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Is This Legal
On November 12, 1993, in Denver, Colorado, the Ultimate Fighting Championship was unleashed on an unsuspecting public, with an explosion-an explosion of blood-as 6-foot-5 Dutch savate champion Gerard Gordeau kicked 420 lb-sumo wrestler Teila Tuli flush in the face less than one minute into the night’s opening fight.
The creation of ad man and serial entrepreneur Art Davie, the UFC arrived with virtually no warning or fanfare. Yet it was watched live in nearly 90,000 U.S. households through Pay-Per-View television, and instantly redefined action sports for a new generation.
The brutal kick delivered by Gordeau not only sent Tuli’s tooth flying into the crowd, it knocked the martial arts and combat sports worlds on their asses. With the very first UFC, the new sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) was launched-although it wasn't even called that yet-and fighting would never again be the same.
Now, for the first time, the true story of how the Ultimate Fighting Championship came into existence is told by the man who started it all. In this vivid and fast-moving, first-person account, Davie explains how his idea to crown the World’s Best Fighter painstakingly evolved into the UFC, which now stands as a billion-dollar sports franchise.
Art Davie is the Dr. James Naismith and Abner Doubleday of MMA (with a touch of PT Barnum), yet his name is largely unknown. That is, until now.
Davie’s tale is one of perseverance and against-all-odds determination, as he worked tirelessly for four years to see his dream come to brutal fruition, while meeting resistance at every single turn.
It’s also a mash-up of martial arts, celebrity, sports, and business, involving a highly improbable cast of characters that includes Academy Award nominee John Milius, NFL Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, action film star Chuck Norris, Brazilian jiu-jitsu godfather Rorion Gracie and Pay-Per-View TV pioneer Bob Meyrowitz.
This no-holds-barred account of how Davie started the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and launched mixed martial arts, is one for not just fight fans, but for fans of mavericks in business and life who stop at nothing to fulfill their dreams.
Whether you're a hardcore supporter of MMA, or have never watched a single bout, you'll be enthralled by Davie’s story of triumph, tempered by constantly lurking disaster.
Art Davie created the sport of the 21st century, which arrived a decade early. He started a revolution, and his revolution was televised.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2014
3 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 18, 2018
This was an excellent read. I consider myself very familiar about early UFC stuff but this book gave me lots of new knowledge and stories from the past I was not aware of. Book was written with very entertaining style and I was very close to give it full five stars - something that I do only to very special books that have affected me deeply. Anyone interested about how it all started simply must read this book.
July 24, 2014
Davie and Wheelock's Is This Legal? is a great look at the early history of the UFC; Davie's take on the beginning of the organization is extremely personal, which makes for good reading, and doesn't try to gussy up the language. It reads like it's straight out of an extended interview, and that makes for good and engaging storytelling. From the very get-go, Davie does a good job at presenting the entire story, acknowledging that he is presenting his perspective on that story, and giving a detailed account that is fascinating for any serious fan of the early history.
I don't know that I really believe in the idea of "must read" books for sports fans. Even the best books about sports (like Michael Lewis's stuff) aren't really necessary to develop and appreciation of the sport. What I will say is that for those who are interested in the history of the UFC, Davie's book is a very important contribution to that literature. There isn't a lot of good writing on that subject, and so it is nice that Davie (certainly one of the most important figures in the early history) has offered us something that is eminently readable and very candid. While there are some factual concerns that I have about the book (e.g. it turns out that the name "War of the Worlds" that Davie wanted to use is actually a very old trope in mixed style fighting, and was used to promote some fights he is clearly aware of, Davie attributes the name to a friend... this seems a bit odd to me) but I suspect that such issues are inevitable in the course of developing a story largely out of personal experience. Memory is a difficult thing.
There are a few stylistic issues I have with the book; structurally, Davie spends a lot of time giving us insight into the fighters and the clerical stuff in the early chapters, and this makes for a fascinating read. The problem is that the quality of this writing, the level of detail, and Davie's involvement personally (which drives the story) fall off over the course of the book. The book starts really strong, but this structural issue causes it to grow progressively weaker as the story goes on.
