Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Started by Art Davie & Rorion Gracie - WOW Promotions as a tournament to find the world's best fighter, no matter what their style, the UFC was to be based upon a version of Brazilian vale tudo fighting. Often violent and brutal with a minimal set of rules, the UFC's brand of vale tudo, initially known as no holds barred fighting, allowed for fighters of various disciplines to prove which martial arts style prevailed above others in realistic, unregulated situations. Early fights in the UFC, while accomplishing the goal of determining which style was best, were less sport than spectacle, which led to accusations of brutality and "human cockfighting" by opponents. Political pressures eventually led the UFC into the underground, as pay-per-view providers nixed UFC programming, nearly extinguishing the UFC's public visibility.

As political pressure mounted, the UFC reformed itself, slowly embracing stricter sets of rules, sanctioning by athletic commissions, and marketing itself as a legitimate sporting event. Dropping the no holds barred label and carrying the banner of mixed martial arts, the UFC has reemerged from its political isolation as it has become more socially acceptable, regaining its position in pay-per-view television. With a cable television deal with Fox Sports Net and now Spike TV, and legalization of MMA in California, a hotbed for MMA fandom, the UFC is currently undergoing a remarkable surge in popularity, along with heightened media coverage. UFC programming can now be seen in the United States, as well as in Britain, Canada, Japan, and Brazil.

The UFC is currently based in Las Vegas, Nevada, and owned and operated by casino operators Frank Ferttita III and Lorenzo Ferttita under the name Zuffa, LLC. President Dana White is the face of the UFC and has been credited with bringing the sport to the publice through television exposure and intense marketing.

Contents

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History

Founded in 1993, UFC events were originally eight- or sixteen-man tournaments conducted by the organization Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG) in association with WOW Promotions (headed by Art Davie and Rorion Gracie), where the winner was required to beat three opponents in a single evening to be crowned Ultimate Fighting Champion. Reportedly no other event matched fighters of different style to prove which was the best (though events like the Vale Tudo No Maracanãzinho, held in Brazil on November 30, 1984, would appear to contradict this claim).[1] Certainly, though, no event had done so in the US or on the scale of UFC 1 (held in an 18,000 person arena and carried throughout the US on Pay-Per-View cable television). As was the case with most martial arts at the time, fighters were typically skilled in one discipline only (for example boxing, Judo, Jiu Jitsu) and had little experience in battling against opponents with different skills. Some competitors were also rumored to have bolstered their credentials in traditional martial arts in order to legitimise their presence (Kimo Leopoldo, for example, was erroneously touted in UFC 3 as a "third degree black belt" in taekwondo).[2]

With no weight classes, fighters could find themselves facing opponents who were significantly larger and taller than themselves. Many martial artists believed that technique could overcome these advantages, and in fact that a skilled fighter would use an opponent's size and strength against him. These factors combined led to mixed outcomes and numerous examples where size and weight did not become factors at all. For example, the fight between Keith "The Giant Killer" Hackney vs. Emmanuel Yarborough, where there was a 9" height difference and a surreal 400 pound weight difference! [1] Another example, the "superfight" between Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie in UFC 5 lasted 36 minutes, in which the fight went to a draw. This was very much in line with the way the UFC was being marketed at the time. "There are no rules!" said the famous tagline. Although not strictly true, the UFC did operate with a limited set of rules; techniques such as hair pulling, headbutts and groin strikes were frowned upon, but allowed. How the rules were enforced: a referee with knowledge of the various martial arts was used and a competitor who broke the rule would be fined $1000.

The UFC became a hit on Pay-Per-View almost immediately due to its originality, realism and accompanying wide press coverage, although not all of it favorable. The brutal nature of the burgeoning sport quickly drew the attention of the authorities and UFC events were banned in a number of American states. After repeated criticism from Senator John McCain (R-AZ), the UFC was banned by the major cable Pay-Per-View distributor as well. To survive, the UFC redesigned its rules to remove the less palatable elements of fights, while still retaining the core elements of striking and grappling. Five minute rounds, referee stoppages, weight classes and limitations on permissible striking areas gradually found the UFC being rebranded as a sport rather than a violent circus attraction.

As UFC continued to work with commissions, events were held all over the US - including Iowa, Mississippi, and New Jersey — and the world — including Brazil and Japan. But the UFC was unable to regain its place on US cable until it was sanctioned by the respected Nevada State Athletic Commission. After the NSAC showed little interest in permitting the sport, it seemed to reverse course in 2001 after one of its members left the commission — and subsequently purchased the UFC. Shortly thereafter, the UFC was approved in Nevada which enabled it to return to national Pay-Per-View cable television.

Through this event the term Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) was coined.

Since January 2001 the UFC is owned by Zuffa, LLC and managed by president Dana White.

