The fighting community has entered a phase of mourning as Art Jimmerson, one of the few fighters who spearheaded the UFC during its infancy, passed away at the age of 60. Undeniably, the UFC CEO, Dana White, was left in tears as he offered his condolences on social media. Soon after, White was joined by Josh Thomson and Michael Bisping. 

Thomson recently took to his podcast, ‘Weighing In’, and shared the unfortunate news with his audience. After sharing his condolences, the former mixed martial artist dropped down a couple of stories that he had with Jimmerson taking the spotlight. However, the pain of his passing was eminent in Thomson’s voice. Furthermore, Bisping also went on Instagram to offer his prayers for the legendary ‘One Glove’ warrior.

Former UFC fighter offers condolences to Art Jimmerson

‘The Punk’ on episode #470 of ‘Weighing In’ podcast, began the show by offering a piece of his heart to Late Art Jimmerson. After declaring that Jimmerson was one of the first fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, he disclosed the reason why he got himself the moniker, ‘One Glove’. And it was indeed linked to the fighter’s battle with Royce Gracie.

“I’ve got stories with Art. he was a super, super nice man. One of the nicest you’ll ever meet. He actually, you know, after a while, took the name of one glove, based upon wearing one glove into the Octagon when he faced off Royce. That didn’t go well. I didn’t help that fight at all…”, said Thomson. 

Jimmerson boosted his career in the world of martial arts after becoming the National Golden Gloves Middleweight champion, back in 1983. Thereafter, he faced the formidable Gracie in the opening fight of UFC 1. However, wearing a single boxing glove on his left hand, Jimmerson left a lasting impression in the hearts of the fans. Unfortunately, he couldn’t survive the bout and had to tap out, becoming the first fighter to have tapped out in the history of the MMA promotion.

Thereafter, the podcaster returned to the tragic news and offered a prayer to Jimmerson. He said, “But, Art Jimmerson passed away. Art, rest in peace, brother. You were a beautiful human being, you were kind to everyone. And you didn’t spend enough time here with us.” However, Thomson wasn’t the only one who joined Dana White in the mourning. 

Michael Bisping joins Dana White and grieves the tragedy

The UFC commentator, Michael Bisping, took to Instagram and shared a picture of himself donning one red boxing glove on his left hand while holding the ESPN microphone on his right. He wrote in the caption, “RIP one glove Art Jimmerson. #pioneer”

Furthermore, John McCarthy, the veteran ref, commended Jimmerson for his success in the realm of boxing. He said, “People can say whatever they want about Art Jimmerson, but Art Jimmerson was a man who practiced an art — the art of boxing — and became incredibly successful with it. He was brave enough to take that art and test it against something he had no knowledge of.”

Although Jimmerson had only one fight in the UFC, against Gracie, which he lost via submission, his talent truly shone through in the squared rings. He had a golden run in boxing with 17 out of 33 wins by knockout. He was indeed one of the greatest fighters of his time.

Without a doubt, Jimmerson has left the fighting community with nothing but pride and love in his heart. Being one of the first fighters in the MMA promotion and being one of the first fighters in the opening fight of the very first UFC numbered event, ‘One Glove’ will forever rest in the hearts of the fans.