Also, a minor quibble, the chapters start with an epigraph (often from a great historical source). The problem is that this creates a tension between a sense of stylization and high literary taste and how wonderfully candid Davie is. I don't object to epigraphs in general, but I do think that this is a weird choice for the book. Perhaps the strongest feature of the book is that it feels like Uncle Art is telling you a great story, in his Brooklyn accent and dialect. Letting that voice come through, as Davie and Wheelock do throughout the book, creates some really powerful and honest moments. It is, though at times vulgar and blunt, very good writing, and it is well worth a read.
I don't know that I really believe in the idea of "must read" books for sports fans. Even the best books about sports (like Michael Lewis's stuff) aren't really necessary to develop and appreciation of the sport. What I will say is that for those who are interested in the history of the UFC, Davie's book is a very important contribution to that literature. There isn't a lot of good writing on that subject, and so it is nice that Davie (certainly one of the most important figures in the early history) has offered us something that is eminently readable and very candid. While there are some factual concerns that I have about the book (e.g. it turns out that the name "War of the Worlds" that Davie wanted to use is actually a very old trope in mixed style fighting, and was used to promote some fights he is clearly aware of, Davie attributes the name to a friend... this seems a bit odd to me) but I suspect that such issues are inevitable in the course of developing a story largely out of personal experience. Memory is a difficult thing.
There are a few stylistic issues I have with the book; structurally, Davie spends a lot of time giving us insight into the fighters and the clerical stuff in the early chapters, and this makes for a fascinating read. The problem is that the quality of this writing, the level of detail, and Davie's involvement personally (which drives the story) fall off over the course of the book. The book starts really strong, but this structural issue causes it to grow progressively weaker as the story goes on.
Also, a minor quibble, the chapters start with an epigraph (often from a great historical source). The problem is that this creates a tension between a sense of stylization and high literary taste and how wonderfully candid Davie is. I don't object to epigraphs in general, but I do think that this is a weird choice for the book. Perhaps the strongest feature of the book is that it feels like Uncle Art is telling you a great story, in his Brooklyn accent and dialect. Letting that voice come through, as Davie and Wheelock do throughout the book, creates some really powerful and honest moments. It is, though at times vulgar and blunt, very good writing, and it is well worth a read.
September 24, 2014
I rarely read about Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) history these days, largely because it’s such familiar territory and few books really seem to have much to offer. Davie’s is different.
I learned a lot, and I learned it fast, finishing it in three days. And enjoying it greatly. Davie comes across as gossipy, committed, intelligent, pretty honest (especially for an ad-man turned fight promoter) and generally hugely likeable.
His story is a fascinating well and it’s told extremely well, packed with detail.
Davie’s tale of how he created the UFC is, of course, a self-serving one. While there’s no question he really was the driving force behind what would become MMA, some of what he says doesn’t entirely ring true and some of what he leaves out is very telling.
His explanation for why he drafted a set of rules that didn’t allow the referee to stop a fight is pretty feeble and his continual protestations that he didn’t favour Royce Gracie at all and really didn’t care who actually won the tournament just lacks any believability given his close association with the family.
He also conveniently ignores the virulently anti-UFC letter he wrote to Bob Meyrowitz and copied to Sen. John McCain, once he was no longer associated with the company. True, that’s outside the remit of this otherwise excellent book but he did choose to add an epilogue and in such a ‘tell all’ book his actions, and his subsequent u-turn (he's now very proud of the UFC again) really needed some explanation.
But even with that said, this is essential reading for anyone with any interest in MMA history.
I learned a lot, and I learned it fast, finishing it in three days. And enjoying it greatly. Davie comes across as gossipy, committed, intelligent, pretty honest (especially for an ad-man turned fight promoter) and generally hugely likeable.
