Contrary to popular belief, the story of modern mixed martial arts doesn't begin with UFC 1 in Denver in 1993 or with the Gracie family of Brazil. Though of course the Gracies deserve a prominent place in the history of MMA, their intention was never for fighters to begin training across styles.  Quite the opposite!  Their intention was to prove that Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was the most dominant style of martial arts, a traditional and now seemingly archaic notion about dominance of a single fighting art.  Sport MMA is an unintentional by-product of their goal. No, UFC 1 created the most prominent forum ever for martial arts styles to mix, but the philosophical underpinnings of MMA began in the San Francisco Bay area in 1965 by an ingenious martial arts pioneer: Bruce Lee, known in his native China as Jun Fan. ...