“I was just caught in the moment,” says James Ladner; referring to the the evening of October 17th, 1997, the night he morphed from a random fight fan into mixed martial arts’ most recognizable meme. The transformation took place during the live broadcast of UFC 15: Collision Course, in pop-up arena on the banks of Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. Mark Kerr - a.k.a ‘The Smashing Machine’ - was standing opposite Gregg ‘The Ranger’ Stott, about to compete in the semi-finals of a one-night heavyweight tournament.
The UFC’s camera stuck on Stott as Bruce Buffer introduced him to the crowd.