follow since grapplers went to kickboxing gyms for striking and clinch work.

Most MMA fighters were grapplers since Kickboxing and boxing were way more popular than MMA and so no need for a striker to fight in MMA. Most kickboxers fought MMA on the side like Cro Cop who were mainly K-1 fighters.

Also places that use to sell DVDs did sell MMA tapes and it was not considered sport but same shit jackass or dangerous stunts.

 

UFC2 on tape.
K1 with Stan the man on tape.
Bas fights on tape.
UFC events in a bar.
Pride events in a bar (Saku vs Royce was the 1st one).

 

Yup, haha.
I had seen some of the early events on PPV, but by the time UFC was in the XVIII range (late 90's, remember the roman numeral era?), I had no idea how to keep up with anything other than seeing the latest release at Blockbuster, which was several months after the event had taken place.
Good times, lol.

 

Fighters only magazine

 

Spike TV

 

there used to be this program where you could watch live streaming Pride events. forget what it was called.

 

Before TUF? Before Youtube?

Blockbuster.
Ordering PPVs.
Buying DVDs.
Buying Magazines (if you could find them)
Sherdog.
Watching Japan events at 3 in the morning or on tape delay.
Sometimes Subfighter.com would post highlights or full fights if they were short enough.

You had to be dedicated. A casual could not survive.

 

I dont ever recall Pride being shown in bars.
Not sayin they didnt,but I never remember that happening. Even UFC wasnt shown in bars until the TUF boom.

 

Renting VHS

 

This.

Normally it was copies from local shops that also did porn under the counter... Was really hard to get UFC stuff back in the day otherwise in England, and mail order was hit and miss.

 

For me back in the day was 80s so

 

Sorry, but you're wrong. Scores on St. Laurent in Montreal had UFC very early on, but only on the last floor. UFC 11 or 12 was the first event I saw live at that place.

First Pride event was the 2000 Grand Prix. They only advertised with an 8 by 11 poster. Most people were there for NCAA hockey. Only one of my friends saw Royce vs Saku. The rest of us were too busy getting drunk and filled with food at the Ouzeri (great Greek restaurant). My friend: "It's nuts. He tried to jump on his face." What?!?!

We also missed the Coleman fight. We only had one screen on the floor with Pride. The Smashing Machine comes into the ring and he's fighting a Japanese guy. We're so happy. He's going to crush that nobody. Then Kerr gets kneed 50 thousand times in the rib by Fujita and we realize we know nothing.

The hockey games are over and we get more screens. Some people are about to leave, but they start to get into the violence. We watched the rest of the event and we're all hooked. Crazy evening. Memories are made.

 

I started around 2004-2005. So the ultimate fighter season 1 on spike tv got me hook on UFC. But I did remember watching ufc on directv when tito ortiz was fighting ken shamrock (A pro wrestling fan at the time).

 

Yup. Once torrent became a thing it became even easier. Guys would upload the event within an hour or two after it. You D/L and watch it. Back then with no espn and MM or social media coverage it was easier to avoid spoilers too

 

I started with UFC 1 at a bud's house in 94 or 95, his dad bought the PPV and just videotaped it like any normal person. First I went out of my way to watch was UFC 6, rented from Blockbuster in 1996. This Blockbuster had a respectable selection, having basically every UFC and also Pancrase, Extreme Fighting, some others, on VHS. By the 2000's you could find all kinds of shit on DVD, just go into Sam Goody and there was all kinds of obscure shit put into four packs waiting to be purchased for $5. Shit was around, you just had to look for it.

 

I started watching in 2004. Shamrock v Ortiz, a replay on Bravo got me hooked.

 

Me too and then when DVD's came out, a supplement store I went to would sell DVDs. I'd watch Pride either on PPV or streaming on my PC. For a long time I would read Middle Easy daily.