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UFC 6 took place 20 years ago this week, and the event was covered by Torch founder and editor Wade Keller in the PWTorch Newsletter issue #344. Check out the coverage of the card, headlined by Dan Severn vs. Ken Shamrock, in this Flashback to that 20-year-old issue.
UFC 6 PPV REPORT by Wade Keller, Torch editor
HEADLINE: Taktarov, Shamrock win big bouts
When: July 14, 1995
Where: Casper, Wy.
What: Second UFC event of 1995
Live Attendance: approx. 5,000
Bruce Beck introduced the program, saying that viewers would be seeing traditional and non-traditional styles, including pitfighting. "This is not a sparing match, this is not an exhibition, it's brutal hand-to-hand combat." He said he considered this the deepest roster in a tournament yet. Jeff Blatnick and Jim Brown were then introduced. The usual pre-match interviews and "tales of the tape" aired, along with a new feature where Blatnick picked the strong points and weak points of each fighter.
Blatnick interviewed Dan Severn. Severn said the field in the tournament is the strongest ever because all the competitors are cross-fighters in that they are not students of just one discipline, but have varied backgrounds. Blatnick gave Severn several opportunities to talk about what doors his UFC victory has opened and Severn talked vaguely, choosing to not mention his pro wrestling offers.
They showed brief clips of the two alternate matches where Joey Sutton beat Joe McLaughlin and Anthony Macias beat Hee Man Gibson. Macias beat Gibson when Gibson was pinned to the mat, but before he laid any solid blows. As soon as Gibson tapped, Macias got in one shot to the head before the ref stopped the fight. Due to Sutton getting injured in his match, Guy Metzger was added as the second alternate.
John McCarthy was introduced as the UFC referee. They then ran down the ringside physicians and "cut man." Ron Van Clief was introduced as the UFC commissioner. He lost to Gracie at a UFC event. They also plugged the UFC Compuserve conference.
They announced the rules - no biting, no eye gouging, referee can re-start the match due to lack of action or stalemate in the ring, and there were 20 minute (tournament matches) and 30 minute (finals and superfight) time limits with a five minute overtime should a draw result.
First Round, Match One: David L. "Tank" Abbott (30, 6-0, 280) defeated John Matua (29, 6-2, 400) at 0:18. Both fighters claimed to be practicers of a practical hybrid of styles. Abbott's style of "pitfighting" is his name for the underground style of fighting in Orange County. In the "underground," money would be put up by tough guys who want to test their street fighting skills against each other. Matua said his style was a hybrid of practical techniques which work on the street. The 400 lb. listing for Matua was an exaggeration.
Michael Buffer did the ring announcing. Most ironic was his proclamation during UFC promos, "If it's not in the Octagon, it's not real," given that he is the announcer for pro boxing and pro wrestling events in traditional rings.
They met at mid-ring with Tank missing his first punch, but soon he pummeled Matua with a barrage of punches and Matua was quick to fall to the ground. He drove Matua to the wall. Matua had enough left to wrap his arms around Tank's head, but Tank slipped off. Matua returned to his feet, only to be knocked down again. Tank made strong contact on two punches to the head. Matua went down hitting his head hard on the mat as he landed and his arms began to extend outward as if having a seizure and his legs began shaking. Tank followed with one final blow to the knocked out Matua before McCarthy stepped in and wrapped his arm around Tank's neck to stop him. Tank mocked Matua's extended arms before leaving the ring.
There was controversy whether Tank needed to throw the final punch. In a conversation on Sunday, Tank told me he doesn't regret throwing the final punch. He said that when he enters the ring he has to have the attitude that he "wants to kill" his opponent. Until the referee steps in, he says, you have to keep going or else you open yourself up to letting down too soon. Matua did not get up for several minutes. Doctors entered the ring as Matua bled from the nose and/or mouth.
Blatnick interviewed Tank who said he was tired because he was winded, but had yet to show much of his many dimensions fighting. He referred to the rest of the tournament as a "cake walk." Three minutes after the match the announcers were running down the extensive medical expertise that is on hand. The cameras didn't show Matua being worked on in the ring until he returned to his feet. McCarthy said he had to wait until he was sure Matua was out of the match before stopping the fight and once he realized Matua was out, he stepped in. Matua walked out of the ring on his own with an oxygen mask as the McCarthy interview ended.