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Popularity

Today, Ultimate Fighting Championship events have become popular in Japan, Brazil, Canada, and the United States, where live fights are often seen on television's pay-per-view system as well as on Spike TV's Ultimate Fight Night. Spike TV also airs UFC Unleashed, which showcases matches from past cards. Major PPVs are usually held in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, much like in boxing, with the UFC making forays into California starting in 2006. The ring announcer for the UFC is Bruce Buffer, brother of the famous boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer.

In 2005, the UFC launched its own reality television series, The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV, in which MMA fighters who had not yet appeared in the UFC would reside and train together, competing against each other for the title of Ultimate Fighter and a three-fight, six-figure contract with the UFC. A second series launched in August of the same year, and a third series began airing in April 2006. The UFC nearly doubled its fanbase from cable television exposure[citation needed]{{#if:||}}<noinclude>.

In March 2006, the UFC announced it would hire Marc Ratner, former Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, as a vice-president. Ratner, once an ally of Senator McCain's campaign against MMA, was credited as one of the people responsible for the emergence of sanctioned mixed martial arts in the United States, and has been seen numerous times on television weighing the competitors on UFC's The Ultimate Fighter. Ratner is expected to help raise the UFC's profile in the media and to help legalize mixed martial arts in states that do not sanction MMA bouts.

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Rules

The current rules for the Ultimate Fighting Championship were originally established by the New Jersey Athletic Control Board[3]. The Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts that New Jersey established has been adopted in other states that regulate mixed martial arts, including Nevada, Louisiana and California. These rules are also used by many other promotions within the United States and are mandatory for those states that have adopted the Unified Rules, and so have become the standard de facto set of rules for professional mixed martial arts across the country.

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Rounds

Every round in UFC competition is 5 minutes in duration. Title matches have five rounds, and non-title matches have three rounds. There is a one minute rest period in-between rounds.

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Weight classes

The UFC currently uses five weight classes:

In addition, there are four other weight classes specified in the Unified Rules which the UFC does not use: Flyweight (0-125 lb.), Bantamweight (126-135 lb.), Featherweight (136-145 lb.), and Super Heavyweight (265 lb. and above).

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Cage

The UFC uses its trademarked octagonal caged arena to stage bouts.

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Attire

All competitors must fight in approved shorts, without shoes or any other sort of foot padding. Shirts, gis or long pants (including gi pants) are not allowed. Fighters must use approved light gloves that allow fingers to grab. These gloves enable fighters to use tremendous punching power without the consequence of an injured or broken hand.

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Match outcome

Matches usually end via:

  • Submission: a fighter taps on the mat or his opponent three times (or more) or verbally submits.
  • Knockout: a fighter falls from a legal blow and is either unconscious or unable to immediately continue.
  • Technical Knockout: stoppage of the fight by the referee if it's determined a fighter cannot "intelligently defend" himself or by ringside doctor due to injury.
  • Judges' Decision: Depending on scoring, a match may end as:
  • unanimous decision (all three judges score a win for one fighter),
  • split decision (two judges score a win for one fighter with the third for the other),
  • majority decision (two judges score a win for one fighter with one for a draw),
  • unanimous draw (all three judges score a draw),
  • majority draw (two judges score a draw).
  • split draw (the total points for each fighter is equal)

A fight can also end in a technical decision, technical draw, disqualification, forfeit or no contest.

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Judging criteria

The ten-point must system is in effect for all UFC fights; three judges score each round and the winner of each receives ten points, the loser nine points or less. If the round is even, both fighters receive ten points. In New Jersey, the fewest points a fighter can receive is 7, however in other states by custom no fighter receives less than 8.

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Fouls

The Nevada State Athletic Commission currently lists the following as fouls: [4]

  1. Butting with the head.
  2. Eye gouging of any kind.
  3. Biting.
  4. Hair pulling.
  5. Fish hooking.
  6. Groin attacks of any kind.
  7. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent. (see Gouging)
  8. Small joint manipulation.
  9. Striking to the spine or the back of the head. (see Rabbit punch)
  10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow. (see Elbow (strike))
  11. Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea.
  12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh.
  13. Grabbing the clavicle.
  14. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent.
  15. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent.
  16. Stomping a grounded opponent.
  17. Kicking to the kidney with the heel.
  18. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck.
  19. Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area.
  20. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent.
  21. Spitting at an opponent.
  22. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent.
  23. Holding the ropes or the fence.
  24. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area.
  25. Attacking an opponent on or during the break.
  26. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee.
  27. Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat.
  28. Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee.
  29. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.
  30. Interference by the corner.
  31. Throwing in the towel during competition.

A point will be deducted when a foul is charged. If a foul incapacitates a fighter, then the match may end in a disqualification if the foul was intentional, or a no contest if unintentional. If a foul causes a fighter to be unable to continue later in the bout, it ends with a technical decision win to the injured fighter if the injured fighter is ahead on points, otherwise it is a technical draw.

