athletic commission would have him shut down.

Instead, he put on a hybrid martial arts and professional wrestling exhibition with lots of flashy moves but no concussions. As reported in the Feb. 19, 1993, edition of the San Pedro News Pilot, the bouts took place in an eight-sided cage with chain-link fencing.

"The reason was so no one could get pinned in a corner," said Patschull, who often goes by the nickname "Kazja." "That's why I went with an octagon. My investors said, why not use a boxing ring? I said no, a person would fall out or hurt someone in the audience. That's the reason I went with the fencing."

Using a chain-link fence for exhibitions was nothing unusual; professional wrestling had been trapping grapplers in cages for years. ButPatschull's geometry was something new. Months later, he caught wind of the UFC and its Octagon. He also remembered that Davie had been in attendance at his show nine months prior, a fact Davie freely admits.

"I was interested to see if anyone had figured out how to stage a no-holds-barred event in California," Davie said. "I brought Royce Gracie with me. When Royce saw it was a 'work' and not a 'shoot,' he got bored quickly and we left within 20 minutes. To this day, I don't remember what Kazja's ring looked like."

"Their first flyer went out, and it said they were going to do it in a wooden pit," said Patschull, referring to the Milius plug in the UFC's early advertising. "Then all of a sudden they're