First Round, Match Two: Paul Varelans (25, 6-8, 300) beat Cal Worsham (32, 5-10, 230) at 1:04. Varelans practices "trap fighting," which like the fighters in the first match, is a combination of styles that work in practical situations. Worsham is a practitioner of tae kwon do, but also listed close-in fighting as a strength. The only thing Worsham had against him was size. He was dwarfed by Varelans. Otherwise, he put in a good showing as he opened with an ineffective sidekick, but followed with a barrage of roundhouses and uppercuts driving the bigger Varelans to the wall. At 0:35 he went for the legs of Varelans but couldn't get him down. They locked up for a few seconds followed by some connecting punches by Varelans. Varelans then put Worsham away with a strong elbow to the back of his head. McCarthy immediately stepped in to stop the fight just as Varelans was going to lock on a chokehold. Varelans rammed his bloody face into the camera as part of his celebration after his victory.
In a post-match interview, Varelans refused to answer Blatnick's questions to avoid giving away his strategy for his match against Tank.
First Round, Match Three: Pat Smith (31, 6-2, 217) defeated Rudyard Moncayo (25, 5-10, 205) at 0:55. Smith, his background being in karate and tae kwon do, was the finalist at UFC1 and lost to Royce Gracie. He said he had more experience going into UFC6 than any other tournament fighters. He was 2-2, his other loss coming to Ken Shamrock at UFC2. Moncayo was announced as being 78-0 in full-contact karate fights, 65 by knockout. Smith charged Moncayo with a hard charging front thrust kick knocking him backward to the mat and the wall, which was the smart strategy since Moncayo's background is in the stand-up style of full-contact karate. Moncayo rose quickly grabbing Smith's leg, but Smith locked on a choke hold over Moncayo's head. They fought for positioning and exchanged rib shots. At 0:53 Smith took the fight to the ground and was on top. Moncayo tried to roll out from under Smith, but Smith locked on a choke from behind with his right arm. Smith fell backward as Moncayo tapped out. During his celebration Smith grabbed at his stomach and looked queasy for a second.
During the interview, Blatnick kept pulling the mic away from a winded Smith during his answers. Smith said he didn't get to use anything he had been practicing and said the fight was all Thai style fighting.
First Round, Match Four: Oleg Taktarov (27, 6-0, 210) defeated Dave Beneteau (27, 6-2, 258) in 0:57. They said Beneteau has been to four amateur wrestling world championships and had won 17 national titles. As an alternate at UFC5 he went to the finals and lost to Severn. He was 2-1 overall in UFC entering the night. Blatnick said Beneteau likes to shoot in on his opponents and is most comfortable on the ground. Taktarov, who they said had been training with Ken Shamrock, won the 1994 Iron Gladiator Tournament in Europe, is a four-time European Asian full contact jiujitsu champion, and has a list of other accomplishments. He practiced sambo (a cross between jiujitsu and wrestling) in Russia. They said Taktarov was upset his fight against Severn at UFC5 was stopped last time due to blood in the eyes. Severn picked Taktarov to win.
Beneteau went for Taktarov's legs right away. He took him to the mat and Beneteau went into the guard position. Taktarov stood and Beneteau threw some knees and then a series of punches. Taktarov looked to be in trouble, but Taktarov shot in on Beneteau's left leg. Taktarov flipped onto his head and shoulders and then slipped over Beneteau's back and saw an opening. He locked on a choke and Beneteau tapped out. Beneteau was bleeding from above his eyes.
Beneteau was barely able to talk during the post-match interview due to being winded.
Blatnick interviewed commissioner Ron Van Clief. The first point brought up was about a "code of conduct" meaning fighters treat each other with respect in and out of the ring. Given the verbal spats Tank was involved in behind the scenes, this may have been brought up first to make a point to Tank and his party. Van Clief then said that he didn't think UFC is violent because "there is more violence in the city schools," adding that the matches are under control and safe with good referees and good athletes. He predicted UFC would be the number one sport in the 21st century.