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The Ultimate Fighter

Bouts that occur on The Ultimate Fighter are technically classified as "exhibition matches" under NSAC sanctioning, and thus do not count toward the professional record of a fighter. Match outcomes also do not need to be posted publicly, which allows for fight results to be unveiled as the series progresses.

Special rules were introduced for the third series. Each fight for Ultimate Fighter competitors is two rounds instead of the normal three. If there is a draw after two rounds, an extra five-minute round is contested. If the extra round goes the distance, the judges' decision will be based on the extra round only.

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Match conduct

  • The referee has the right, at any time, to stop the fighters and stand them up if they reach a stalemate (when both fighters are clinched or on the ground and do not work to improve their position).
  • If the referee pauses the match, the match is resumed with the fighters in the position they were before.
  • Any grabbing of the cage will result in a verbal warning, followed by tapping on the grabbing hand by the referee. If the fighter continues to hold the cage, the referee will charge a foul.
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Events

Template:Main

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UFC current champions

Template:Main

Division Champion
Heavyweight Tim Sylvia
Light Heavyweight Chuck Liddell
Middleweight Rich Franklin
Welterweight Matt Hughes
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Notable UFC fighters

  • David "Tank" Abbott (UFC 6 & UU '96 Tournament finalist, UFC 17 Heavyweight Superfight Champion)
  • Andrei Arlovski (Former UFC Heavyweight Champion)
  • Josh Barnett (Former UFC Heavyweight Champion)
  • Vitor Belfort (UFC 12 Heavyweight Champion, UFC Ultimate Brazil Middleweight Superfight Champion, Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion)
  • Murilo Bustamante (Former UFC Middleweight Champion)
  • Mark Coleman (UFC 10 & 11 Tournament Champion, First UFC Heavyweight Champion)
  • Randy Couture (UFC 13 Heavyweight Tournament Champion, UFC 15 Heavyweight Superfight Champion, 2x Former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Former Interim Light Heavyweight Champion, 2x Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion)
  • Anderson Silva (Current UFC Middleweight Champion)
  • Don Frye (UFC 10 Tournament finalist, UFC 8 & UU '96 Champion)
  • Royce Gracie (UFC 1, 2 & 4 Tournament Champion)
  • [[Matt Serra (fighter)Current Welterweight Champion
  • Mark Kerr (UFC 14 & 15 Heavyweight Tournament Champion)
  • Quinton Jackson (Current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion)
  • Pat Miletich (UFC 16 Lightweight Tournament Champion, Former UFC Lightweight/Welterweight Champion)
  • Frank Mir (Former UFC Heavyweight Champion)
  • Carlos Newton (Former UFC Welterweight Champion)
  • Tito Ortiz (UFC 13 Lightweight Tournament finalist, Former UFC Middleweight/Light Heavyweight Champion)
  • BJ Penn (Former UFC Welterweight Champion)
  • Jens Pulver (Former UFC Bantamweight/Lightweight Champion)
  • Kevin Randleman (Former UFC Heavyweight Champion)
  • Pedro Rizzo (UFC Ultimate Brazil Heavyweight Superfight Champion)
  • Ricco Rodriguez (Former UFC Heavyweight Champion)
  • Marco Ruas (UFC 7 Tournament Champion)
  • Bas Rutten (Former UFC Heavyweight Champion)
  • Kazushi Sakuraba (UFC Japan Heavyweight tournament champion)
  • Dan Severn (UFC 4 Tournament finalist, UFC 5 & UU '95 Tournament Champion, UFC 9 Superfight Champion)
  • Frank Shamrock (Former UFC Middleweight/Light Heavyweight Champion)
  • Ken Shamrock (UFC 6 & 8 Superfight Champion)
  • Maurice Smith (Former UFC Heavyweight Champion)
  • Tim Sylvia (Current UFC Heavyweight Champion)
  • Oleg Taktarov (UU '95 Tournament finalist, UFC 6 Tournament Champion)
  • Evan Tanner (Former UFC Middleweight Champion)
  • Forrest Griffin (The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 light heavyweight division winner)
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UFC Hall of Fame inductees

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UFC Viewer's Choice Awards

(From UFC 45; Top 10 most popular UFC fighters of all time)

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Footnotes

  1. ↑ Gentry, Clyde, No Holds Barred: Ultimate Fighting and the Martial Arts Revolution, (Milo Books: Preston, 2005), p.31
  2. ↑ Gentry, Clyde, No Holds Barred: Ultimate Fighting and the Martial Arts Revolution, (Milo Books: Preston, 2005), p.73
  3. ↑ Mixed Martial Arts Unified Rules of Conduct, Additional Mixed Martial Arts Rules, New Jersey Athletic Control Board. Retrieved April 3 2006
  4. ↑ NSAC Regulations: CHAPTER 467 - UNARMED COMBAT. Nevada State Athletic Commission. Retrieved April 3 2006


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See also

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External links

fr:Ultimate Fighting ja:UFC pt:Ultimate Fighting Championship sv:Ultimate Fighting Championship

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