UFC(Ultmate Fighting Championship)

[Kim byoungil]

1. 의미 : 미국의 종합격투기 단체. 1993년 주짓수로 유명한 호리온 그레이시와 아트 데이비가 창립했다. 2010년대부터 위세가 급격하게 상승하며 브라질리언 주짓수, 복싱, 킥복싱, 무에타이, 레슬링 등의 모든 투기종목을 아우르는 세계 1위의 MMA 단체로 군림하고 있다.

연례 경기가 40회 남짓으로 많지 않은 편이지만, 페이퍼뷰 덕분에 경기 당 수익이 여타 스포츠 대비 매우 높은 편에 속한다. 또한 단체 운영부터 프로모팅까지 UFC 한 곳의 업체에서 진행할 뿐만 아니라 종합스포츠 업계 시장을 독점하고 있기 때문에 선수들을 상대로 가격 결정력 부분에 있어서 우위에 있다는 점도 높은 수익성의 원인으로 뽑힌다.

2. 역사 : 

무규칙 막싸움	키모 레오폴도[5]
스모​[6]	엠마누엘 야브로
권투	아트 짐머슨, 멜턴 보웬, 칼 워셤
레슬링	댄 세번, 탱크 애봇, 폴 발렌스, 데이브 베네투, 돈 프라이, 스캇 페로조, 폴 헤레라
브라질리언 주짓수	호이스 그레이시, 조 모레이라
무에타이	로랜드 페인, 앤서니 마시아스
태권도 발차기	조 선, 앤디 앤더슨
킥복싱	케빈 로지어, 패트릭 스미스, 로버트 루카렐리, 스캇 베이커, 래리 커튼
유도	크리스토프 라이닝거, 조 찰스
삼보	프랭크 하마커, 올렉 탁타로프
가라테	프레드 애티쉬, 숀 도허티, 레이 위자드, 조니 로즈, 론 밴 클리프
겐포	트렌트 젠킨스, 제인 프레이저, 키스 해크니, 어니 버디시아
산따	타데우스 루스터, 존 헤스
쇼토칸 가라테	라이언 파커
아메리칸 겐포	루디아드 몬카요
주짓수	마크 홀
극진가라데	게리 해리스
사바트	제라드 고르도
루타 리브레	마르코 후아스
장권	제이슨 델루시아
고주류 가라테	해럴드 하워드
유술	렘코 파도엘
영춘권	데이비드 레비키
절권도	토드 메디나
인술	스캇 모리스
루아	존 마투아
픈착 실랏	알베르토 세라 레온
팔괘장	토마스 라미레즈
국술원	게리 굿리지
이종격투기	테일라 툴리, 켄 샴락, 이치하라 미노키, 펠릭스 미첼, 가이 메츠거, 제이슨 파이른, 마커스 보넷, 엘도 디아즈 재비어, 마커스 바셋, 존 도우디, 아스벨 캔시오, 조엘 서튼, 잭 맥로플린, 히맨 알리 깁슨, 게자 캘먼, 오나시스 파룬가오, 프란체스코 머추리, 스캇 베삭, 데이비드 후드, 샘 애드킨스, 키스 밀케, 제리 볼랜더, 스티브 넬마크, 타이 보우덴, 라파엘 카리노, 맷 앤더슨, 마크 슐츠, 키타오 코지, 아마우리 비테티, 디에우세울 베르토, 존 캄페텔라, 마크 콜먼, 모티 호렌스타인, 브라이언 존스턴, 스캇 피들러, 로베르토 트레번, 데이브 배리, 샘 풀턴, 파비오 구르젤, 나자 나스피, 줄리안 산체스, 잭 닐슨, 저스틴 마틴, 에릭 마틴, 비토 벨포트, 트라 텔리그만, 짐 뮬런, 닉 산조, 재키 리, 타카하시 요시키, 윌리드 이스마일, 레이니 마르티네스
목검	스티브 제넘

3. 규칙(Rules)

UFC 공식 규칙은 2000년 캘리포니아주 체육위원회가 정한 '북아메리카 종합격투기 통합규칙'을 따른다. UFC뿐만 아니라 북미에 있는 모든 종합격투기 단체에 적용되는 룰이다.

처음에는 정말로 규칙이 거의 없는 데다가, 규칙 위반을 해도 약간의 벌금을 무는 정도의 처벌 밖에 없는 과격한 대회였다. 덕분에 미국에서도 몇몇 주(州)에서만 가능했고, 폭력성 컨텐츠 단속이 심했던 주에서는 방송은 물론 경기조차 불가능했었다. 지금은 보급을 위해 룰이 많이 수정되었다.

1~12회 대회의 경우 룰이라곤 없이 모든 공격이 가능했다. 오직 물어뜯기, 눈찌르기, 로블로 이 세가지만이 반칙으로서 금지가 되었다.[16] 심지어 대놓고 로블로, 귀 물어뜯기를 하는데 심판이 전혀 제지하지 않는다. 이쯤되면 상대를 어떻게든 이기고 벌금만 내면된다는 것인가라는 의문이 생긴다. 이 때문에 상대선수 키스 해크니로부터 고환을 수 차례 가격당하고도 멀쩡히 시합을 계속한 한국계 조 선이 다른 의미로 유명세를 모으기도 했다. 여담으로 조 선이 항복을 안하니 조 선은 상대가 팬티를 벗기려 들자 바로 항복했다.