Blatnick interviewed UFC doctor, Dr. Richard Istrico. He said Matua regained orientation before leaving the octagon, but he sent to the hospital via ambulance to get CAT scans as a precautionary measure. Istrico then ran down a list of medical safeguards that he said made him feel comfortable. Istrico said SEG administers HIV tests, the results of which are open to all fighters before the tournament.
Semi-Finals, Match One: Tank Abbott beat Paul Varelans at 1:51. The two fighters and their respective camps had a verbal spat before the fight. The intensity may have been even a notch higher because of that. Tank pushed the larger Varelans into the fence at 0:10. Tank laid on top of Varelans against the fence as both men tried to punch each other. Varelans did an effective job of covering himself. Varelans wrapped his left arm around Tank's head. When Tank escaped at 1:10 he hit Varelans with some hard punches. Varelans's arm flopped to the mat one time and McCarthy almost stopped the match before realizing it was inadvertent. Tank put his knee over Varelans's head for ten seconds and threw a few punches. McCarthy made the most questionable call of the night and separated the two. Varelans immediately protested, showing he was still fully awake. McCarthy may have been eager to stop the match because of the results of Tank's first round match, although that certainly would be an unjust way to reward a possibly late punch by Tank by giving him an earlier victory call than he otherwise might have.
Blatnick interviewed Tank. Tank said Varelans said in his press clipping that he likes to take people down and tickle them, so he "tickled his brain a little bit." As Blatnick showed Tank the replay, Tank said, "Oooh, I'm starting to get sexually aroused. Better take that off." Tank said he would show the skills he has in the finals. Tank shook the fans' hands as he returned to the back. His total time in the octagon was just over two minutes in both fights. Jim Brown and Blatnick commented that Tank is one of the first fighters who talked a big game and also delivered since most of those who were successful in UFC were quiet. Brown said Tank was "evil" and "violent."
Pat Smith pulled out due to stomach cramps. He is a diabetic and was suffering effects of that and was unable to continue. There was a long pause trying to find a suitable opponent for Taktarov since first alternate Anthony Macias said he is a friend of Taktarov and refused to fight him. Guy Metzger was the second alternate and had trained with Taktarov. Blatnick pointed out that Metzger had refused to fight at a previous UFC event because he was bracketed against a friend. Beck said that if no alternates were left, Taktarov would advance via a bye. During the pause between fights they showed David Hasselhoff and Leon Spinks talking in the front row. When they eventually ruled that Macias would fight, Blatnick said, "I hope he gives it his best." Beck pointed out that Taktarov came to the U.S. seven months ago and three of his best friends are Mucias, Metzger, and Shamrock.
Semi-Finals, Match Two: Oleg Taktarov beat Anthony Macias at 0:12. Macias charged Taktarov and went for his leg. Taktarov quickly saw an opening and locked on a choke for the victory. Beck said, "I don't know if Macias wanted to be in there." The fans were booing. Brown said, "You gotta be honest." Blatnick said, "You gotta wonder." All three announcers basically conceded that they thought Macias may have thrown the fight, which made Taktarov all the fresher since he didn't have to put up an effort in the second round match. Brown said, "I wasn't comfortable with this friendship stuff." It was pretty much considered a given behind the scenes that Macias threw the fight.
After several minutes of filler, including an interview with David Hasselhoff and a potential future Brazilian UFC entrant, the Superfight began.
Superfight: Ken Shamrock defeated Dan Severn at 2:15. They spent the first ten seconds tentatively circling each other. Shamrock dove at Severn's legs at 0:12 leading to a lock up that floated around the ring until 1:05 when Shamrock threw a kneelift and the two separated. They circled each other again. Shamrock threw two air punches at Severn. Shamrock caught Severn on the third. They locked up on their feet again. Severn got his arm around Shamrock's neck, but then released and went for his right leg. As he did that, he lifted his head and Shamrock caught his neck and applied a chokehold. Severn escaped quickly. They locked up again. Severn backed Shamrock into the corner and bent down to go for his legs. Shamrock locked on a choke hold. Severn threw a desperation punch at Shamrock's stomach and then tapped out. Shamrock paraded around the ring with a smile on his face and his arms in the air. Severn talked to Shamrock for a few seconds and then left the ring. Shamrock continued to celebrate in mid-ring with his father. After the match, Shamrock said he saw on tape that Severn tends to open his neck up for a choke when he dives for the legs.
