Origin Stories
The origin stories of MMA's greatest fighters. How legends were made.
Who Is Salahdine Parnasse? KSW Double Champ Fighting on Netflix May 16
Baisangur Susurkaev: The Chechen Who Fought Twice in One Week and Won Both
Bro, I need to tell you about this dude because what he did last August might be the craziest week any fighter has ever had in the UFC.
Ateba Gautier: The Silent Assassin From Cameroon Nobody Sees Coming
Ateba Gautier is 23, from Cameroon, 10-1 with 8 KOs, and has three first-round UFC finishes. He left everything behind at 19 to move to Manchester and now he's the scariest middleweight prospect on the roster.
Marwan Rahiki Left His Entire Family in Morocco at 19 to Chase MMA. Last Night He Broke a Man's Jaw in His UFC Debut.
Marwan Rahiki left Morocco at 19, moved to Australia alone, went 8-0 with all finishes, survived getting dropped twice on the Contender Series, and just broke Harry Hardwick's jaw in his UFC debut last night.
Manoel Sousa Used to Open 1,000 Coconuts a Day for $10. He Just Won His UFC Debut by Knockout
Manoel Sousa grew up cracking 1,000 coconuts a day for $10, lived at his gym for 8 years, knocked out Mauricio Ruffy before anyone knew his name, and just won his UFC debut by KO tonight.
Kevin Vallejos Headlines His First UFC Main Event Tonight and Most of You Still Don't Know His Name
Kevin Vallejos is 17-1 with 14 stoppages, ranked #14 at featherweight, and headlines his first UFC main event tonight against Josh Emmett. The kid from Argentina is just getting started.
Elijah Smith Was Supposed to Play Football. Now He's Powerbombing People in the UFC
Elijah Smith was supposed to play college football. Then COVID killed that plan, he walked into his dad's UFC gym, and four years later he's delivering powerbomb knockouts on national TV.
Quillan Salkilld: From Skateboarding in the Middle of Nowhere to Knocking People Out in the UFC
Quillan Salkilld grew up skateboarding in a remote Australian town, never went to college, and is now 4-0 in the UFC with three Performance of the Night bonuses. His story is wild.
David Martinez: The UFC's Doctor of Violence Nobody Saw Coming
David Martinez went from medical school at UNAM to the UFC bantamweight top 10 in under two years. The origin story of MMA's most dangerous doctor.
From Coal Mines to Championship Gold: The Origin of Cody Garbrandt
Drug addict father. Stabbed in a bar fight. A pact with a kid fighting cancer. Then a UFC title. The Cody Garbrandt origin story
From South Auckland Streets to the K-1 World Grand Prix: The Origin of Mark Hunt
Beaten as a child. In prison twice by 18. Then a nightclub brawl changed everything.
The Origin of Tito Ortiz: From Juvenile Hall to the UFC Light Heavyweight Throne
Juvenile hall. Heroin addicted parents. Selling fish at seven. How Tito Ortiz clawed his way to the UFC Light Heavyweight throne.
Islam Makhachev Origin Story: From a Dagestani Village to UFC Double Champion
How Islam Makhachev went from a mountain village in Dagestan to UFC double champion.
Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez: The Rise Nobody Saw Coming
Tomorrow night at UFC Houston, Anthony "Fluffy" Hernandez steps into the main event against former middleweight champion Sean Strickland. And on the eve of the biggest fight of his career, he's carrying more than just an 8 fight win streak into that cage. He's carrying his dad.
Tank Abbott: The Original MMA Villain
Before heel turns became common, Tank Abbott was terrifying opponents and audiences alike. The story of the man who made MMA dangerous.