초창기에는 복장규정 따윈 없었고 글러브조차 끼지 않았기 때문에,[17] 시합 시작하자마자 몇 초 만에 심각한 부상을 입고 시합이 중단되는 경우도 있었다.[18] 부상으로 시합이 끝나는 경우도 안면 함몰이나 골절, 안구파열 등으로 위험하게 끝나는 경우가 많았다. 선수들도 좀 와일드한 선수들이 많아서, 암바를 당하고도 탭아웃 안하고 버티면서 반격을 시도하다, 정말로 팔이 부러져 심판이 경기 중단을 시키는 등 지금 보면 참으로 와일드한 면이 많았다. 초반에는 라운드제도 없어서 정말 한쪽이 기권하거나 KO당할 때까지 경기가 이어졌었다. 호이스 그레이시와 댄 세번이 붙었던 UFC 4의 파이널라운드는 장장 16분이나 이어졌었고, 호이스 그레이시와 켄 샴락의 UFC 5 파이널은 무려 36분으로 UFC 최장라운드 기록을 세웠다.[19]

그야말로 영화나 만화 속에서나 등장할 법한 '지하 격투기'를 현실로 표방한 수준이었는데, 이런 파격적인 시합 방식은 이후 다른 격투기 단체에도 큰 영향을 끼친다. 이때 규칙이 없는 관계로 시합이 일찍 끝나는 일이 많아 스피디한 시합도 많았지만, 그만큼 시합 분량이 모자라지자 이후부턴 차츰 규칙을 도입하기 시작한다.

물론 그럼에도 여전히 다른 입식타격 단체들보단 상대적으로 룰이 적고 공격적인지라 다른 격투기 시합보다 이 측면에선 흥미있게 볼 수 있다. 재미있는 것은, UFC에는 갈수록 금지기술이 늘어감에도 불구하고 UFC보다 금지기술이 적은 메이저 단체가 나오지 않는다는 것. 예외라면 PRIDE가 사점니킥, 스톰핑, 사커킥을 허용하였지만, 엘보우 금지나 스톱 앤 돈 무브[20] 클린치 제한 등을 두었던 점을 감안하면 UFC가 더 다치기 쉽다. 그러나 미국 보건 협회 때문에 사점니킥, 스톰핑, 사커킥은 불허인데 팔꿈치 공격은 허용인, 조금은 형평성에 맞지 않는 규칙이 만들어졌다. 팔꿈치는 보통 피부를 찢는 것에 그치나 다른 세 기술은 뇌진탕을 유발할 수 있어서 생명 및 선수생활에 지장을 초래하기 때문이라고 하지만, 애당초 보건 협회에서는 위험기술을 허용하지 않는다 뿐이지 금지사항을 제재하는 건 아니므로[21] 이러한 규정이 레슬링을 주 베이스로 하는 미국인들이 유리하도록 만든 게 아니냐는 의견도 있다.

초창기에는 서로 다른 각자의 무술 기량을 겨루는, 종합격투기라기보단 이종격투기로서의 모습을 보였다. 그래서 당시만 해도 상대적으로 생소한 그라운드 서브미션 기술을 선보인 브라질리언 주짓떼로들이 두각을 나타내며 국내외 주짓수 유행에 불을 지피기도 했다. 이후 점차 스트라이커들도 그래플링과 그라운드 기술들을 익히고 그래플러들도 타격기를 익히면서, 지금은 다양한 분야의 격투기를 망라하는 종합격투기로서의 모양새를 갖추게 되었다.

링에서 타 단체와 차별화된 특징으로는, 사각링이 많던 기존 링과 달리 철망을 두른 팔각형 링을 도입했다는 것이 있다. '케이지(Cage)' 혹은 '옥타곤(Octagon)'이라고 부른다. 덕분에 기존의 사각링처럼 타격으로 상대를 구석에 몰아넣는 전술은 효용도가 매우 떨어진다. 반면 레슬러가 그래플링으로 상대를 구석에 몰면 재미를 볼 수 있는 구조. 시합을 참관하는 관객들 입장에선 철망으로 인해 잘 안 보인다는 불만도 있다.

3.1. 체급[편집]

과거 1997년까지는 무체급으로 운영하다가 그 이후 헤비급(+93kg)을 신설하고 라이트헤비급(-93kg)을 신설한 이후 점차 체급을 많이 신설하기 시작했다. 경기를 진행하게 될 두 선수 모두 경기 전날 계체를 진행한다. 계체 시 체중이 체급 별 체중 범위 내에 있어야 하며, 타이틀전이 아닌 경우 1파운드 이하의 초과는 인정된다. 그 이상 초과될 경우 계약체중 매치로 바뀌며, 두 선수 간의 몸무게 차이가 5파운드를 초과하거나 한 선수가 계체를 포기한 경우 경기가 진행되지 않는다. 체급 별 체중 범위는 다음과 같다.

