UFC 1 star Art ‘One Glove’ Jimmerson dies at 60
Art Jimmerson, one of the first men ever to compete for the UFC, has died at the age of 60.
Known to millions of MMA fans as “One Glove,” Jimmerson passed away Wednesday evening, according to an initial report from ESPN. UFC officials confirmed Jimmerson’s death in a statement.
“The UFC family sends its sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Art Jimmerson at this difficult time,” UFC officials wrote in a statement while paying tribute to him.
The cause of death is yet to be publicly disclosed.
Jimmerson only stepped into the octagon once, but will forever be remembered for his fight with the legendary Royce Gracie at UFC 1 in November 1993. In the opening round of a one-night tournament, the pro boxer entered the cage wearing just one boxing glove on his left hand, leaving his right uncovered. The peculiar approach did not appear to benefit Jimmerson in any way as he was submitted by Gracie in a little over two minutes.
Though Jimmerson’s absurd choice has been the subject of numerous punchlines, he remains an indelible part of the earliest days of the UFC. His cagefighting career may have come to an abrupt end against Gracie, but the legacy of “One Glove” has endured for over thirty years.
Jimmerson regularly made public appearances with his lone glove and has frequently been featured in documentaries and retrospectives about the UFC’s origins.