Severn Wants Revenge 17 Years Later

By Raphael Garcia
Nearly 17 years ago the world watched as Royce Gracie used what is now known as a triangle choke to stop Dan “The Beast” Severn at UFC 4. That fight could be considered one of the main catalysts in the growth of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, as well as mixed martial arts, throughout the world. Now fast forward to 2011: Would the world be interested in watching to see if history can repeat itself?

In 2010 the UFC made a major announcement when it let the MMA community know that the organization planned to return to Brazil in 2011. UFC 134: Rio is set to go down on August 27th at the HSBC Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ever since the first announcement of this card, questions have been raised regarding whether the UFC will feature a Gracie family member on the card. Currently Renzo Gracie is the only member of the family employed by the UFC (though due to the recent Zuffa purchase of Strikeforce, MMA upstart Roger Gracie is also fighting under the Zuffa banner).

But what about the man who is credited with starting it all in 1994? In recent months, rumors began to swirl that Royce Gracie had started training to prepare himself for the call from Zuffa. However, a recent MMA Fighting piece reports that UFC President Dana White has no intention of including Royce on the card. Gracie was last seen in the Octagon in 2006, when he suffered a one-sided defeat at the hands of Matt Hughes (who has since then also defeated Renzo to go 2-0 against the Gracie family). An official announcement by the UFC hasn’t been released either way, but if Royce Gracie were to be featured in a bout at UFC: Rio, one has to wonder who he would face off against.

Names such as Frank Shamrock, Ken Shamrock, and even Pat Miletich have been bounced around. Yet I want to bring up the name of Dan Severn, the man on the losing side of that important fight on that December night in 1994. Since the notion began floating that Royce may compete at UFC Rio, Severn has made it clear that he would love to stand across the cage from him one more time. “The Beast” has even taken to his personal website to show his interest in fighting the UFC Hall of Famer. While many fight fans would possibly jump at the nostalgic aspect of the fight, it’s important to consider the question of whether this would be a “fair fight.”

Severn would be 53 years old by the time the event took place, while Gracie would be 44, so one might be more apt to favor the younger fighter. Yet Gracie has not been active since 2007, when he competed against Kazushi Sakuraba. Severn, on the other hand, has been very active over the last few years. In 2011 alone he has already competed three times. Severn is also currently riding a 10 fight win streak that dates back to 2009. While these fights may not have been against the toughest of competition, being active in MMA is very important, because history has shown how detrimental extended time away from the cage can be. Furthermore, mixed martial arts is no longer a no-holds-barred event, and that would have an effect on how this match would play out, as certain techniques that Gracie relied upon in their first contest are not possible under the Unified Rules.

On top of that, we should consider the weight disparity. Rules have changed since UFC 4, and a matchup of a heavyweight versus a welterweight would be nearly impossible to get sanctioned.

UFC 134: Rio is going to be a historic event for the mixed martial arts community in more ways than one. And while it’s most likely not going to happen, a Royce Gracie-Dan Severn matchup would surely have the MMA world in a buzz, and be historic in its own way.