4.  체급

체급 명	최소 체중(lb)	최대 체중(lb)	최소 체중(kg)	최대 체중(kg)
스트로급[22]	-	115	-	52.2
플라이급	115	125	52.2	56.7
밴텀급	125	135	56.7	61.2
페더급	135	145	61.2	65.8
라이트급	145	155	65.8	70.3
웰터급	155	170	70.3	77.1
미들급	170	185	77.1	83.9
라이트헤비급	185	205	83.9	93.0
헤비급	205	265	93.0	120.2

3.2. 라운드제[편집]

• 기본 3라운드

• 타이틀전과 메인이벤트는 5라운드

• 각 라운드는 5분

• 라운드 간 1분 휴식

5. 영문 소개 : he Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings.[5][6][7][8] It is the largest MMA promotion in the world as of 2023.[9] It produces events worldwide that showcase 11 weight divisions (eight men's and three women's) and abides by the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.[10] As of 2022, it had held over 600 events. Dana White has been its president since 2001 and CEO since 2023. Under White's stewardship, it has grown into a global multi-billion-dollar enterprise.[11]

The UFC was founded by businessman Art Davie and Brazilian martial artist Rorion Gracie,[12] and the first event was held in 1993 at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado.[13] The purpose of the UFC's early competitions was to identify the most effective martial art in a contest with minimal rules and no weight classes between competitors of different fighting disciplines. In subsequent events, more rigorous rules were created and fighters began adopting effective techniques from more than one discipline, which indirectly helped create a separate style of fighting known as present-day mixed martial arts.

The UFC was initially owned by the Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG) until it had financial issues and it was sold to the brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta in 2001, who formed the company Zuffa to operate the UFC, and placed Dana White as the president of the company.[11][14] In 2016, UFC's parent company, Zuffa, was sold to a group led by Endeavor, then known as William Morris Endeavor (WME–IMG), including Silver Lake Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and MSD Capital[15] for US$4.025 billion.[16] In 2021, Endeavor bought out Zuffa's other owners at a valuation of $1.7 billion.[8]

With a TV deal and expansion in Australia, Asia, Europe,[17][18][19] and new markets within the United States, the UFC has achieved greater mainstream media coverage. It earned US$609 million in 2015,[20] and its next domestic media rights agreement with ESPN was valued at $1.5 billion over a five-year term.[21]

In April 2023, Endeavor Group Holdings announced that UFC would merge with the wrestling promotion WWE to form TKO Group Holdings, a new public company majority-owned by Endeavor, with Vince McMahon serving as an executive chairman of the new entity and White remaining as UFC president. The merger was completed on September 12, 2023.[22]

History[edit]

The former logo of the UFC, used from 1993 to 1999Early 1990s competition[edit]

Royce Gracie used Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the early years of UFC to defeat opponents of greater size and strength.

Art Davie proposed to John Milius and Rorion Gracie an eight-man single-elimination tournament called "War of the Worlds".[23] It was inspired by the "Gracies in Action" video-series produced by the Gracie family of Brazil which featured Gracie jiu-jitsu students defeating martial artists of various disciplines such as karate, kung fu, and kickboxing on Vale Tudo matches. The tournament would also feature martial artists from different disciplines facing each other in no-holds-barred combat to determine the best martial art, and would aim to replicate the excitement of the matches Davie saw on the videos.[24] Gracie accepted, as he was interested in showcasing and promoting his family's own jiu-jitsu for a wide audience.[25] Milius, a film director/screenwriter and Gracie student, agreed to be the event's creative director. Davie drafted the business plan, and 28 investors contributed the initial capital to start WOW Promotions to develop the tournament into a television franchise.[26]

In 1993, WOW Promotions sought a television partner and approached pay-per-view producers TVKO (HBO) and SET (Showtime), and Campbell McLaren and David Isaacs at Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG). Both TVKO and SET declined, but SEG—a pioneer in pay-per-view television that had produced such offbeat events as a tennis match between Jimmy Connors and Martina Navratilova—became WOW's partner in May 1993.[27] UFC promoters initially pitched the event as a real-life fighting video game tournament similar to Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat.[28] SEG contacted video and film art director Jason Cusson to design a fighting arena for the event. Rorion and Davie didn't want a traditional roped ring, citing fears—by showing old Vale Tudo footage—that the fighters could escape through the ropes during grappling and use it as an advantage, or fall off and hurt themselves. SEG's executives agreed, and also wanted a way to visually differentiate their event from professional boxing and professional wrestling. Some ideas included a traditional roped-ring surrounded by netting, a moat with alligators, a raised platform surrounded by razor-wire fence, electrified fencing, men in togas and netting that could be lowered from the ceiling by a pulley. Eventually Cusson designed an arena with eight sides surrounded by chain-link fence, the trademarked Octagon, which became the event's signature setting.[29] Cusson remained the group's production designer through UFC 27.[24] SEG devised the show's name as "The Ultimate Fighting Championship".[30]

