Art Jimmerson Dies at 60; Former Boxer Competed in UFC 1 Fight vs. Royce Gracie

Former boxer and UFC fighter Art "One Glove" Jimmerson died on Wednesday at the age of 60, his family announced (via Matthew Wells of MMA Junkie).

Jimmerson was a part of combat sports history when he competed in UFC 1 in November 1993. He fought Royce Gracie in the quarterfinals and suffered a submission defeat in the first round.

That was the only professional MMA fight of his career and provided the origin of his "One Glove" nickname since he wore only one boxing glove inside the cage.

The St. Louis native had to that point built his reputation in the boxing ring. He debuted in 1985 and went on to finish 33-18, with his last fight in 2002.

ESPN's Ryan Hockensmith detailed Jimmerson's UFC sojourn this past fall and wrote how the experienced pugilist was confident in his abilities against Gracie. MMA was such a novel discipline at the time that outsiders hadn't comprehended how a boxer would be seriously out of his depth.

According to Hockensmith, Jimmerson encountered future UFC referee John McCarthy backstage. McCarthy was an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department and a sparring partner for Gracie at the time. Asked by Jimmerson how Gracie might counter a jab, McCarthy quickly executed a takedown, at which point he understood the scope of his forthcoming challenge.

"Jimmerson vaguely remembers the exchange with McCarthy," Hockensmith wrote. "But McCarthy says he'll never forget what Jimmerson said to him as he helped the fighter up: 'Oh my god, he's going to break my arms and legs, isn't he?'"

While that fortunately didn't come to pass, Jimmerson felt he was beaten so decisively that he declined an opportunity to be on the UFC 2 card. Per Hockensmith, he was also embarrassed by "the schtick of being the one-gloved guy."

Jimmerson subsequently embraced his signature look and his role in what was a seminal night for the UFC.