LAS VEGAS – As a member of the First Family of Mixed Martial Arts, UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie has witnessed firsthand the rise of the sport from obscurity to network TV. And while he hasn’t competed for more than six years, the MMA pioneer said the sport – which has long struggled for recognition – is now unquestionably mainstream.

“It became mainstream,” Gracie said Wednesday. “I know because little kids now, when I travel – I’m on the road about eight months of the year – and when little kids come up to you, you’re talking about 8, 10 year olds, saying, ‘I want to be in the UFC. Can you hook me up?’ You know the UFC made it.”

Gracie’s older brother Rorion is one of the founders of the UFC, and Royce competed in each of the company’s first five events. Designed as an infomercial for the family’s patented brand of Gracie Jiu Jitsu, UFC 1 took place on Nov. 12, 1993, and Royce dominated his competition early on, submitting each of the first 11 opponents and showing the world that the commonly held principles of martial arts weren’t exactly factual.

Hardly muscle-bound in his heyday and competing in a traditional gi many observers jokingly referred to as “pajamas,” Gracie tapped out bigger and stronger opponents with ease, proving that traditional martial arts such as karate, kung fu and taekwondo weren’t necessarily effective as a complete fighting system if they weren’t complimented by grappling skills. Especially in a contest that was limited only by rules that prohibited biting and eye-gouging.

The years that followed saw nothing short of a revolution in martial arts, and the UFC has now promoted more than 250 events and celebrates its 20th anniversary at Saturday’s “UFC 167: St-Pierre vs. Hendricks” event at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Along the way, a rigid set of governing principles (the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts) were developed, and the athletes involved developed into highly skilled, cross-trained competitors.

“The difference now is there’s a lot of strategy,” Gracie said. “The guys have learned different styles of martial arts.”

Gracie (14-2-3 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC), now 46 years old, fought in a much different era, and the sport has undergone transformation after transformation to reach its current status. Perhaps not surprisingly, the man who once fought a 500-pound Akebono Taro would actually like to see MMA return to a bygone era.

“No gloves, no time limit, no weight division – that would be very interesting,” Gracie said. “The game changes a lot. The strategy changes a lot. It’s a different strategy.”

Of course, that’s not likely to happen any time soon. With FOX currently airing the sport in the U.S. and new global television partners routinely coming on board, what once was spectacle has now become sport, and the days of “no-holds barred” are long gone. While Gracie may long for those early days, he admits the new form of the sport has done pretty well so far.

“Kids grow up and say, ‘One day I want to be a basketball player. One day I want to be a football player or a soccer player,'” Gracie said. “Now they say, ‘One day, I want to be a UFC fighter.’ You know its mainstream now.”

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