WOW Promotions and SEG produced the first event, later retroactively called UFC 1, at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado on November 12, 1993. Art Davie was its booker and matchmaker.[31] It proposed to find answers for sports fans' questions such as, "Can a wrestler beat a boxer?"[32] As with most martial arts at the time, fighters typically had skills in just one discipline and little experience against opponents with differing skills.[33] The television broadcast featured kickboxer Kevin Rosier, taekwondo practitioner Patrick Smith, savate fighter Gerard Gordeau, karate expert Zane Frazier, shootfighter Ken Shamrock, sumo wrestler Teila Tuli, boxer Art Jimmerson, and 175 lb (79 kg) Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Royce Gracie—younger brother of UFC co-founder Rorion, whom Rorion selected to represent his family. Royce's submission skills proved the most effective in the inaugural tournament, earning him the first ever UFC tournament championship after submitting Jimmerson, Shamrock, and Gordeau in succession.[34] The show was extremely successful, with 86,592 pay-per-view television subscribers.[23]

It's disputed whether the promoters intended the event to be a precursor to future events. "That show was only supposed to be a one-off", eventual UFC president Dana White said. "It did so well on pay-per-view they decided to do another, and another. Never in a million years did these guys think they were creating a sport."[35] Davie, in his 2014 book Is This Legal?, an account of the creation of the first UFC event, disputes the perception that the UFC was seen by WOW Promotions and SEG as a one-off, since SEG offered a five-year joint development deal to WOW. He says, "Clearly, both Campbell and Meyrowitz shared my unwavering belief that War of the Worlds[b] would be a continuing series of fighting tournaments—a franchise, rather than a one-night stand."[36]

With no weight classes, fighters often faced significantly larger or taller opponents. Keith "The Giant Killer" Hackney faced Emmanuel Yarbrough at UFC 3 with a 9-inch height and 400 pounds (180 kg) weight disadvantage.[37]

During this early phase of the organization, the UFC showcased a bevy of styles and fighters. Aside from the aforementioned Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, and Patrick Smith, they also featured competitors such as Hall of Famer Dan Severn, Marco Ruas, Gary Goodridge, Don Frye, Kimo Leopoldo, Oleg Taktarov, and Tank Abbott.

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.[38]

Tightening up of the rules[edit]

Although UFC used the tagline "There are no rules" in the early 1990s, the UFC did in fact operate with limited rules.[39] In a UFC 4 qualifying match, competitors Jason Fairn and Guy Mezger agreed not to pull hair—as they both wore pony tails tied back for the match.[40] The UFC had a reputation, especially in the early days, as an extremely violent event.[41]

UFC 5 also introduced the first singles match, a rematch from the inaugural UFC featuring three-time champion Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock, called "The Superfight".[42] "The Superfight" began as a non-tournament match that would determine the first reigning UFC Champion for tournament winners to face;[43] it later evolved into a match that could feature either title matches or non-title matches. The "Superfight" would eventually completely phase out tournament matches.

On the other hand, the first "Superfight" at UFC 5 was also considered a failure. In the first minute of the fight Shamrock knocked Royce to the ground and landed inside his guard. For the next 30 minutes Shamrock was inside Royce's guard, with the two throwing punches and headbutts at each other but without any change or action, with the crowd booing the fighters. After 30 minutes the fight was stopped as it had exceeded the time limit allocated for the pay-per-view and was given another 5 minutes of extra time due to protests from the spectators. The fight was over after 36 minutes and a draw was declared.[44] Because of this controversial fight, the UFC would later start to introduce time limits, judges to decide draws, and authorized referees to stand up fighters and restart the bout if they have too much inactivity.[44]

In 1996, the UFC had its first event outside continental United States with UFC 8 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, and in 1997, UFC Japan: Ultimate Japan was its first foreign event.

Late 1990s controversy and reform[edit]

The violent nature of the burgeoning sport quickly drew the attention of U.S. authorities.[45]

In 1996, U.S. Senator John McCain saw a tape of the first UFC events and immediately found it abhorrent. He led a campaign to ban the UFC, calling it "human cockfighting", and sent letters to the governors of all 50 US states asking them to ban it.[46]

36 states enacted laws that banned "no-holds-barred" fighting, including New York, which enacted the ban on the eve of UFC 12, forcing it to relocate to Dothan, Alabama.[47] The UFC continued to air on DirecTV PPV, though its audience remained minuscule compared to the era's larger cable pay-per-view platforms.

In response to the criticism, the UFC increased cooperation with state athletic commissions and modified its rules to remove the less palatable elements of fights while retaining the core elements of striking and grappling. UFC 12 saw the introduction of weight classes and the banning of fish-hooking. For UFC 14, gloves became mandatory, while kicks to the head of a downed opponent were banned. UFC 15 saw limitations on hair pulling, and the banning of strikes to the back of the neck and head, headbutting, small-joint manipulations, and groin strikes. With five-minute rounds introduced at UFC 21, the UFC gradually rebranded itself as a sport rather than a spectacle.[48]

Led by UFC commissioner Jeff Blatnick and referee John McCarthy, the UFC continued to work with state athletic commissions.[49] Blatnick, McCarthy, and matchmaker Joe Silva created a manual of policies, procedures, codes of conduct, and rules to help in getting the UFC sanctioned by the athletic commissions, many of which exist to this day.[49] Blatnick and McCarthy traveled around the country, educating regulators and changing perceptions about a sport that was thought to be bloodthirsty and inhumane.[49] By April 2000, their movement had clearly made an impact.[49] California was set to become the first state in the U.S. to sign off on a set of codified rules that governed MMA.[49] Soon after, New Jersey adopted the language.[49]

