I attended a seminar hosted by the original producer of the Ultimate Fighting Championship two years ago. This was way before Zuffa even noticed the no holds barred league. He told us a story about a drunk guy with a beard who never even bought a ticket to the event; instead, he snuck in the back door, got drunk, and tried to pick fights with all the fighters. The following event, he did the same thing but started throwing bottles too. Tank Abbott may not have been the most qualified martial artist to enter an MMA competition, but the organization had no choice but to consent to him competing or he’d probably keep sneaking backstage and trying to ruin their shows. That story is 100% accurate and it’s the reason we still admire to Tank Abbott today. There’s no cooler way to get a job than to throw bottles at the other applicants after being rejected for the position you want. It almost feels surreal that this doesn’t work more often in America’s workforce.
If you disregard his affinity for male hair-coloring products, this interview with Aaron Tru that discusses Tito Ortiz, Frank Shamrock, and some of the early Ultimate Fighting shows is actually pretty cool. Check it out, then hit up your local happy hour and try to follow in his footsteps.
