Ultimate Fighting Championship

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File:UFC logo mark.jpg
UFC logo mark.

Ultimate Fighting Championship is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization, currently recognized as the major MMA promotion in North America.

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, Mexico, 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.

History

The concept for a tournament to discover the world's best fighter was the brainchild of Art Davie [1], a Southern California based advertising executive. Davie met Rorion Gracie in 1991 while researching martial arts for a marketing client. Gracie operated a jiu-jitsu school in Torrance, California and the Gracie family had a long history of mixed martial arts matches in Brazil. Davie became Gracie's student.

In 1992, Davie proposed an eight-man, single-elimination tournament with a working title of War of the Worlds to Rorion Gracie and John Milius. The tournament would feature martial artists from different disciplines facing each other in no holds barred combat. Milius, a noted film director and screenwriter, as well as a Gracie student, agreed to be the event's creative director. Davie drafted the business plan and twenty-eight investors contributed the initial capital to start WOW Promotions with the intent to develop the tournament into a television franchise.[2]

In 1992, WOW Promotions sought a television partner and approached Showtime, HBO and Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG). Both HBO and Showtime declined but SEG, a pioneer in Pay-Per-View TV who had produced a mixed tennis match between Jimmy Connors and Martina Navratilova, became WOW's partner in May 1993. SEG devised the name for the show: The Ultimate Fighting Championship.[3] The two companies produced the first event at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado on November 12, 1993. Davie functioned as the show's booker and matchmaker. [4] The television broadcast featured two kickboxers (Patrick Smith and Kevin Rosier), a savate black belt (Gerard Gordeau), a karate expert (Zane Frazier), a shootfighter (Ken Shamrock), a sumo wrestler (Teila Tuli), a professional boxer (Art Jimmerson), and a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt (Royce Gracie). The show was an instant success, drawing 86,592 television subscribers on Pay-Per-View TV. In April 1995, following UFC 5, in Charlotte, North Carolina, Davie and Gracie sold their interest in the franchise to SEG and disbanded WOW Promotions. Davie continued as the show's booker and matchmaker, as well as the Commissioner of Ultimate Fighting, until December 1997.

A core appeal for the show was to find an answer for sports fans: "Can a wrestler beat a boxer." [5] 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 inflated their credentials in order to legitimize their presence. (Kimo Leopoldo, for example, was touted in UFC 3 as having a "third degree black belt" in taekwondo). [6]

With no weight classes, fighters could find themselves facing opponents who were significantly larger and taller. For example, Keith "The Giant Killer" Hackney faced Emmanuel Yarborough at UFC 3, with a 9" height difference and a 400 pound weight difference. [1] Many martial artists believed that technique could overcome these advantages, that a skilled fighter could use an opponent's size and strength against him, and with the 170 pound Royce Gracie quickly dispatching many larger opponents, the UFC quickly proved that size does not always determine outcome.

Although "There are no rules!" was the tagline, the term was not strictly true, the UFC did operate with a limited set of rules. There was no biting, no eye gouging, and techniques such as hair pulling, headbutts and groin strikes were frowned upon, but allowed.

The UFC became a hit on Pay-Per-View and home video almost immediately due to its originality, realism and wide press coverage, although not all of it favorable. The 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, and letter writing campaigns spearheadded by Senator John McCain (R-AZ), the UFC was dropped from the major cable Pay-Per-View distributor Viewer's Choice, and individual cable compaines, such as TCI Cable. 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 spectacle.

As the UFC continued to work with commissions, events were held in smaller markets all over the US - including Iowa, Mississippi, Wyoming and Alabama. But the UFC was unable to regain its place on US cable until it held Athletic Commission sanctioned events. After a long, unsuccessful battle to get sanctioned, SEG sold the UFC to Zuffa, LLC in 2001. With ties to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the new owners of the UFC were able to secure sanctioning in both Nevada and New Jersey in 2001 under a new unified set of rules, which included new weight divisions. Shortly thereafter, the UFC returned to national Pay-Per-View cable television. Through sanctioning the term Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) was coined.