As the UFC continued to work with the athletic commissions, events took place in smaller U.S. markets, and venues, such as the Lake Charles Civic Center. The markets included states that are largely rural and less known for holding professional sporting events, such as Iowa, Mississippi, Louisiana, Wyoming, and Alabama. SEG could not secure home-video releases for UFC 23 through UFC 29. With other mixed martial arts promotions working towards U.S. sanctioning, the International Fighting Championships (IFC) secured the first U.S. sanctioned mixed martial arts event, which occurred in New Jersey on September 30, 2000. Just two months later, the UFC held its first sanctioned event, UFC 28, under the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board's "Unified Rules".[50]

2001 and the beginning of Zuffa era[edit]

After the long battle to secure sanctioning, SEG stood on the brink of bankruptcy, when Station Casinos executives Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta and their business partner Dana White approached them in 2000, with an offer to purchase the UFC. A month later, in January 2001, the Fertittas bought the UFC for $2 million and created Zuffa, LLC as the parent entity controlling the UFC.[51]

"I had my attorneys tell me that I was crazy because I wasn't buying anything. I was paying $2 million and they were saying 'What are you getting?'" Lorenzo Fertitta revealed to Fighters Only magazine,[52] recalling the lack of assets he acquired in the purchase. "And I said 'What you don't understand is I'm getting the most valuable thing that I could possibly have, which is those three letters: UFC. That is what's going to make this thing work. Everybody knows that brand, whether they like it or they don't like it, they react to it.'"[52] Along with the trademark, they acquired a wooden octagon and around a dozen fighter's contracts. Later on, they negotiated a deal to buy UFC's DVD rights from Lionsgate for an additional two million dollars.[51]

With ties to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (Lorenzo Fertitta was a former member of the NSAC), Zuffa secured sanctioning in Nevada in 2001.[53] Shortly thereafter, the UFC returned to pay-per-view cable television, with UFC 33 featuring three championship bouts.

Struggle for survival and turnaround[edit]

The UFC slowly rose in popularity after the Zuffa purchase, due partly to greater advertising,[54] 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 MGM Grand Garden Arena, the UFC secured its first television deal with Fox Sports Net. The Best Damn Sports Show Period aired the first mixed martial arts match on American cable television in June 2002, as well as the main event showcasing Chuck Liddell vs. Vitor Belfort at UFC 37.5.[55] Later, FSN would air highlight shows from the UFC.

UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock was instrumental in the UFC's turnaround into a mainstream sport.

UFC 40 proved to be the most critical event to date in the Zuffa era. The event was a near sellout of 13,022 at the MGM Grand Arena and sold 150,000 pay-per-view buys, a rate roughly double that of the previous Zuffa events. The event featured a card headlined by a championship match between then-current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz and former UFC Superfight Champion Ken Shamrock, who had previously left to professionally wrestle in WWE before returning to MMA. It was the first time the UFC hit such a high mark since being forced "underground" in 1997.[56] UFC 40 also garnered mainstream attention from media outlets such as ESPN and USA Today, something that was unfathomable for mixed martial arts at that point in time.[57] Many have suggested that the success of UFC 40 and the anticipation for Ortiz vs. Shamrock saved the UFC from bankruptcy; the buyrates of the previous Zuffa shows averaged a mere 45,000 buys per event, and the company was suffering deep monetary losses.[57] The success of UFC 40 provided a glimmer of hope for the UFC, and kept alive the hope that mixed martial arts could become big.[58] Beyond the rivalry itself, the success of UFC 40 was due in part to the marketing and outreach power of crossover athletes – from Pro Wrestling to MMA and MMA to Pro Wrestling – a practice with roots in Japan's Pride Fighting Championships.[59] Long time UFC referee John McCarthy said that he felt UFC 40 was the turning point in whether or not the sport of MMA would survive in America.

"When that show (UFC 40) happened, I honestly felt like it was going to make it. Throughout the years, things were happening, and everything always looked bleak. It always looked like, this is it, this is going to be the last time. This is going to be the last year. But, when I was standing in the Octagon at UFC 40, I remember standing there before the Ortiz/Shamrock fight and looking around. The energy of that fight, it was phenomenal, and it was the first time I honestly said, it's going to make it." –"Big" John McCarthy[60]

Despite the success of UFC 40, the UFC was still experiencing financial deficits. By 2004, Zuffa had $34 million in losses since they purchased the UFC.[61]

The Ultimate Fighter and the rise in popularity[edit]

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,[62] and seeing how well the series worked as a promotion vehicle, the Fertitta brothers developed the idea of UFC creating its own reality series.

