Art “One Glove” Jimmerson was a former national Golden Gloves middleweight champion boxer who competed in the very first Ultimate Fighting Championship competition and became the first person ever to tap out in a UFC fight.
- Died: May 8, 2024 (Who else died on May 8?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 60.
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Art Jimmerson’s legacy
Art Jimmerson was already a successful boxer by the time he made history with UFC. As a young amateur, he was the National Golden Gloves middleweight champ in 1983. He went pro in 1985, winning his first five bouts in a row, and 12 of his first 14 through 1988.
It was in November 1993 that he made fighting sports history. Then a 29-5 boxer, Jimmerson competed in the first UFC competition. The sport was brand new at the time, an unknown entity. With fighters of varying styles being mixed together, no one knew what to expect when Jimmerson stepped into the ring against Brazilian jiu-jitsu master Royce Gracie. Jimmerson went in wearing one glove, earning him his nickname, and the pair squared off. Gracie won, and eventually won the entire tournament, while Jimmerson went down in history as the first competitor ever to tap out in a UFC fight, his lone mixed martial arts bout.
Jimmerson’s boxing career continued through 2002, finishing with a 33-18 career record. He later became a trainer in the Los Angeles area, and despite his MMA loss, embraced his role in helping break new ground in fighting sports.
On realizing the UFC would be as brutal as a street fight:
“I went out, and I said, ‘Oh, my goodness, what did I get myself into?’” — Interview with MixedMartialArts.com, 2018
Tributes to Art Jimmerson
Full obituary: ESPN