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.

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.

Rules

The current rules for the Ultimate Fighting Championship were originally established by the New Jersey Athletic Control Board[7]. 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.

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.

Weight classes

The UFC currently uses four weight classes:

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

Cage

The UFC uses its trademarked octagonal caged arena to stage bouts. The cage is composed of an eight sided metal fencing coated with black paint.

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 (4-6 ounces) that allow fingers to grab. These gloves enable fighters to use tremendous punching power without the consequence of an injured or broken hand. The gloves also mean that a fighter who gets hit with a strong blow will likely go down quickly, reducing the risk of brain damage after a long career that is often seen in boxing, where heavy gloves allow repeated blows to the head.

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 is 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.

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.

Fouls

The Nevada State Athletic Commission currently lists the following as fouls: [8]

  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. (see piledriver (professional wrestling))
  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.

When a foul is charged, the referee in their discretion may deduct one or more points as a penalty. 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.[9]

Match conduct

  • The referee has the right to stop the fighters and stand them up if they reach a stalemate on the ground (where neither are in a dominant position nor work toward one) after a verbal warning. This rule is codified in Nevada as the stand-up rule.
  • 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 an attempt by the referee to release the grab by pulling on the grabbing hand. If that attempt fails or if the fighter continues to hold the cage, the referee may charge a foul.

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.

These exhibition matches variably have two or three rounds, depending on the rules used for each season. In seasons one and three, preliminary matches (before the semi-final bouts) were two rounds, in season two, all matches had three. For two-round matches, if there is a draw after two rounds, an extra sudden victory five-minute round is contested. If the extra round goes the distance, the judges' decision will be based on the extra round only. All semi-final matches use three rounds as per standard bouts. During the finales for each series, the division finals will have the standard three rounds plus a fourth sudden victory round if the judges score a tie.

Events

Main article: List of UFC events

UFC current champions

File:Ufc49 chuck liddell 015.jpg
Chuck Liddell, current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
Main article: List of UFC champions
Division Champion
Heavyweight Tim Sylvia
Light Heavyweight Chuck Liddell
Middleweight Rich Franklin
Welterweight Matt Hughes

Notable UFC fighters

UFC Hall of Fame inductees

UFC Viewer's Choice Awards

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

Other notable fighters

The following fighters not listed above have won a tournament, championship title, or an Ultimate Fighter six-figure contract.

In Other Media

Music

Video Games

Footnotes

  1. ^ Friend, Tad, Getting Medieval, New York Magazine, February 19, 1996, page 43.
  2. ^ Gentry III, Clyde, No Holds Barred: Evolution, Archon Publishing, 2001, 1st Edition, ISBN 0-9711479-0-6, pages 24-29.
  3. ^ Gentry III, Clyde, No Holds Barred: Evolution, Archon Publishing, 2001, 1st Edition, ISBN 0-9711479-0-6, page 29
  4. ^ Newport, John Paul, Blood Sport, Details, March 1995, pages 70-72.
  5. ^ Willoughby, David P., The Super Athletes, A.S. Barnes & Co., Inc., 1970, ISBN 0-498-06651-7, page 380.
  6. ^ Gentry, Clyde, No Holds Barred: Ultimate Fighting and the Martial Arts Revolution, (Milo Books: Preston, 2005), p.73
  7. ^ Mixed Martial Arts Unified Rules of Conduct, Additional Mixed Martial Arts Rules, New Jersey Athletic Control Board. Retrieved April 3 2006
  8. ^ NSAC Regulations: CHAPTER 467 - UNARMED COMBAT. Nevada State Athletic Commission. Retrieved April 3 2006
  9. ^ MMA rules explained. Nevada State Athletic Commission. Retrieved June 30 2006.

See also

External links

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