Logo of The Ultimate Fighter

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, with an offer to pay the $10 million production costs themselves, did they find an outlet.[61]

In January 2005, Spike TV launched The Ultimate Fighter 1 (TUF 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, and claims that the contract for the second season was made outside of the venue on a napkin immediately after the finale.[63][64]

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 in 2012.[65]

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, 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."[66]

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 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.[67]

Mid-2000s expansion[edit]

New York City Times Square ad for UFC 88: Breakthrough featuring Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans

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 "The Iceman" Liddell, avenging his defeat to fellow eventual-Hall of Famer, Randy Couture, drew a pay-per-view audience of 300,000,[68] 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: 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.[69] The organization hit a milestone with UFC 66, pitting Ortiz in a rematch against Liddell with over 1 million buys.[70]

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,[71] as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. Ratner, once an ally of Senator McCain's campaign against no holds barred fighting, lobbied numerous athletic commissions[72] 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 (WEC) in order to stop the International Fight League (IFL) from making a deal with Versus (now 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.[73] The WEC showcased lighter weight classes in MMA, whereas the UFC featured heavier weight classes.[74]

In December 2006, Zuffa also acquired their cross-town, Las Vegas rival World Fighting Alliance (WFA). The WFA had signed major fighters at the time, most notably Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Lyoto Machida, but their events turned out to be a financial disaster. Zuffa bought select assets from WFA, including select fighter contracts, as well as trademarks and other intellectual property.[75]

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.[76] 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.[77][78]

The UFC continued its rapid rise from near obscurity with Roger Huerta gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated and Chuck Liddell on the front of ESPN The Magazine in May 2007.[79]

Pride acquisition and integration[edit]

A fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Mark Coleman in the Japanese, ring-based PRIDE organization. During its heyday, PRIDE was considered bigger than the UFC in terms of audience and quality of fights[80]

In Japan, Mixed Martial Arts took a separate, yet convergent evolution, with origins in "shoot wrestling", a form of professional wrestling which had more realistic-looking moves and matches while deemphasizing theatrical elements. Promotions like Shooto and Pancrase discarded the scripts and were already putting on hybrid fighting shows with real fights by the time the UFC was founded.[81][82] This culminated in the creation of Pride Fighting Championships in 1997. At its height, Pride was the world's most popular MMA promotion, and helped to popularize the sport in Japan and in the world. Having high attendances on large sports arenas and watched by millions of spectators through free-to-air and pay-per-view television. Meanwhile, the UFC was struggling with political persecution, low pay-per-view sales, and doing events in backwater casinos.[80] Most of UFC's best fighters would leave to fight in Japan instead due better pay and prestige.[80]

However, on 2006, Pride started to have financial issues due the termination of lucrative contracts with Japanese TV due a scandal revealing the strong ties between Pride and the yakuza.[80] On March 27, 2007, the UFC and Pride announced an agreement in which the majority owners of the UFC, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, would purchase the Pride brand.[83][84]

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, making comparisons to the AFL–NFL merger and the creation of a "Super Bowl" of MMA.[80] However, after purchasing Pride, Dana White felt that the Pride model was not sustainable[85] and that the brand became "toxic" in Japan, being difficult to find a new television deal.[80] The organization instead folded, with many former Pride fighters such as Antônio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira, Maurício "Shogun" Rua, Dan Henderson, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović, Wanderlei Silva, and others already being realigned under the UFC brand.[86] 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).[87]

On June 18, 2008, Lorenzo Fertitta accommodated the UFC's growth by announcing his resignation from Station Casinos in order to devote his energies to the international business development of Zuffa, particularly the UFC. The move proved to be pivotal, as Fertitta helped strike TV deals in China, France, Mexico, and Germany as well as open alternative revenue streams with a new UFC video game and UFC action figures, among other projects.[88]

Late 2000s–mid-2010s growth with UFC 100[edit]

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[89] under the drawing power of former NCAA wrestling and WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and his rematch with former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir, Canadian Georges St-Pierre going head-to-head with Brazilian[90] 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 from ESPN, which provided coverage of the event in the days preceding and following it.[91] ESPN would eventually devote additional coverage of the UFC and other MMA news with the television debut of MMA Live on ESPN2 in May 2010.[92]

The buzz from UFC 100 was hampered significantly in the second half of 2009 after a rash of injuries and other health-related issues[93][94]—including Brock Lesnar's life-threatening bout with diverticulitis[95]—forcing the organization to continuously scramble and reshuffle its lineup for several events.

However, the momentum gradually began to pick up in the first quarter of 2010 after victories from defending champions Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva, as well as Lyoto Machida's first career defeat to "Shogun" Rua for the UFC Light Heavyweight title. These fights segued into a very popular clash between former UFC Champions and rivals Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson—rival coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 10: Heavyweights—at UFC 114, featuring the UFC's first main event headlined by black fighters.[96] The event scored over 1 million pay per view buys[97] as Evans secured a unanimous decision victory.

UFC 129 shattered previous North American gate and attendance records.

This momentum carried into the summer of 2010 at UFC 116, which featured the return of Brock Lesnar defending his UFC Heavyweight title against the undefeated interim-champion Shane Carwin before 1.25 million PPV viewers.[98] Lesnar survived an early barrage of Carwin's punches in a contest that was nearly stopped by referee Josh Rosenthal.[99] However, Lesnar recovered in the second round to submit Carwin via arm-triangle choke to retain the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship. The event as a whole was critically acclaimed in the media[100][101][102] for living up to the hype with a number of exciting fights.

