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A Hall of Famer recently reflected on his MMA debut at UFC 4 and noted that there was plenty of confusion regarding his response to what his martial art was. Despite the confusion, he quickly put on a masterclass and showcased the effectiveness of his style in MMA.
At the time, the tournaments consisted of competitors from martial arts backgrounds such as karate, boxing and Jiu Jitsu, and there hadn't been a world-class wrestler until Dan Severn's arrival. 'The Beast' was a decorated collegiate wrestler who became a two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler and served as an alternate for the 1984 and 1988 Team USA Olympic wrestling team.
The former Superfight champion tweeted a clip from his interview with WSI's YouTube channel, where he recalled filling out his paperwork for the UFC 4 tournament. Severn mentioned that there was confusion after revealing his martial art was American wrestling and noted that he ensured they would learn all about it. He said:
"Basically, get your height, your weight, all this kind of stuff [for paperwork]. This the first time ever being asked the question, 'So, what is your martial art?' I've never been asked that question before. I paused for a moment...and I simply said. 'I'm an American wrestler'. Well, they had never heard that response before...They kind of leaned on in and they go, 'Well, what exactly does that do?'...I only train for five days, here I am."
Check out Dan Severn's comments below:
Did Hall of Famer Dan Severn win the UFC 4 tournament?
Dan Severn showcased the effectiveness of wrestling in MMA at UFC 4 as he earned two dominant wins before advancing to the finals.
'The Beast' submitted both Anthony Marcias and Marcus Bossett in under two minutes after taking them down with ease. However, he was unable to replicate that against Royce Gracie in the finals.
The bout saw the much larger Severn take the Brazilian down, but Gracie managed to use his grappling background to his advantage as he found an opportunity to apply a triangle choke, which forced 'The Beast' to submit.
Despite coming up short, the loss to Gracie was a valuable learning experience as Severn went on to win two UFC tournaments and later the Superfight championship.
Check out highlights of Dan Severn's performances at UFC 4 below:
