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

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.

Bravo and Men & Motors were the go to for UFC/Pride back then for us.
 
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 am not wrong. I said I dont remember that ever happening and it probably didnt here in the states.

<Fedor23>
 
I am not wrong. I said I dont remember that ever happening and it probably didnt here in the states.

<Fedor23>
That's your answer to my post? Tell me you're not envious a bit?
 
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I am not wrong. I said I dont remember that ever happening and it probably didnt here in the states.

<Fedor23>
I didn't post to say you're wrong. I posted to share a great experience you didn't think existed.
 
I'll be honest. I was lucky to have a friend who knew about this shit. He was even thinking about giving mma a shot. Then he went for a bjj lesson and got manhandled for an hour. That was the end of the dream.
 
Wherever fights were available, I reckon. Def rented the early UFC's at blockbuster. I smoked way too much weed back then to have any specific answer although I do remember K1 being on after school a lot. I don't recall the UFC breaking through until Ultimate Fighter 1 but again, weed.
 
I ordered UFC 1 or 2 on PPV as a 13yr old kid without my parents permission (Got in trouble for that).
The next few years in high school I would rent random UFC events on VHS at Blockbuster.
Then in 01' I would watch the PPV events for free on the black box, while starting to collect UFC and PRIDE shows I hadn't seen.
A couple years later I was all caught up with past events and would order everything on PPV.
In 05' between TUF, UFC,PRIDE and fight nights we had plenty of MMA to watch through PPV and Spike TV...
 
I'll be honest. I was lucky to have a friend who knew about this shit. He was even thinking about giving mma a shot. Then he went for a bjj lesson and got manhandled for an hour. That was the end of the dream.
I also got lured in to train in mma. I actually did it for several years and wound up being part of the local MMA community for some time. I kind of want to get back into it,but im old and got some injuries now.

Getting manhandled in BJJ in the beggining is what is supposed to happen.
 
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you would go to the video store and pray to some fake god that the new one would be there and not rented out.
 
I got in during 06/07. We did ppvs and other events together until we didn't. i can't say concretely good times but I can say very drunk times. but i can say my friends letting me borrow those pride collection dvd sets and their ufcs is what really changed my life. I also bought every single used/cheap MMA event I could find. Movie Gallery going out of business was a blessing.
 
VHS tapes and me and the homies would get together and buy PPV's.

Then a buddy of mine started getting a recorded DVD of every UFC event. That was pretty cool. We'd get together and watch those sometimes.

Now I typically watch them after the event is over by myself because none of my current friends where I live now are into it. Buncha California buffies.
 
Back in high school, a friend had ordered (or had a black box type thing attached to his TV) UFC 1 and 2, that's where I first saw them.
After that it was VHS rentals.
 
Statute of Limitations. My Bro was a Pirate. Kept us in content in real time when possible, and could get anything within a few days. Whether it was UFC through the dark years. Pride, Shooto, Rings, EFC, Extreme Challenge, IFC, etc. Anyone remember this legendary ass whipping via hair pulling?

 
I've been following the sport since UFC 1...
In the early days (mid 90's) it was only ppv and vhs rentals, and discussions among friends at martial arts class. My buddy worked at a video store
Late 90's and early 2000's we had Sherdog, Grappling magazine, and discussion amongst friends at BJJ class.
 
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