After a fifth round, last-minute victory by UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva over Chael Sonnen at UFC 117, Lesnar finally surrendered his belt to the undefeated Cain Velasquez via 1st-round TKO at UFC 121. The fight produced Velasquez's eighth knockout or technical knockout in his first nine MMA fights.[103]

UFC 129 featured Georges St-Pierre vs. Jake Shields at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is currently the largest UFC event in North American history,[104][105] which coincided with a two-day UFC Fan Expo at the Direct Energy Centre.[106][107] The event sold out 55,000 tickets for gate revenues exceeding $11 million,[108] shattering previous MMA attendance and gate records in North America.[108]

On November 5, 2016, the UFC had their first exhibition in New York City after years of being delayed by government officials and red tape with a dramatic first match, Conor McGregor vs. Eddie Alvarez.[109]

WEC merger[edit]

Anthony Pettis weighs in for the final WEC event

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.[110] Soon thereafter the WEC made its home on the Versus Network with its first event debuting on that network in June 2007.[111]

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.[112]

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."[113]

Strikeforce purchase[edit]

The Strikeforce cage

On March 12, 2011, Dana White announced that Zuffa had purchased Strikeforce.[114] White said that Strikeforce will operate as an independent promotion, and that CEO Scott Coker will continue to run the promotion. 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.[115] 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[edit]

UFC on Fox Nielsen ratingsEventDateRatingShareViewersRef.

Velasquez vs. dos Santos	November 12, 2011	3.1	5	5.7 million	[116]
Evans vs. Davis	January 28, 2012	2.6	5	4.7 million	[117]
Diaz vs. Miller	May 5, 2012	1.5	3	2.4 million	[118]
Shogun vs. Vera	August 4, 2012	1.4	3	2.4 million	[119]
Henderson vs. Diaz	December 8, 2012	2.5	5	4.4 million	[120]
Johnson vs. Dodson	January 26, 2013	2.4	5	4.2 million	[121]
Henderson vs. Melendez	April 20, 2013	2.2	4	3.7 million	[122]
Johnson vs. Moraga	July 27, 2013	1.5	3	2.4 million	[123]
Johnson vs. Benavidez 2	December 14, 2013	1.8	3	2.8 million	[124]
Henderson vs. Thomson	January 25, 2014	1.9	3	3.2 million	[125]
Werdum vs. Browne	April 19, 2014	1.6	3	2.5 million	[126]
Lawler vs. Brown	July 26, 2014	1.5	3	2.5 million	[127]
dos Santos vs. Miocic	December 13, 2014	1.6	3	2.8 million	[128]
Gustafsson vs. Johnson	January 24, 2015	1.8	4	3.0 million	[129]

On August 18, 2011, The Ultimate Fighting Championship and Fox announced a seven-year broadcast deal through the Fox Sports subsidiary, effectively ending the UFC's 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, 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.[130]

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)."[131] 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[edit]

Main article: Women's mixed martial arts

Ronda Rousey was the first female UFC champion. She defended her 135-pound Bantamweight Championship from February 23, 2013, to November 15, 2015.

On November 16, 2012, the eve of 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.[132] 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 division. Eight of the Invicta fighters took part in the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter, The Ultimate Fighter: Team Pettis vs. Team Melendez, along with eight additional fighters signed up for the tournament via open tryouts.[133] Season winner, 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, Joanne Calderwood, Bec Hyatt, Randa Markos, Jessica Penne, and Joanna Jędrzejczyk.[134]

International expansion[edit]

The first UFC event to be held outside the contiguous United States was UFC 8 in Puerto Rico, a US territory, in 1996.

Canada has hosted events 18 times, starting with UFC 83 in 2008 and most recently in 2015 with UFC 186.[135] UFC's biggest event to date was also in Canada, as UFC 129 held at Rogers Centre featured a record-breaking attendance of 55,724.[136]

The United Kingdom has been home to 16 events. The first was UFC 38 held in London in 2002. UFC returned to the United Kingdom in 2007 with UFC 70, and visited Northern Ireland for UFC 72. The UK's most recent event was at England with UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall in 2022. Ireland has held UFC 93 in 2009 and UFC Fight Night: McGregor vs. Brandao 5 years later.[137] In continental Europe, Germany has hosted 6 times, the first being UFC 99 in 2009, UFC 122 in 2010, UFC Fight Night: Munoz vs. Mousasi in 2014, UFC Fight Night: Jędrzejczyk vs. Penne in 2015, UFC Fight Night: Arlovski vs. Barnett in 2016,[138] and most recently, UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Smith in 2018. Sweden has hosted 3 times, starting with UFC on Fuel TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva in 2012, and recently with UFC on Fox: Gustafsson vs. Johnson in 2015.[139][140] Poland had its first event with UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2 in 2015.[141]

The first Brazilian event was UFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil, held in São Paulo in 1998. The promotion did not return to Brazil until 2011 for UFC 134, but since then, the country has hosted a further 20 events. Their most recent visit was UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Alves.[142][143] In 2014, Mexico became the second country in Latin America to host an event with UFC 180,[144] followed by a second event, UFC 188, in 2015.[145]

Seven UFC events have been held in Australia, beginning with UFC 110 in 2010 and most recently in December 2018 with UFC Fight Night 142.[146] New Zealand held its first event in 2014, UFC Fight Night: Te Huna vs. Marquardt.[147] Its most recent event was UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker in February 2020.

