Issue 173

December 2018

The controversial Dutch fighter recalls his part in the explosive debut of UFC and explains his love for all forms of martial arts

You competed in the very first fight in UFC history. You faced, and beat, Teila Tuli in devastating fashion. What were your thoughts and feelings at the time about entering the competition and your performance overall?

This is real. You have to fight now. If you train hard and do everything you can, it will be no problem. If you feel you are better than you are, then you have a problem. It was a good time.

The fight with Tuli was an iconic one in that you kicked his tooth in to the front row. You had his teeth embedded in your feet. It really set the tone for the UFC in general. What are your thoughts on that fight now, 25 years later?

Nothing. It’s a professional fight. If you are a professional, you do your job. I have to work. I go to work. Sometimes you have an off day at work. Some days are good days at work. If you prepare good, the only thing you can do in that moment, is do your best. That’s it. I don’t care who my opponent is. I don’t care what he does, what he eats, what he shits. I don’t care. You have to put in the work and get out of the cage and then you have more time to rest. I fought in many, many tournaments and I know how it goes in a tournament. It is difficult.

Most MMA fans will remember you as you were almost a decade ago. How much are you still involved in MMA?

I am 100 percent into martial arts. I trained wrestling. I trained judo. I trained kickboxing and boxing. I especially trained in karate. My heart is karate. That is the best sport ever. If you are missing something you have to develop that. After the final (of UFC 1) I realized I was missing something. I missed something and that was jiu-jitsu. I realized, shit, they can choke you. I didn’t want that to happen again, so I learned jiu-jitsu after UFC 1.

Being a part of that early UFC history, what would you want fans to take away from the early days of the sport?

Go train and don’t focus on one thing. Don’t do that. It takes every sport. If you only like boxing, then go box. You have to train in every sport or otherwise you are f***ed. It’s good for your mind to have that balance, your body and your mind. Try everything. Maybe after a few years you find that judo is the best for you, not for me, for you. Try BJJ. Do kickboxing. Try out, feel, taste everything.

What is your fondest memory of your time spent in the UFC?

I like to fight. Whether I was fighting a fat guy, a tall guy, a short guy, I tried to use whatever I had in my mind, in my hands, and see if it worked. That’s the reason I do every kind of sport at the highest level. What can I do with that information? Then I can pass that onto my students.

If you could choose one fight from your career that every MMA fan should see, which fight would you choose and why?

The fight with myself. You think what you are doing is working. If you write a good book, you are a good writer. I want to be the best in the world. When I was 16, I said I wanted to be the best in the world. Then you have to train with other guys. You can’t be snobbish. You can’t be a dickhead or have a narrow view. Don’t be too proud to step back and let the new generations be involved and give them a choice. You can’t believe you are the champion. No, I am nothing. On that day, Gracie was the champion. It’s only one second that he is the champion. The next day he is nothing anymore. The same as me. Then you have to see what you have learned and still continue to develop yourself.

You faced Royce Gracie in the finals of UFC 1. You said you bit him to give him a gift or a reason to remember you. Can you elaborate on that thought?

That’s true. All of your opponents, if you win, you cut them. If you lose, they realize they were in a fight. I could feel him taking me. I could feel it. I said, ‘No.’ So, then when he looked in the mirror after the fight he would say ‘F**k.’ Twenty years later he came to my school, my dojo, in Holland. The first thing he said to me was ‘Why did you bite me?’ That was the reason.

I read that you have a picture of Royce from UFC 1 hanging in the dojo.

Yeah. He never forgot me. Never. If you fight with me you remember it.