Twenty years ago, the sport of MMA was still very much in its infancy. Maurice Smith is the man widely recognized for proving the value of high-level striking in the cage.

In July 1997, at UFC 14, Smith made his UFC debut in Birmingham, Ala. Standing on the opposite side of the cage was undefeated wrestling standout Mark Coleman, who had submitted Dan Severn earlier in the year to claim the inaugural UFC heavyweight title.

While Smith (12-14 MMA, 4-3 UFC) had earned mixed results early in his MMA career, he brought world-class kickboxing credentials to the cage, not to mention impressive cardio and an active guard, allowing him to survive underneath the vaunted ground-and-pound attack of Coleman (16-10 MMA, 7-5 UFC).

Check out the full fight video above, courtesy of UFC Fight Pass, and watch Smith battle his way to victory, becoming the UFC’s second heavyweight champion.

As MMAjunkie previously reported, Smith will be formally inducted into the Pioneer wing of the UFC Hall of Fame on July 6.