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

Was a fan since ufc 4.
And in the uk back then there was no way to watch it outside of bootleg vhs tapes.

Fortunately I had a contact for prowrestling tapes and he could get hold of mma as well. I'd send him a cheque to preorder upcoming shows and often get events without a clue who'd be fighting.
 
I think everyone has it covered, by the mid-90’s MMA had a decent following in the Military community, looking back the discussion and fandom was awesome. Being stationed in Alabama from 93-99 helped as I got to attend a few of the earlier events in B-Ham, Mobile and my first was Dothan, thus I became a big Hammer fan. I remember seeing him for the first time at the Dothan civic center and being close enough that I could smell the Anadrol and Trembolone oozing from his pores...LoL, the original Jacked WB.
 
Blockbuster, contacts on forums (Sherdog, Subfighter, UG), and some older guy round my way who had allsorts of bareknuckle, MMA and gypsy stuff.
 
HS - UFC VHS tapes from Blockbuster
College- chasing tail, forgot mma for a bit
Early/mid 2000s- Hooters
Saw lots of great pieces of MMA history at Hooters. Hughes vs BJ, 2 Chuck vs Rampage 2, Hughes vs GSP
(Matt was on almost every PPv for a while there)
 
UK, started watching videos around UFC 4, mate used to get them recorded by his uncle and then posted over to us, same mate was rthe only cat with NTSC. used to be a few months before we could get them. Pride was easier to get in the begining but always in Japanese commentary.
Lived in Australia eary 2000's, worked for a company that sold UFC VHS tapes
 
In the early days, like before the UFC existed, I used to get video tapes from Japan of the events. Once the UFC started, I watched those on PPV until they got yanked then it was Blockbuster until they went back on PPV. Once the egg did the first price incease, I think from 24.99 to 29.99, I stopped buying them. I think Ive bought one UFC PPV in the last 15 years and I dont even remember which one it was.

The days of packed BW3s and Hooters with people watching the fights is long gone. They heyday of MMA was great. Sorry if you missed it.
 
I had all the VHS tapes from UFC 1 - 22, plus all the specials like UFC Ultimate Japan, UFC Ultimate Brazil, UFC Ultimate Ultimate 1995, UFC Ultimate Ultimate 1996, I still have them all. Sadly starting at UFC 23 they stopped making VHS of them because UFC 23-29 was totally lost in time and underground and no one was really watching much anymore, sport was on its knees during that period.

I also used to buy some Martial Art magazines which often featured UFC and the news

I was following some topics online as well but I was very new to online world back in late 90's and didn't use it a lot.

I was also going to some MMA events, but not UFC... the first UFC I went too was UFC 36 and that was also my first ever vacation too Vegas. In 2000's I was often at King of the Cage events and was heavily involved with everything to do with the shows etc etc. A lot of the UFC stars after 2005 I knew from King of the Cage and I knew em all
 
DVDs. My first live event was UFC 42 I watched with my brother. From there, when we would be unable to buy the PPVs, we'd get them later at a store called Newbury Comics that would get them shortly after. Not sure if those places are still around, but they were the shit. DVDs and CDs... man I feel old lol.
 
My first events were when I was a kid, via my uncle's old illegal satellite box. He had one of those cards that unlocked all the channels back in the day. Me and my cousin got in steady trouble when we'd get caught watching UFC.

Then my uncle saw Royce beat someone, and was amazed, so it became OK.

Fell off for a bit mid- late 90s, was in high school and p^$$# and parties were the only things that mattered, and shit was hard to find when it stopped being on PPV. Got back into it shortly after, then the TUF craze hit and it was everywhere.
 
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Back in 2003 when I re-discovered MMA from Vale Tudo Japan and UFC's 1-6, This forum and site (Sherdog) was my information, due to being in HS.
 
VHS in the late 90's and a now defunct cable channel that aired K1, Pride and UFC reruns back in 2002. Sherdogging in '04 for news and fight results.
 
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