says the strange specificity of the Norris story should be enough to prove he's remembering correctly.

"It's not genius," Cusson said. "I wish it was a better story. But it came from me, not Greg. Success has a thousand fathers. Failure's an orphan."

Of the many development sketches submitted to SEG that fall, however, only Harrison's signature appears. And despite Cusson saying Harrison was "too busy" for the job, Harrison is credited as the production designer for the show.

"No one but Greg should take credit for this design," said Pillot.

Cusson would stay on as caretaker for the cage, setting it up and knocking it down for the next several years before moving on to general contracting work in Massachusetts. (He used pieces of a promotional, small-scale Octagon as part ofhis Halloween decorations before they crumbled.) Harrison went to three shows before going on to other production jobs.

Whether the inspiration was Pillot, Norris, Milius or some intangible, the Octagon is thematically perfect. Its many sides reflect the many styles involved in mixed martial arts. It's so bizarrely and radically different from any other sporting arena that it's made the UFC instantly identifiable to anyone switching channels, just as Pillot had envisioned. Aside from a change in canvas color and raising the railing height to a full six feet -- and ignoring its sibling, a 25-foot cage intended for events in smaller venues -- it has remained virtually intact since the UFC's debut in November 1993.

That night, flooded with the relief that his construction had held a charging sumo