His story is a fascinating well and it’s told extremely well, packed with detail.
Davie’s tale of how he created the UFC is, of course, a self-serving one. While there’s no question he really was the driving force behind what would become MMA, some of what he says doesn’t entirely ring true and some of what he leaves out is very telling.
His explanation for why he drafted a set of rules that didn’t allow the referee to stop a fight is pretty feeble and his continual protestations that he didn’t favour Royce Gracie at all and really didn’t care who actually won the tournament just lacks any believability given his close association with the family.
He also conveniently ignores the virulently anti-UFC letter he wrote to Bob Meyrowitz and copied to Sen. John McCain, once he was no longer associated with the company. True, that’s outside the remit of this otherwise excellent book but he did choose to add an epilogue and in such a ‘tell all’ book his actions, and his subsequent u-turn (he's now very proud of the UFC again) really needed some explanation.
But even with that said, this is essential reading for anyone with any interest in MMA history.
December 31, 2018
I thought I was only going to enjoy this book because of my passion for mixed martial arts, but this is a legitimately interesting book and has a ton of great stories of what went on behind the scenes leading up to and during the first ever UFC card. Very happy I made my local library purchase this for me.
October 19, 2018
Really funny stories. I’m more of a casual fan but I’ve watched the first few UFC events but didn’t know the whole context. I’d watch UFC 1 and then read this to see how it came together.
November 27, 2025
A really entertaining insider's look at the birth of the very first Ultimate Fighting Championship event back in 1993. Author Art Davie does a pretty good job of trudging up the most granular of details about the inaugural UFC show, from doing business with about four or five different members of the Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu dynasty (all of whom had their own personal agendas) to hobnobbing with "Red Dawn" director John Milius, who had a lot of *really* bizarre ideas for the event. As you'd imagine, the stuff that didn't happen is every bit as entertaining as the stuff that did — believe it or not, the UFC actually mulled using AN ELECTRIFIED CAGE *and* A MOAT WITH REAL SHARKS IN IT. Davie's recollections of the also-rans at the show (Art Jimmerson and Kevin Rosier, in particular) is pretty hilarious, too, as are his criticisms of the notoriously awful Pay-Per-View commentary team. Long-time MMA fans are going to love it, but it's funny and accessible to people who can't tell Ken Shamrock from a Shamrock Shake, as well.
November 17, 2022
Tremendous story. Humorously written, tons of really neat details and unfiltered opinions about the creation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. If you like MMA, or pro wrestling, or sports, or traditional martial arts, there's something for everyone here. A lot of the story is focused on the Gracies, of course. Very easy to read and has some outstanding photos from the archives as well. As the acknowledgements note, special thanks for Sean Wheelock for pushing to get this created and co-written and published, because it is a vital document for the history of MMA.
September 1, 2016
Good backstory of the origin of the UFC
If you're a UFC fan and you like history, this book is for you. Art Davie tells the behind the scenes story of the beginning of the UFC and MMA in the United States. The story gets sluggish in some spots with a lot of details about the myriad of people who were players in getting UFC started on Pay Per View television. Art Davie seems to be telling the truth about all of the personalities involved, and doesn't pull his punches.
If you're a UFC fan and you like history, this book is for you. Art Davie tells the behind the scenes story of the beginning of the UFC and MMA in the United States. The story gets sluggish in some spots with a lot of details about the myriad of people who were players in getting UFC started on Pay Per View television. Art Davie seems to be telling the truth about all of the personalities involved, and doesn't pull his punches.
July 16, 2014
Pretty quick easy read. It kept my attention, and I finished it in 2 days. If you are a martial artist, and/or mma/ufc fan this book is a must read. This is how it all started! And this was the beginning of turning Gracie Jiu Jitsu into a household name!
July 26, 2014
Great read on the start of MMA in America. For the hardcore MMA fan.
January 5, 2016
Sure the UFC stuff is cool and such but there was surprising wisdom about making a big dream come true.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews