History
Early 1990s competition
Tightening up of the rules
Although UFC used the tagline "There are no rules" in the early 1990s, the UFC did in fact operate with limited rules. In a '' UFC 4'' qualifying match, competitors Jason Fairn andLate 1990s controversy and reform
The violent nature of the burgeoning sport quickly drew the attention of U.S. authorities. In 1996, Senator2001 and the beginning of Zuffa era
After the long battle to secure sanctioning, SEG stood on the brink of bankruptcy, whenStruggle for survival and turnaround
The UFC slowly rose in popularity after the Zuffa purchase, due partly to greater advertising, corporate sponsorship, the return to cable pay-per-view, and subsequent home video and DVD releases. With larger live gates at casino venues like the Trump Taj Mahal and the''The Ultimate Fighter'' and the rise in popularity
Faced with the prospect of folding, the UFC stepped outside the bounds of pay-per-view and made a foray into television. After being featured in a reality television series, ''American Casino'', and seeing how well the series worked as a promotion vehicle, the Fertitta brothers developed the idea of the UFC's own reality series. Their idea, ''The Ultimate Fighter'' (''TUF'') was a reality television show featuring up-and-coming MMA fighters in competition for a six-figure UFC contract, with fighters eliminated from competition via exhibition mixed martial arts matches. It was pitched to several networks, each one rejecting the idea outright. Not until they approached Spike (TV network), Spike TV, with an offer to pay the $10 million production costs themselves, did they find an outlet. In January 2005, Spike (TV network), Spike TV launched ''The Ultimate Fighter 1'' in the timeslot following ''WWE Raw.'' The show became an instant success, culminating with a notable season finale brawl featuring light heavyweight finalists Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar going toe-to-toe for the right to earn the six-figure contract. The live broadcast of the season finale drew a very impressive 1.9 overall rating. Dana White credits ''TUF 1'' for saving the UFC. On the heels of the Griffin/Bonnar finale, a second season of ''The Ultimate Fighter'' launched in August 2005, and two more seasons appeared in 2006. Spike and the UFC continued to create and air new seasons until the show moved to FX (TV channel), FX in 2012. Following the success of ''The Ultimate Fighter'', Spike also picked up ''UFC Unleashed'', an hour-long weekly show featuring select fights from previous events. Spike also signed on to broadcast live ''UFC Fight Night'', a series of fight events debuting in August 2005, and ''Countdown'' specials to promote upcoming UFC pay-per-view cards. After a very successful run on Spike and with the upcoming announcement of the UFC's new relationship with Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox, Spike officials made a statement regarding the end of their partnership with the UFC, "''The Ultimate Fighter'' season 14 in September will be our last... Our 6-year partnership with the UFC has been incredibly beneficial in building both our brands, and we wish them all the best in the future." With the announcement of UFC's partnership with Fox in August 2011, ''The Ultimate Fighter'', which entered its 14th season in that September, moved to the FX (TV channel), FX network to air on Friday nights starting with season 15 in the Spring of 2012. Along with the network change, episodes are now edited and broadcast within a week of recording instead of a several-month delay, and elimination fights are aired live.Mid–2000s expansion
With increased visibility, the UFC's pay-per-view buy numbers exploded. ''UFC 52'', the first event after the first season of ''The Ultimate Fighter'' featuring eventual-UFC Hall of Famer: Chuck Liddell, Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, avenging his defeat to fellow eventual-Hall of Famer, Randy Couture, drew a pay-per-view audience of 300,000, doubling its previous benchmark of 150,000 set at ''UFC 40''. Following the second season of ''The Ultimate Fighter'', the UFC's match between Liddell and Couture drew an estimated 410,000 pay-per-view buys at ''UFC 57''. For the rest of 2006, pay-per-view buy rates continued to skyrocket, with 620,000 buys for ''UFC 60, UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie''—featuring Royce Gracie's first UFC fight in 11 years—and 775,000 buys for ''UFC 61'' featuring the highly anticipated rematch between Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz, the coaches of ''The Ultimate Fighter 3''. The organization hit a milestone with ''UFC 66'', pitting Ortiz in a rematch against Liddell with over 1 million buys. The surge in popularity prompted the UFC to beef up its executive team. In March 2006, the UFC announced that it had hired Marc Ratner, former executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. Ratner, once an ally of Senator John McCain, McCain's campaign against ''no holds barred'' fighting, lobbied numerous athletic commissions to help raise the UFC's media profile in an attempt to legalize mixed martial arts in jurisdictions inside and outside the United States that had yet to sanction the sport. In December 2006, Zuffa acquired the northern California-based promotion World Extreme Cagefighting, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) in order to stop the International Fight League, International Fight League (IFL) from making a deal with Versus (now NBCSN, NBC Sports Network). At the time, the UFC had an exclusive deal with Spike, so the purchase of the WEC allowed Zuffa to block the IFL from Versus without violating their contract. The WEC showcased lighter weight classes in MMA, whereas the UFC featured heavier weight classes. In December 2006, Zuffa also acquired their cross-town, Las Vegas rival World Fighting Alliance, World Fighting Alliance (WFA). The sport's popularity was also noticed by the sports betting community as BodogLife.com, an online gambling site, stated in July 2007 that in 2007 UFC would surpass boxing for the first time in terms of betting revenues. In fact, the UFC had already broken the pay-per-view industry's all-time records for a single year of business, generating over $222,766,000 in revenue in 2006, surpassing both WWE and boxing.Sun Discusses Company Milestones and Provides Year End SummaryPride acquisition and integration
On March 27, 2007, the UFC and their Japan-based rival the Pride Fighting Championships announced an agreement in which the majority owners of the UFC, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, would purchase the Pride brand.''The Hot List'', ''ESPNews'', air date March 27, 2007. Initial intentions were for the organizations to be run separately but aligned together with plans to co-promote cards featuring the champions and top contenders from both organizations. However, after purchasing Pride, Dana White felt that the Pride model was not sustainable and the organization would likely fold with many former Pride fighters such as Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Antônio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira, Maurício Rua, Maurício "Shogun" Rua, Dan Henderson, Mirko Filipović, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović, Wanderlei Silva, and others already being realigned under the UFC brand. On October 4, 2007, Pride Worldwide closed its Japanese office, laying off 20 people who were working there since the closing of its parent company Dream Stage Entertainment (DSE). On June 18, 2008, Lorenzo Fertitta accommodated the UFC's growth by announcing his resignation fromLate 2000s – mid-2010s growth with UFC 100
Popularity surged in 2009 with ''UFC 100'' and the 10 events preceding it including ''UFC 90'', ''91'', ''92'', ''94'', and ''98''. ''UFC 100'' was a success garnering 1.6 million buys under the drawing power of former National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA wrestling and WWE Championship, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and his rematch with former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir, Canadian Georges St-Pierre going head-to-head with Brazilian Thiago Alves (fighter), Thiago Alves, and American Dan Henderson opposing British Michael Bisping at middleweight after the two were rival coaches on ''The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom''. ''UFC 100'' drew interest fromWEC merger
Zuffa, the parent company of the UFC, purchased World Extreme Cagefighting in late 2006 and held the first WEC event under new ownership on January 20, 2007. Soon thereafter the WEC made its home on NBCSN, the Versus Network with its first event debuting on that network in June 2007. On October 28, 2010, Zuffa announced that WEC would merge with the UFC. The WEC held its final card on December 16, 2010. As a result of the merger, the UFC absorbed WEC's bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight weight divisions and their respective fighters. The UFC also made the last WEC Featherweight and Bantamweight Champions, José Aldo and Dominick Cruz respectively, the inaugural UFC Champions of their new weight divisions. Reed Harris, who started World Extreme Cagefighting with Scott Adams, had mixed emotions on the merger. "It's kind of like when your kid goes off to college: at first you're not happy, but after you think about it for a while, you're really happy," Harris said following the announcement. "At the end of the day, I never imagined this thing would be where we're at today. I'm extremely proud and happy that I was involved with something that will now be part of what may be, some day, the largest sports organization in the world."Strikeforce purchase
On March 12, 2011, Dana White announced that Zuffa had purchased Strikeforce. White said that Strikeforce will operate as an independent promotion, and that Scott Coker will continue to run the promotion. Strikeforce CEO Coker announced the return of Fedor Emelianenko on an unspecified July or August event and said that Zuffa-owned company would continue to co-promote with M-1 Global. After an extension was reached to continue Strikeforce through 2012, the promotion's heavyweight division (sans Heavyweight Grand Prix finalists) was merged into the UFC, and the promotion's Challengers series was ended. The final Strikeforce show was Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine on January 12, 2013, after which the promotion was dissolved and all fighter contracts were either ended or absorbed into the UFC.Fox partnership
On August 18, 2011, The Ultimate Fighting Championship and Fox announced a seven-year broadcast deal through the Fox Sports (United States), Fox Sports subsidiary, effectively ending the UFC's Spike (TV network), Spike TV and Versus (now NBC Sports Network) partnership. The deal includes four events on the main Fox network, 32 live Friday night fights per year on their cable network FX (TV channel), FX, 24 events following ''The Ultimate Fighter'' reality show and six separate Fight Night events. The promotion's first broadcast television event – UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs. dos Santos – broke form by showcasing only one fight to television viewers. In the main event, Junior dos Santos abruptly dethroned then-undefeated UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez by knock-out at 1:04 in the first round. The telecast peaked with 8.8 million viewers tuning into the fight with an average audience of 5.7 million, making it by far the most-watched MMA event of all-time and the most-watched combat sports event since 2003's HBO bout between Lennox Lewis and Vitali Klitschko. One of the other programming opportunities that emerged was a weekly UFC magazine-style show. When asked about potential for a weekly magazine-style series, UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta responded, "Not only weekly, but potentially, multiple times per week you'll have a UFC magazine (show)." The UFC maintained production control of its product including use of its broadcast team, Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan. Fox Sports produced pre- and post-shows.Women's MMA
On November 16, 2012, the eve of UFC 154, UFC 154: St. Pierre vs. Condit, Dana White confirmed the UFC would feature women's MMA with the signing of its first female fighter, Strikeforce bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. She subsequently became the first female UFC champion, the first Olympic medalist with a UFC title, and the first woman to defend a UFC title. She would successfully defend her title six times. On December 11, 2013, the UFC purchased the contracts of 11 female fighters from Invicta Fighting Championships to launch their 115-pound Strawweight (MMA), Strawweight division. Eight of the Invicta fighters took part in the 20th season of ''The Ultimate Fighter'', ''The Ultimate Fighter: A Champion Will Be Crowned, The Ultimate Fighter: Team Pettis vs. Team Melendez'', along with eight additional fighters signed up for the tournament via open tryouts. Season winner, Invicta Fighting Championships#Strawweight Championship, Invicta FC's Strawweight Champion, Carla Esparza became the first UFC women's strawweight champion, defeating Rose Namajunas in the finale. Other fighters on the show included Felice Herrig, Tecia Torres, Bec Rawlings, Bec Hyatt, Randa Markos, Jessica Penne, and Joanna Jędrzejczyk.International expansion
The first UFC event to be held outside the contiguous United States wasTRT ban
On February 27, 2014, the Nevada State Athletic Commission banned the use of Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT). The UFC followed suit and banned the use of TRT for any of their events, including international markets where the UFC oversees regulatory efforts.Lawsuits over contractual treatment of fighters
In December 2014, an United States antitrust law, antitrust lawsuit was filed against Zuffa by several fighters, claiming the organization restricts control over fighters’ careers and earning potential. The case moved to Nevada federal court, where Zuffa was denied its motion to stay Discovery (law), discovery for 15 years of its financial records. This caused an ongoing debate and struggle over how UFC sensitive information should be handled, and who may view it. Especially concerning MMAFA founder, Rob Maysey who has taken the lead in representing the former athletes and has stated he hopes to achieve reforms similar to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, Ali Act (2000). Later that year, a 12–16 month investigation began that was expected to last until sometime between September 2016 to January 2017. Thus far, both sides have provided over 100,000 documents. It is estimated that the UFC shares between 16% and 22% of its revenue with fighters, which is vastly lower than sports leagues such as the NBA, MLB, and NHL, which share approximately half of the revenue with their athletes.2016 sale to Endeavor and a new era
In May 2016, ESPN originally reported that the UFC's parent company Zuffa, LLC was in talks to sell the company for $3.5 billion to $4 billion. In 2015, the UFC had a reported Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, EBITDA of $200–250 million. No official comment was made from the UFC or Dana White regarding the sale. Companies initially interested in the sale were Wanda Group, Dalian Wanda Group, China Media Capital, and William Morris Endeavor, WME–IMG (Endeavor). On July 9, 2016, it was officially announced that the UFC would be sold to a group led by WME–IMG, its ownerESPN partnership
In May 2018, UFC reached new U.S. media rights deals with Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International and ESPN Inc., succeeding those with 21st Century Fox, which began in January 2019. The five-year contracts are cumulatively valued at $300 million per-year for digital and linear rights, roughly doubling the amount paid by Fox in the final year of its previous contract, and include 42 events on ESPN platforms per-year.M-1 Global partnership
On July 18, 2018, it was announced that UFC had entered into a partnership with Russian MMA promoter M-1 Global. M-1 Global will serve as a farm league to scout Russian fighters for UFC and will participate in organizing UFC events in Russia. The deal also gave M-1 champions the opportunity to sign with UFC.2019 Endeavor's initial public offering attempt
On May 24, 2019 Endeavor (company), Endeavor Group (EDR) filed initial public offering (IPO) paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The form detailed Endeavor's revenue was $3.61 billion in 2018 with a net income of $100.1 million after adjustments, and potential risks involved of being potentially sued: (1) “over alleged long-term neurocognitive impairment arising from concussions”, (2) collective bargaining to unionize the MMA athletes, and (3) "five related Class action, class-action lawsuits filed against it alleging that UFC violated Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 by monopolizing the alleged market for elite professional MMA athletes' services". On September 26, 2019, Endeavor Group cancelled its planned IPO that was set for September 27. It said in a statement "Endeavor will continue to evaluate the timing for the proposed offering as market conditions develop" ''The Wall Street Journal'' reported the under performance of the recent IPO for Peloton (exercise equipment company), Peloton was a contributing factor. As is an ongoing lawsuit with several former UFC fighters.Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UFC went on with its March 13, 2020 event, UFC Fight Night: Lee vs. Oliveira in Brasília, Brazil, behind closed doors. On March 16, the organization announced that the next three events, UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Edwards, UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Rozenstruik, and UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris, would be postponed to future dates. In regards to its nextControversy over eye pokes
In March 2021, there was strong pressure on the UFC to use new fighter gloves after a severe eye poke ended the final bout at UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad. The official UFC gloves are constructed in a way that leaves the fighters fingers extended forward, whereas there are alternative gloves, which the UFC has not used, which are curved at the knuckle and keep a fighter's fingers tucked down. Fighters, trainers and commentators called for new gloves, citing the harms posed to fighters from the standard UFC gloves.2021 Endeavor's IPO and Zuffa buyout
On April 29, 2021, Endeavor (company), Endeavor Group (EDR) successfully launched an initial public offering (IPO) and became a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Endeavor subsequently used some of the proceeds from the IPO to buy out Zuffa's other shareholders at a value of $1.7 billion, making Zuffa a wholly-owned subsidiary of Endeavor.Facilities
UFC Performance Institute
The UFC Performance Institute is the official mixed martial arts school for UFC. The building is located inUFC APEX
UFC APEX is a live events and production facility. The facility was officially opened on June 18, 2019. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, COVID-19 pandemic, several UFC events (including UFC 250) were held at Apex Behind closed doors (sport), behind closed doors. The Octagon at the Apex is notable for being smaller than the Octagon used at all other UFC events, with 25-foot width rather than the usual 30-feet.Fight Island
Fight Island is a series of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mixed martial arts events held on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.Anti-doping policy
UFC announced a partnership with United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) on June 3, 2015, as the UFC's official, independent anti-doping agency. The UFC USADA testing program became effective on July 1, 2015, and includes a minimum of 2,750 drug tests per year with an average of five tests per fighter, and punishments for fighters who fail the tests. Under the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, fighters are subject to random tests at any time and place on all in- and out-of-competition blood and urine samples collected by USADA. Fighters must participate in the testing pool for at least six months prior to a fight in order to qualify for a UFC event. In February 2017, UFC made changes to the anti-doping policy, effective April 1, 2017, as follows: (1) Fighters who are new to the UFC with no previous contract would be subject to a one-month testing rule. The same rule applies to returning fighters who were terminated or whose contracts were not renewed at the decision of the UFC. Previously, returning or terminated fighters were required to undergo four months of testings prior to competing in a fight. (2) Returning fighters who have chosen to retire, go on hiatus, or had a non-renewal of their contract, are required to be in a six-month testing pool prior to competition. (3) No doping violation is handed down to newly signed UFC fighters who voluntarily disclose the use of a prohibited substance prior to testing. (4) "In-competition" testing begins at noon on the weigh-in day and ends one hour after a fighter clears a post-fight medical for non-selected post-fight testing. For fighters who are subjected to post-fight testing the in-competition testing ends after any post-fight testing is done. In September 2018, it was indicated no announcements would be made on fighters who have been flagged for a potential doping violation until the entire adjudication processes are conducted with the results of the potential doping violation. This came after several cases of fighters, such as Anderson Silva, Junior dos Santos, Josh Barnett and Cris Cyborg, being flagged for potential doping violations, but cleared after they were proved of unintentional use of performance enhancing drugs (usually in the form of contaminated supplements). On November 25, 2019, news surfaced that the UFC and USADA had revised their policies, providing a list of certified supplements that will not lead to sanctions should contaminated samples occur. In January 2021, USADA announced that marijuana would no longer be included in the list of banned substances and they would not penalize any fighter for testing positive for it either before, during, or after a fight. The only exception would be if a fighter was visibly impaired on fight night. Fighters are subject to be suspended up to four years depending on the banned substance used. The common banned substances detected by USADA from suspended fighters are 7-keto-DHEA for weight loss, Anastrozole for estrogen blocker, Clenbuterol for thinning blood to increase oxygen, Erythropoietin, EPO for stimulating the production of red blood cells which would increase oxygen to muscles, Higenamine for increase heart contraction and speeding up heart rate, Tamoxifen for estrogen blocker, Furosemide, Hydrochlorothiazide for diuretic agent to mask potential doping evidence, Meldonium for stimulating the production of red blood cells which would increase oxygen to muscles, Cocaine, Fentanyl for substances of abuse, Boldenone, Turinabol- (steroid for horses), Drostanolone, hGH, Ibutamoren, Ipamorelin, LGD-4033, Metandienone, Ostarine, Stanozolol, Trenbolone for increased muscle mass and strength, Androstenedione, Androstadienone, Androsta, Clomiphene, Dehydrochloromethyltestosterone, and Testosterone for increased testosterone. In 2015, USADA conducted 353 tests and 2291 tests in 2016 on 586 UFC fighters with Anderson Silva tested the most of a total of 15 times. In 2017 and 2018 a total of 2818 and 2888 tests were conducted by USADA respectively. As of May 16, 2019, a total of 76 UFC fighters had been sanctioned by USADA since the UFC USADA testing program started.Rules
The current rules for the Ultimate Fighting Championship were originally established by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, New Jersey Athletic Control Board. The set of "Mixed martial arts rules#Unified Rules of MMA, 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, becoming mandatory for those states that have adopted the rules, and so have become the standard ''de facto'' set of rules for professional mixed martial arts across the country.Rounds
UFC matches vary in maximum length, depending on whether the match is for a Championship title, or is a fight card's "main event" fight. In all fights, each round can be no longer than five minutes. Championship fights last for a maximum of five rounds. Beginning with UFC 138 on November 5, 2011, non-championship "main event" fights (i.e. the final fight on the card) will also last for a maximum of five rounds. Non-main event bouts last for a maximum of three rounds. UFC 263 marked the first time in UFC history that a non-title bout other than the main-event was scheduled for 5 rounds. UFC on FX: Alves vs. Kampmann featured the organization's first two flyweight fights as part of its first flyweight tournament, which consists of bouts that, in the event of a draw, go to a fourth "sudden victory" round held to determine the winner, who advances. There is a one-minute rest period between rounds.Cage
The UFC stages bouts in an eight-sided enclosure officially named "The Octagon". Originally, SEG trademarked the concept as well as the term and prevented other mixed martial arts promotions from using the same type of cage, but in 2001 Zuffa gave permission for other promotions to use octagonal cages, reasoning that the young sport needed uniformity to continue to win official sanctioning. Today Zuffa reserves exclusive use of the name "The Octagon". The UFC cage is an octagonal structure with walls of metal chain-link fence coated with black vinyl. The standard octagon has a diameter of with a high fence. The cage sits atop a platform, raising it from the ground. It has foam padding around the top of the fence and between each of the eight sections. It also has two entry-exit gates opposite each other. The mat (also referred to as the canvas), painted with sponsorship logos and art, is replaced for each event. For smaller venues and events, the UFC often uses a smaller cage, which is only across.Attire
All competitors fight in approved shorts, without shoes. Tops are only approved for female competitors. Required safety equipment include padded gloves, Mouthguard#Sports, mouthguard, and protective cups held in place with a jockstrap for males. The open-fingered gloves have at least 1" of padding around the knuckles, (110 to 170 g / 4 to 6 ounces) that allow fingers to grab. To ensure compliance, fighters are checked by a State Athletic Committee official before being allowed to enter the cage/ring. Originally the attire for UFC was very open. Many fighters still chose to wear tight-fitting shorts or boxing-type trunks, while others wore long pants or singlets. Several wore wrestling shoes. Multi-time tournament Champion Royce Gracie wore a Brazilian jiu-jitsu Keikogi, gi in all of his early appearances in UFC (Gracie wore shorts against Matt Hughes at UFC 60), while Art Jimmerson appeared in UFC 1 wearing one standard boxing glove. As of UFC 133 there has been a ban on speedo style shorts after Dennis Hallman wore one in his fight against Brian Ebersole. UFC president Dana White was so furious about the fighter's choice of attire that he awarded an honorary "getting those horrifying shorts off TV as soon as possible" bonus of $70,000 to Ebersole for finishing the fight in the first round, and in following post-fight interviews made it clear that speedo style shorts will no longer be tolerated.Reebok Uniform
On December 2, 2014, the UFC and Reebok held a press conference to announce an exclusive deal for Reebok to become the worldwide outfitter for the UFC, beginning in July 2015. Financial terms of the six-year partnership were not released, but UFC officials said that though the agreement represents the most valuable non-broadcast contract the company has ever signed, the UFC will not directly profit from the new deal. Instead, company execs said the deal is structured so that the "vast majority of the revenue" from the deal – taking out only the costs associated with administering the new program – will be paid directly to UFC fighters. Payment on the new deal was originally expected to be based on the fighter's spot in the official UFC rankings, with the exception of the UFC champions. Fighters ranked No. 1 to 5 would be paid at one level, No. 6 to 10 at a lower level, No. 11 to 15 below that, and unranked fighters at a base rate. The payments would remain consistent regardless of where the athletes' bouts air. In addition to the per-fight rate, fighters would also receive royalty payments representing 20 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness. The royalty program would also include retired fighters and continue in perpetuity. The deal itself was reported to be worth 70 million dollars which was what the fighters would be paid over the next six years which is roughly 260 thousand dollars per UFC fight card. In April 2015, the UFC announced that they scrapped the idea of the ranking and that payment will be based on the fighter's number of bouts in the octagon, with different tiers (1–5 fights, 6–10 fights, 11–15 fights, and 16–20 fights). Exceptions are made in the event of title fights, with champions and title challengers receiving greater compensation. The kits were revealed on June 30, 2015. All kits feature the fighter's name on the back of the jersey and fighters have the option to choose between a universal kit or a country kit, related to their nationality. There is also a champion kit, designed to be used only by title holders. The new deal meant that beginning with fight week for UFC 189 in Las Vegas, existing sponsors no longer appear on fighter clothing – not only on fight night but also at all pre-fight media appearances – and in-cage sponsor banners have also eliminated. Fighter camps are outfitted with approved clothing to create a uniform look in athletes' corners. Existing sponsors are still welcome to support UFC fighters. However, third-party logos are no longer allowed on UFC broadcasts, other than title-sponsor slots – similar to those seen with European soccer clubs – that the UFC may eventually sell to "a major, global brand" down the road.Venum Uniform
On July 11, 2020, UFC announced Venum as the exclusive outfitting partner from April 2021: UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland was the first event with Venum outfits. UFC announced in October 2021, that Avex Brasil, local producer of Venum brand apparel, has been named the exclusive manufacturer and distributor of UFC Replica Fight Kits and Fight Week apparel sold through retailers in Brazil. Under the terms of the agreement, Avex Brasil will manufacture officially licensed UFC replica fight kits and fight week apparel for men and women and distribute the product through the country.Match outcome
Matches may end via: *Submission (combat sport term), Submission: a fighter clearly taps the mat or their opponent, verbally submits, or clearly communicates being in pain (such as by yelling) to a degree that causes the referee to stop the fight. Also, a technical submission may be called when a fighter either loses consciousness or is on the verge of or suffers a serious injury while in a hold. *Knockout: a fighter is put into a state of unconsciousness resulting from any legal strike. *Technical Knockout (TKO): If the referee decides a fighter cannot continue, the fight is ruled as a technical knockout. Technical knockouts can be classified into three categories: **referee stoppage (the referee ends the fight because one fighter is deemed unable to intelligently defend themselves) **doctor stoppage (a ringside doctor decides that it is unsafe for one fighter to continue the bout, due to excessive bleeding or physical injuries) **corner stoppage (a fighter's cornerman/cornerwoman signals defeat for their own fighter) **forfeit (a fighter fails to compete or intentionally and prematurely ends the bout for a reason besides injury, resulting in the opponent's victory) *Judges' Decision: Depending on scoring, a match may end as: **unanimous decision (all three judges score a win for fighter A) **majority decision (two judges score a win for fighter A, one judge scores a draw) **split decision (two judges score a win for fighter A, one judge scores a win for fighter B) **technical decision (a fighter is rendered unable to continue as a result of an unintentional illegal element or move, resulting in a decision based on the finished and unfinished rounds if the number of rounds to be judged is sufficient) **unanimous draw (all three judges score a draw) **majority draw (two judges score a draw, one judge scoring a win) **split draw (one judge scores a win for fighter A, one judge scores a win for fighter B, and one judge scores a draw) **technical draw (the bout ends in a manner similar to that of a technical decision, with the judges' scores resulting in a draw) *Disqualification: a fighter intentionally executes an illegal move that is considered by the referee or opponent to be injurious or significant enough to negatively alter the opponent's performance should the fight continue, resulting in the opponent's victory. *No Contest: a fighter is rendered unable to continue or compete effectively as a result of an unintentional illegal element or move and there is not a sufficient number of finished rounds to be judged to make a technical decision viable, or both fighters are rendered unable to continue or compete effectively. Also, a fight may be ruled a no-contest if the original outcome of the bout is changed due to unsatisfactory or illegal circumstances, such as a premature stoppage or a fighter's testing positive for banned substances. In the event of a draw, it is not necessary that the fighters' total ''points'' be equal (see, e.g., ''UFC 41'' Penn vs. Uno, or ''UFC 43'' Freeman vs. White). However, in a unanimous or split draw, each fighter does score an equal number of ''win judgments'' from the three judges (0 or 1, respectively). Additionally, if a title fight ends in a draw, the defending champ retains the title.Judging criteria
The 10-point must system, ten-point must system is in effect for all UFC fights; three judges score each round and the winner of each receives ten points while the loser receives nine points or fewer (although 10–10 rounds are given in the rare event that a judge feels the rounds was too close to warrant giving one fighter 10 and the other 9.) Scores of 10–8 are typically awarded for dominant rounds and anything more dominant is scored less. 10–7 rounds are very rare.Fouls
The Nevada State Athletic Commission currently lists the following as fouls: #Head-butting #Eye-gouging #Biting #Hair pulling #Fish-hooking #Groin attacks #Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent (see Fish-hooking) #Small joint manipulation #Striking to the spine or the back of the head (see Rabbit punch) #Striking downward using the point of the elbow (see 12-6 elbow) #Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the Vertebrate trachea, trachea #Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh #Grabbing the clavicle #Kicking to the kidney with the heel #Spiking an opponent to the canvas on the head or neck (see Piledriver (professional wrestling), Piledriver) #Throw (grappling), Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area #Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent #Spitting at an opponent or the referee #Engaging in unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent #Holding or grabbing the ropes or the fence #Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area #Attacking an opponent on or during the break #Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee #Attacking an opponent after the bell (horn) has sounded the end of a round #Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee #Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury #Interference by the corner #Throwing in the towel during competition #Applying any foreign substance to the hair, body, clothing or gloves immediately prior to or during a contest or exhibition that could result in an unfair advantage #If the referee has signalled that the opponent has been knocked out, striking an opponent who is helpless as a result of previous blows and so supported by the ring or fenced area that he or she does not fall #Striking deliberately at the part of the body over the kidneys #Intentionally spitting out the mouthpieceFouls against a grounded opponent
#Kicking the head of a grounded opponent (see soccer kick) #Knee (strike), Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent #Stomp (strike), Stomping a grounded opponent 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.Match conduct
*After a verbal warning the referee can stop the fighters and stand them up if they reach a stalemate on the ground (where neither are in a dominant Grappling position, position or working towards one). This rule is codified in Nevada as the ''stand-up rule''. *If the referee pauses the match, it is resumed with the fighters in their prior positions. *Grabbing the cage brings 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. *Early UFC events disregarded verbal sparring / "trash-talking" during matches. Under unified rules, antics are permitted before events to add to the excitement and allow fighters to express themselves, but abusive language during combat is prohibited.Evolution of the rules
*'' UFC 1'' – Although the advertising said ''There Are No Rules'', there were in fact some rules: no biting, no eye-gouging and no groin attacks. Fights ended only in the event of a knockout, submission or the corner throwing in the towel. Despite this, the first match in ''UFC 1'' was won by referee stoppage, even though it was not officially recognized as such at the time. *''UFC 2'' – Groin attacks were unbanned. Time limits were dropped ending the need for judges. Modifications to the cage were added (the fence became 5 feet tall but would continually grow in height afterwards and the floor became the canvas that is still used today). *'' UFC 3'' – The referee was officially given the authority to stop a fight in case of a fighter being unable to defend himself. A fighter could not kick if he was wearing shoes. This rule would later be discarded, then changed to 'no kicking with shoes while on the ground' and then reinstated, before finally being discarded. *'' UFC 4'' – After tournament alternate Steve Jennum won ''UFC 3'' by winning only one bout, alternates (replacements) were required to win a pre-tournament bout to qualify for the role of an alternate. *'' UFC 5'' – The organizers introduced a 30-minute time limit. ''UFC 5'' also saw the first Superfight, a one-off bout between two competitors selected by the organizers with the winner being crowned 'Superfight champion' and having the duty of defending his title at the next UFC. *''UFC 6'' – The referee was given the authority to restart the fight. If two fighters were entangled in a position where there was a ''lack of action'', the referee could stop the fight and restart the competitors on their feet, in their own corner. In ''UFC 6'' they officially adopted the 5-minute extension to the 30-minute rule which had been used in ''UFC 5''. *''Ultimate Ultimate 1995'' – This event was the first to introduce the no fish-hooking rule and to reinstate judges. Time limits were changed to 15 minutes in the quarter-finals, 18 minutes in the semi-finals and 27 minutes in the finals. *''''The Ultimate Fighter''
Fights that occur on ''The Ultimate Fighter'' are classified as exhibition matches under NSAC sanctioning, and thus do not count toward a fighter's professional record. Match outcomes also do not need to be immediately posted publicly, which allows for fight results to remain unknown to the public until the airdate of the episode. For two-round matches, if there is a draw after two rounds, an extra five-minute round ("sudden victory") is contested. If the extra round concludes without a stoppage, the judges' decision will be based on that final round. These exhibition matches variably have two or three rounds, depending on the rules used for each season. In most seasons, preliminary matches (before the semi-final bouts) were two rounds; in season two, all matches had three rounds. All matches past the first round use three rounds as per standard UFC bouts. During the finales for each series, the division finals have the standard three rounds, plus a fourth round if the judges score a tie.Weight divisions/Current champions
The UFC currently uses nine weight classes: Updated as of July 30, 2022, after UFC 277. Non-title fights have a one-pound leniency. In title fights, the participants must weigh no more than that permitted for the relevant weight division. The Commission may also approve catch weight bouts, subject to their review and discretion. For example, the Commission may still decide to allow the contest the maximum weight allowed is 177 pounds if it feels that the contest would still be fair, safe, and competitive. In addition, there are five weight classes specified in the Unified Rules which the UFC does not currently use: Super Lightweight (165 pounds), Super Welterweight (175 pounds), Super Middleweight (195 pounds), Cruiserweight (225 pounds), and Super Heavyweight (>265 pounds).Roster
As of 20 October 2020, the UFC roster consisted of fighters from 71 countries.Pound-for-pound
As of January 27, 2020, it was announced through Twitter by Bruno Massami that the UFC has decided to separate its pound-for-pound ranking. Men and women will have their own pound-for-pound rankings.Men's pound-for-pound ranking
Rankings updated on November 14, 2022, after UFC 281.Women's pound-for-pound ranking
Rankings updated on November 14, 2022, after UFC 281.UFC events
MMA journalists and fans have criticized the UFC for putting on too many shows and thus diluting the quality of their product.Production team
Comedian, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Taekwondo black belt Joe Rogan teams up with Sports commentator, play-by-play announcer Jon Anik and Megan Olivi to provide commentary during broadcasts of most UFC events in the US. For 20 years Rogan and Mike Goldberg provided commentary at live events. The "Veteran Voice of the Octagon" is announcer Bruce Buffer. Arianny Celeste, Rachelle Leah, Brittney Palmer, Carly Baker, Vanessa Hanson, Chrissy Blair, Jhenny Andrade, Camila Oliveira, Luciana Andrade, Jamilette Gaxiola, and Red Dela Cruz are ring girl, Octagon girls. Each fighter is assigned a cutman by the promotion who cares for the fighter before the fight and in between rounds. Jacob Duran, Jacob "Stitch" Duran was one of the best known cutmen working for the organization. Matches are made by matchmakers, and VP of Talent Relations, Joe Silva and Sean Shelby.Fighter salaries and contracts
UFC fighters are paid a substantially lower share of revenue than athletes in comparable sports, and other large MMA promotions. UFC fighters are paid per fight, with amounts depending on how well-known the fighters are and how well sponsored a fighter and an event is. Fighters will typically get paid money to fight, called show money, with an additional bonus if they win, called a win bonus. Despite not being officially confirmed by the UFC, Justin Gaethje revealed in January 2019 that headlining an event nets an additional $25,000 per fighter. While fighters new to the UFC can make as little as about $10,000 per fight (without a win bonus), more established fighters have made as much as $500,000 to $1 million per fight. Occasionally, fighters will earn more. For example, at UFC 202, Conor McGregor made a reported $3 million, a UFC record for one fight, while his opponent Nate Diaz made a reported $2 million. The combined $5 million made between the fighters was the largest combined fight purse in UFC history. Cash bonuses are also awarded for "Fight of the Night" and "Performance of the Night" (formerly awarded separately as "Knockout of the Night"). The size of these bonuses can sometimes be US$80,000 (but are normally US$50,000). For less well-known fighters, they can be several times larger than the contracted amount for the fight. Contracted amounts generally have to be declared to the state athletic commission; however, the UFC also pays undisclosed locker-room bonuses to fighters. In early 2021, Dana White revealed that these bonuses vary from $4,000 to $25,000. In recent years, UFC fighters' contracts and merchandising rights have been the subject of dispute between fighters (represented by growing the Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association) and UFC, which has attempted to defend existing regulations. UFC is contractually bound to offer every fighter three fights per calendar year and if they don't, the organization has to pay the fighter for the lacking fights. For example, if the UFC offers a fighter only one fight during the year, they have to pay the fighter for two additional fights. However, if a fight is offered but turned down by the fighter, it is still counted as an offered fight from the contractual viewpoint. Starting at UFC 273, three "Fan Bonus Of The Night", for every pay-per-view event, will be awarded by Crypto.com, as part of Crypto.com UFC sponsorship incentive fight kits deal, for every pay-per-view event starting UFC 273. Viewers could vote up to three times per pay-per-view on Crypto.com/FanBonus, starting from the opening of the PPV preliminary card and ending an hour after the conclusion of the main card. The bonuses will be paid in bitcoin in US dollars ranging from US$30,000 for first place, US$20,000 for second place, and US$10,000 for third place.UFC records
UFC Hall of Fame
Media
Television
*UFC Connected is a magazine style television show. In 2018 the UFC announced a monthly show to be hosted by UK presenter Layla Anna-Lee With regular contributions from Dan Hardy and John Gooden, UFC Connected features a behind the scenes look at the UFC and its athletes. The show is also shown on BT Sport in the UK. *UFC Now is a long running weekly television show presented by Karyn Bryant. The show has grown in popularity over the years where UFC fighters such as Cub Swanson, Kenny Florian and Alan Jouban appear as regular guests and analysts. The show is available on UFC Fight Pass and is aired on BT Sport in the UK. The show has regular segments such as breaking down the latest fighters for up and coming events, a roundhouse quiz, a top 5 selection and a rapid fire taking questions from fans via various social media platforms. Other guests who have regularly appeared are Michael Bisping, Tatiana Suarez, Daniel Cormier, Brendan Schaub, Brian Ortega and more throughout the years. It was reported in 2016 Schaub will no longer appear due to being banned from the show. * UFC Tonight is a television series produced by Fox Sports 1 and the UFC. Hosted by Kenny Florian and Karyn Bryant, the program features the latest news, highlights, and analysis from the UFC. This program was carried over to FS1 from Fuel TV (now Fox Sports 2). * UFC Unleashed is a television series produced by Spike TV and the UFC. It features matches from past UFC events. Episodes are one hour in length, showing several UFC bouts and "best of" compilations of popular fighters such as Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture. In Australia, the show can be seen on Weeknights on FX Australia, FX. In Sweden, the show can be seen on TV4 Sport. In Portugal, the show can be seen on Sic Radical. In Germany, the show can be seen on DSF. In the United Kingdom, the show can be seen on ESPN UK every Thursday at 10 pm. In Denmark, the show can be seen on Canal 8 Sport and Canal 9 (Denmark), Canal 9. In Finland, the show can be seen on MTV3 MAX. In France, the show can be seen on RTL9. In Brazil the show can be seen on Combate In Middle East, the show can be seen on ShowSports and FX (TV channel)#Middle East, FX Middle East. *Fox UFC (until 2018) *UFC All Access *UFC Primetime *UFC Ultimate Insider *The Ultimate Fighter *UFC on ESPN/ABC (2019–present) *Friends Season 3, Episode 24 "The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion" is based around the UFC and features Jon Favreau as Pete Becker, Monica's millionaire boyfriend who seeks to become the "Ultimate Fighting Champion," losing his first fight due to his opponent "standing on [his] neck," and the second to a man who "Trains by traveling to Iran and pulling the arms off of thieves." In his third fight, Pete loses to a fighter who "goes for his favorite area," causing Ross to note Pete can no longer have kids. *The Simpsons Season 21, Episode 2 "The Great Wife Hope" is largely based around the UFC where Marge ends up fighting in the octagon at the end of the episode. UFC President White said "We like fighting, but to make it sound like the UFC crowd is this bloodthirsty crowd that shows up and just want to see people get their (butts) kicked – that's not true. That's the stigma that the mainstream has of us." Chuck Liddell starred in the episode. A later reference was featured the episode The Way of the Dog from Season 31, Episode 22 which aired in May, 2020 where Homer wanted to stay in to watch UFC 243 and said "Not tomorrow! Tomorrow is UFC fight 243", he was later seen watching the event on his phone at the seminar. UFC president White also shared the clip on his social media. *Beavis and Butthead Series 8, Episode 14. It was first announced in 2011 that Beavis and Butthead would feature UFC in their comeback season. In the episode "Holding" you see Beavis and Butthead watching the UFC of which creator Mike Judge first announced saying 'They're also watching UFC fights' at a comic con that year. The episode first aired on December 8, 2011, on MTV. UFC president White is a known fan of the show and has referenced Beavis and Butthead in the past as well as hanging out with creator Mike Judge in 2010 where it was reported "White says the UFC and Judge will be working together". In 2016 Judge created an official UFC 200 animated short featuring Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones.Music
*''UFC: Ultimate Beatdowns, Vol. 1'', an album of music featured in and inspired by the UFC.Video games
*''Ultimate Fighting Championship (video game), Ultimate Fighting Championship'' (Dreamcast and PlayStation (console), PlayStation) *''UFC: Tapout'' (Xbox (console), Xbox) *''UFC: Throwdown'' (GameCube, PlayStation 2) *''UFC: Tapout 2'' (Xbox) *''UFC: Sudden Impact'' (PlayStation 2) *''UFC 2009 Undisputed'' (PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) *''UFC Undisputed 2010'' (PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, iPod Touch, iPad, iPhone) *''UFC Personal Trainer'' (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii) *''UFC Undisputed 3'' (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) *''EA Sports UFC'' (PlayStation 4, Xbox One) *''EA Sports UFC 2'' (PlayStation 4, Xbox One) *''EA Sports UFC 3'' (PlayStation 4, Xbox One) *''EA Sports UFC 4'' (PlayStation 4, Xbox One) In January 2007, Zuffa and video game developer/publisher THQ announced a license agreement giving THQ worldwide rights to develop titles under the UFC brand. The agreement gives THQ exclusive rights to current and next-generation consoles as well as to PC and handheld titles. Also included are "certain wireless rights" which were not detailed. The licensing agreement was set to expire in 2011, although it appeared to have been extended to 2017. On June 4, 2012, THQ announced they will be giving the license of UFC Undisputed to EA.Action figures
Round 5
The first UFC action figure collectibles were released by Round 5 Corporation in May 2008. Series one of their figures includes Quinton Jackson, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Matt Hughes (fighter), Matt Hughes, Tito Ortiz, and Randy Couture. Series two (released on November 10, 2008) includes Wanderlei Silva, Sean Sherk, Rich Franklin, and Anderson Silva. In July 2009, Round 5 acquired the UFC license through Jakks Pacific and subsequently released five more series under the UFC and Pride brands. Two packs were released in August 2010 and include a UFC Octagon cage and Pride ring display stand. Limited edition versions include fabric walk-out tees or paint variations and are limited in number with foil and holographic packaging variances. Special edition and exclusive versions have been released at various UFC Fan Expo events.Jakks Pacific
On June 10, 2008, it was announced that UFC had signed an exclusive four-year contract with Jakks Pacific to create action figures for UFC. the schedule envisages the release of these figures in November 2009. They have currently been 8 series released and they feature special Legends, Pride, and WEC style figures as well. Three 2 packs series have also been released, as well as several expo and internet exclusives. There are also several different octagon cage playsets that have been released, including the "Octagon Playset", "Official Scale Octagon Playset", and "Electronic Reaction Octagon Playset". A Pridestyle ring playset was also originally planned; however, no news have been given on its status or release date since then. ;Jakks Pacific UFC Deluxe Figure Lineups: * Series 0:DVD
Various UFC events have been released onto DVD. ''UFC 23'' through ''UFC 29'' were not released in the US on home video or DVD by SEG. They have since been released onto boxsets which feature around 10 events each set, in chronological order.PlayStation Network and Xbox Live
UFC on-demand content launched for Xbox 360 on December 20, 2011. Subscribers were able to view pay-per-view events in high definition, connect with friends to predict fight results, and have the ability to compare fighter statistics and records. The UFC Fight Pass application was also planned for PlayStation 4 in early 2015.. In 2015, UFC Fight Pass became available on the Xbox One. As of September 2022, no PlayStation version of the app has been released.NFTs
In August 2021, the UFC began to release NFTs to commemorate big fights, milestones and moments via their official trading card partner, Panini America.UFC international broadcasters
The UFC's PPV events are broadcast live on Pay-per-view in the US and BT Sport in the UK; BT Sports first ever live event was August 3, 2013 UFC 163 headlined by José Aldo and Chan Sung Jung, The Korean Zombie. BT Sport were the first major broadcaster in the UK for the UFC where previously they had small coverage on Bravo (British TV channel), Bravo, Setanta Sports and finally ESPN in the United Kingdom, ESPN UK in August, 2012 until the BT Sport deal was in place. Events are broadcast live on Televisa, Fighting Sports Network in Pay TV (Cable and Satellite) of SKY Satellite. Free TV Channels in Mexico, Fox Sports (Latin American TV network), Fox Sports and Fox Premium in Pay TV (Cable and Satellite) Central America are broadcast with tape-delay. In Brazil, events are broadcast live on Combate Channel from Globosat. Rede Globo's are broadcast tape-delayed from 12:00 am. In Southeast Asia (exclude the Philippines), Hong Kong, and Papua New Guinea, UFC events are broadcast on Fox Movies Premium (2012-2013) and Fox Sports Asia, Fox Sports (2013-2021). In India, events are broadcast on Sony Ten, Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 1, Sony Ten 1 HD and Sony Ten 2 HD. In the Philippines, UFC was also aired on Balls (TV channel), Balls (now ABS-CBN Sports and Action, ABS-CBN Sports + Action HD) from 2009 until 2015, since moved to Sports5 (including The 5 Network, TV5, AksyonTV and Hyper (TV channel), Hyper on Channel 91 (SD) and 261 (HD) via Cignal) starting January 3, 2016 until December 31, 2018, and is currently airing on TAP Digital Media Ventures Corporation-owned sports cable television channel Premier Sports (Philippine TV channel), Premier Sports since October 2021. In Indonesia, UFC events are currently broadcast on TvOne (Indonesia), tvOne starting January 15, 2018; previously, this events was also broadcast on RCTI, iNews since 2012 until the end of 2017. Starting Aprll 13, 2019 UFC's event will be broadcast on Abu Dhabi Media.See also
*List of UFC champions *List of UFC events *List of current UFC fighters *List of UFC bonus award recipients *List of current mixed martial arts champions *UFC Fight PassExplanatory notes
References
External links
* * {{Authority control Ultimate Fighting Championship, 1993 establishments in the United States Mixed martial arts organizations Ultimate Fighting Championship television series Sports organizations established in 1993 Kohlberg Kravis Roberts companies 2016 mergers and acquisitions Companies based in Las Vegas