5 Things You Might Not Know About UFC 3

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WOW Promotions and Semaphore Entertainment Group authored another chapter of the Ultimate Fighting Championship experiment as it crept ever closer to the one-year anniversary of the organization’s birth.

UFC 3 “The American Dream” went down on Sept. 9, 1994 at the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, where 3,000 people showed up to witness Royce Gracie’s bid for a three-peat. The Brazilian partook in an eight-man openweight tournament with no time limits or rounds. Gracie was joined by six Americans and one Canadian at a pay-per-view show that purportedly drew upwards of 90,000 buys. The UFC has revisited The Queen City only four times since, most recently with UFC on ABC 4 on May 13, 2023.

Now more than three decades removed from the event, here are five things you might not know about UFC 3:

1. The venue made for an intimate viewing experience.

The Grady Cole Center, which opened in 1956, sits on the campus of Central Piedmont Community College. It was once a hub for Jim Crockett Promotions, which later became World Championship Wrestling and rivaled the World Wrestling Federation in the mid- to late 1990s. The facility has played host to a wide variety of musical acts, from Pink Floyd and Ozzy Osbourne to R.E.M. and Coldplay.

2. An important safety measure was introduced.

It was the first UFC event where the referee was given the authority to stop fights. “Big” John McCarthy—a 6-foot-3, 265-pound Los Angeles police officer—officiated all six matches.

3. The audience had to keep its bathroom breaks to a minimum.

None of the six bouts reached the five-minute mark. Ken Shamrock was involved in the longest battle on the card, as he struck Christophe Leininger into submission 4:49 into their quarterfinal. It was the first of two UFC appearances for Leininger, who went on to lose a 15-minute unanimous decision to Guy Mezger at UFC 13 in 1997.

4. There were no sure bets.

It featured the first tournament that Royce Gracie failed to win. The Brazilian was involved in a grueling affair with Kimo Leopoldo in the quarterfinals, ultimately earning a submission via armbar 4:40 into their confrontation. Gracie withdrew due to exhaustion prior to his semifinal with Harold Howard, keeping his undefeated record intact.

5. A loophole was exposed.

Steve Jennum filled in for an injured Shamrock in the final and won the $60,000 prize when he punched Howard into submission in just 87 seconds. The UFC later instituted alternate bouts to lessen the advantages potential replacements previously held.