By FCF Staff

Since the 20th anniversary of Full Contact Fighter is approaching, we thought we’d catch up with the company’s founder, Joel Gold, in advance of the historic milestone. Through Full Contact Fighter’s monthly publication, website, television show and clothing line, Gold was one of the first and more influential people to drive the growth of mixed-martial-arts.

Full Contact Fighter provided fans coverage of events and fighters, when any content related to MMA was extremely hard to come by. It covered the sport when mainstream outlets characterized MMA as barbaric. Similar to the company’s media wing, Full Contact Fighter clothing was one of the first MMA apparel lines in history. Over the coming years, hundreds of high profile fighters and champions were sponsored by Full Contact Fighter, and wore the iconic clothing.

Interviewer: When did you get interested in mixed-martial-arts? And what was Joel Gold up to in those days?

JG: Well I grew up in Queens New York in the 70’s, and in those days you got into a lot of fights, especially having an older brother. I had no choice but to defend myself. My Dad would take me to Bruce Lee movies and martial arts shows. I also always loved boxing and rooted for “Smokin” Joe (Frazier). I did go to a couple of Jeet Kune Do schools, but I really started to develop my skills when I went out on my own…boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

For the most part I was a bartender and promoter…this is where I put my punching skills to the true test! And no, back then fights never went to the ground…only after you knocked a cat out. Boy, do I have stories! I did that until I found out I was going to be a dad and I gave the night club lifestyle up.

Interviewer: You started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu after watching the UFC, correct? Was there much training available in your neck of the woods back then? What are your reflections on those times now?

JG: I saw the first UFC because of my good friend Joe Rivera, and I thought to myself I can do that, I can beat that Royce…he can’t box! By the second UFC I was a believer and soon after was filling out the application to get in the UFC – at a whopping 150 pounds…I think back now and laugh…what was I thinking?

We had no BJJ, only Craig Kukuk and Renzo Gracie in Manhattan…the same place UFC champ Matt Serra came out of. A second school opened in Manhattan by Fabio Clemente and I was one of his first students along with a few others. That was a eye opening experience as to my vulnerability in the ground game. We would mat our houses out and do challenge matches…picture walking into a person’s house and seeing mats in their living room and dining room while fighting with a chandelier above your head.

Interviewer: When and why did you start thinking about starting Full Contact Fighter?

JG: Simple there was nothing like it around in the marketplace. The idea of FCF the publication was started while training at Ray Longo’s school back in the mid 90’s. There were no real publications covering strictly ‘No Holds Barred’ fighting at the time. I knew everything there was to know about each fighter. My life was NHB 24/7.





I would shoot all the photos for FCF and would travel around the world covering events from Japan, Brazil, Canada, Hawaii and many states in between. I shot all the UFC’s for many years and have seen things before, during and after that would blow your mind. Going to Brazil for the IVC shows is what I considered the closest thing to a street fight. Any American going down to fight was a marked man…I have great stories from hookers to hospitals and the most unbelievable weigh in of deceit.

I remember other photographers and journalists from around the world thinking I was crazy. They would come up to me and say “you are going to get yourself killed!” I would put pictures of face twisting fighters being knocked out, tapped out on my covers. This was completely unheard of. If you look back at other covers from around the world all are posed shots under lights. Screw that! I was creating real life art and I was a purist. Isn’t that what this sport was about after all?

The clothing line really developed because well for one, I always liked clothing, but being barely 5’7 it was rough back in the day to get good fitting clothes. I had to do a lot of rolling of the sleeves. I always wanted to make clothes for the shorter fellas like myself. But mostly there were not that many clothing companies at the time and the clothes that came from Brazil would fall apart rather fast. I remember Mark Coleman telling me you need to make some clothes.

What people don’t know is I was the one who solved the issue of printed (logos) cracking or falling off stretch materials…back in the day manufacturers and silk screeners would print with ink on the shorts or rash guards and after a good tug they would crack and logo was ruined. I was like a mad scientist with developing new techniques with printing on clothes. Today my techniques are used in many industries around the world.

In the day we were the biggest due to hard work and no sleep. We never rested, and believed in the importance of what we were doing. I look back now and realize what we did. It’s amazing – we were part of developing a sport. We are in the history books. Not many people can say that. We were a website, publication, weekly television show and clothing company. We fought for something we believed in. Back in the day only a few places would allow the fights. I remember going to Vegas when the UFC was owned by Bob Meyrowitz (SEG) and facing against Lorenzo Fertitta (current owner of UFC) when he was Commissioner on the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and trying to get our great sport legalized in Nevada.

I remember going against the cable companies, politicians and all the non-believers such as martial arts schools that had a hard time facing the facts that the art they were teaching needed improving. Now they all add MMA to their names. I have so many untold stories, some funny others tragic. But all of them were the building blocks for the foundation that MMA stands on today – and I can say I am proud to be a very important part of that foundation.

We also spoke with former UFC champ Pat Miletich, to get his initial thoughts of Gold and Full Contact Fighter. Miletich, who made his MMA debut in 1995 and proceeded to win UFC gold and join the promotion’s Hall of Fame, had this to say about Gold and Full Contact Fighter:

Miletich: I’m not 100% sure when I met Joel during the early days of the sport, but we initially thought he was a fast talking New Yorker. I think we got along well with him because we came from different parts of the country and had a good time making fun of each other. It was just a great time and all of us were on a mission to make the sport of NHB/MMA big.

I loved his mission for the magazine, clothing line and the sport in general. I wore his clothing proudly and wish I still had a pile of it to wear. That’s the original threads with a real history behind the idea.

Stay tuned to Full Contact Fighter for a follow up with Gold, who will reflect on the following years for Full Contact Fighter,the explosive growth of MMA and the stories that were never told to the public.