Finals Oleg Taktarov defeated Tank Abbott. Taktarov quickly went for Tank's legs, but Tank wouldn't go down and landed on top of Taktarov and applied a headlock. Taktarov went into the guard, but Tank released Taktarov and chose to stand up and face off from scratch again. Tank then overpowered Taktarov with a barrage of punches backing Taktarov to the fence, although no punch caused major damage. After taking a hard blow to the chest, Taktarov dove for Tank's legs, but once again could not take him to the ground. At 1:42 both fighters were tired and leaned on each other. Taktarov locked on a choke. Tank tried to escape, then took Taktarov to the mat. Taktarov locked it on tight while on his back. After being choked for 22 seconds, Tank powered out of the choke in an amazing display of strength. Both men seemed to be resting at 3:00. McCarthy threatened to stand up both fighters. They struggled on the mat for position while taking a breather whenever they dared until 6:32 when Tank initiated another stand-up face-off. An exhausted Taktarov went for Abbott's legs at 7:40 but ended up underneath him again. They remained in the same position until 16:08 when McCarthy stood up both fighters again. Abbott hit one solid punch, but Taktarov absorbed it and applied a choke at 17:00. Abbott amazingly powered out after 20 seconds. The fans went from pro-Abbott and pro-USA to pro-both guys for the heart they showed. At 17:47 an exhausted Taktarov applied another choke and Abbott quickly tapped out. Abbot got to his feet and left the ring as Taktarov lay on the mat and was fed oxygen. Great drama. Both men showed unbelievable will power and heart. The most grueling UFC fight to date, appropriate given this was the best UFC card to date, also, both in terms of action and production.
COLUMNIST COMMENTS
Chris Zavisa: At UFC6 we almost had a Rocky Balboa story finish with the comic book figure of Tank Abbott just missing the gold ring. Abbott brought a freshness and a new sense of the old to an event that badly needed it. He is a keeper who I hope to see more of in the future. Abbott should not feel bad since even the original Rocky did not win it all in his first venture.
Shamrock clearly wanted the win much, much more than Severn. The people who run this event should ban for life the two so-called alternates, Metzger who made an out of ring decision not to fight and Macias who refused to fight once he got into the ring. The announcing team just about admitted he threw the bout. I enjoyed this event more than those with the long, boring, Royce Gracie hug-a-thons.
Bruce Mitchell: This show should not be compared with traditional wrestling pay-per-views because its excitement derived from the essence of true sport. The UFC, particularly the main event, was simply a great adrenaline rush, just like any other sporting event where the stakes, skills, and interest are high. When true sport works as entertainment it's because these elements meshed. And on this show they did. Taktarov vs. Abbott was exactly like a great boxing match with a skilled fighter holding off an all-heart brawler. Abbott was a true warrior in defeat, and looked better because of the impossible odds he persevered against. He seemed quite the bully before that, though. Shamrock, for skill, preparation, conditioning, and pharmaceutical knowledge, proved himself to be state of the art.
UFC faltered only when they acted like a show instead of a sport. I understand why they were queasy, but the best course when someone gets hurt in the octagon is to deal with it frankly and honestly instead of acting as if there is something to hide. UFC needs to get its act together with those visuals since several of the weights listed badly contradicted the evidence of the eyes, and their own commentary. They need an official weigh-in before the show. Some of the background of the competitors seemed a little suspicious - like what the hell is trapfighting or pitfighting, anyway?
It's one thing if Anthony Macias decided that discretion is the better part of getting your ass kicked and went into the tank on his own against Taktarov, but if there was any perception among the fans or critics that there was an arrangement to work this match, the UFC concept could be damaged.
All in all, though, this was one of the most thrilling sporting events I've ever seen.
TORCH READER POLL RESULTS
Average Reader Score: 8.3
Best Match: Oleg Taktarov vs. D.L. "Tank" Abbott (78%), Taktarov vs. Dave Beneteau (14%), Tank vs. Paul Varelans (8%)
Worst Match: Taktarov vs. Macias (85%), Tank vs. Matua (10%), Shamrock vs. Severn
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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