In Asia, the UFC has visited 5 countries. Japan had its first visit in 1997 for UFC Japan: Ultimate Japan. The UFC only returned to the country in 2012, with UFC 144. Their last visit was in 2014 for UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson, the seventh event there.[148] The promotion has also featured 2 visits to the United Arab Emirates. The first was in 2010 for UFC 112 and the second in 2014 for UFC Fight Night: Nogueira vs. Nelson.[149] The promotion has also visited Macau in 3 occasions: China's special administrative region was first visited in 2012 with UFC on Fuel TV: Franklin vs. Le and last visited in 2014 for UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Le.[150] The promotion has also visited Singapore with UFC Fight Night: Saffiedine vs. Lim in 2014.[151] The Philippines was the most recent Asian country that the UFC has visited, with UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber in 2015.[152]

The Ultimate Fighter has had international editions as well: Brazil (since 2012), Australia (vs. United Kingdom – 2012), China (2013), Canada (vs. Australia – 2014), and Latin America (2014).

TRT ban[edit]

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.[153]

Lawsuits over contractual treatment of fighters[edit]Class action: Le vs Zuffa (UFC) anti-trust lawsuit[edit]

In December 2014, an antitrust lawsuit was filed against Zuffa by several fighters, claiming the organization restricts control over fighters' careers and earning potential.[154] The case moved to Nevada federal court, where Zuffa was denied its motion to stay discovery for 15 years of its financial records.[155][156]

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 Ali Act (2000).[157]

Later that year, a 12–16 month investigation began that was expected to last until sometime between September 2016 to January 2017.[158] Thus far, both sides have provided over 100,000 documents.[159]

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.[160]

There have been several ongoing lawsuits over the contractual treatment of UFC fighters. One of the most recent cases was filed in 2020 by a group of fighters led by Cung Le and Nate Quarry. They alleged that the UFC violated antitrust laws by engaging in anti-competitive practices that kept fighter pay artificially low. The plaintiffs argued that the UFC's practice of using long-term exclusive contracts and "champion's clauses" (which extend a fighter's contract automatically if they win a title) was intended to suppress fighter pay and prevent them from negotiating with other promotions. They also claimed that the UFC engaged in various other anti-competitive practices, such as blocking fighters from using their own image and likeness rights and taking a significant portion of revenue from merchandise sales. The case was initially dismissed by a judge in 2020, but the fighters appealed the decision and in 2021 the appeals court revived the lawsuit and sent it back to the lower court for further proceedings. on October 1, 2023, Zuffa's appeal to the Ninth Circuit court in its antitrust lawsuit has been denied[161].[162]

Smith vs. UFC[edit]

Other lawsuits have also been filed against the UFC, including one by former fighter Leslie Smith, who claimed that the UFC violated federal labor laws by classifying fighters as independent contractors instead of employees. The case was dismissed in 2019, but Smith has appealed the decision.[163][164]

2016 sale to WME-IMG and a new era[edit]

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 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 Dalian Wanda Group, China Media Capital, and WME–IMG (Endeavor).[165]

On July 9, 2016, it was officially announced that the UFC would be sold to a group led by WME–IMG, its owner Silver Lake Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, and MSD Capital, for $4.025 billion. At the time, it marked the largest-ever acquisition in sports. Flash Entertainment (owned by the government of Abu Dhabi) retained its 10% minority stake in the company. White, who owned 9% of the UFC, stayed, having been given a stake in the new business.[166][167] White remained president. Fertitta stepped down as chairman and CEO.[168] WME–IMG was renamed Endeavor in September 2017.[169][7][6] Three years into the Endeavor era, White revealed that an undisclosed company bid $5 billion but Fertittas chose WME–IMG due to a connection they already made with its CEO Ari Emanuel.[170]

In October 2016, MMAJunkie obtained a UFC financial report released by Endeavor, detailing that the promotion had reached a year-to-year high of $609 million in revenue during 2015. 76% of the total was credited to "content" revenue, covering media rights, PPV buys and UFC Fight Pass subscriptions; in turn, 42% of content revenue was credited to pay-per-view buys, followed by U.S. and international media rights.[20]

ESPN partnership[edit]

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. ESPN linear networks will televise preliminary cards for UFC PPV events, and 10 UFC on ESPN Fight Night events per-year. The subscription streaming service ESPN+ will broadcast 20 exclusive events per-year under the branding UFC on ESPN+ Fight Night; regardless of network, all Fight Night events will feature a full, 12-fight card, and their preliminaries will air exclusively on ESPN+. The ESPN+ service will also hold on-demand rights to UFC library and archive content, new seasons of Dana White's Contender Series, and other new original content. UFC Fight Pass will be purchasable as an add-on for ESPN+ to stream pay-per-view events.[171][172][173][174][175]

On March 18, 2019, it was announced that ESPN had reached a two-year extension of the contract. In addition, it was announced that in the United States, future UFC PPVs will only be sold through ESPN+ to its subscribers, and will no longer be sold via traditional television providers beginning with UFC 236. At the same time, the standard price for UFC PPVs was lowered to $59.99 (from $64.99), and new subscribers will be able to purchase a bundle of UFC PPV for a year of ESPN+ too.[176]

M-1 Global partnership[edit]

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.[177][178]

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic[edit]

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.[179] 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.[180]

In regards to its next pay-per-view, UFC 249 on April 18, UFC president Dana White stated that the event would likely go on, but at a new venue behind closed doors. It was originally to be held at Barclays Center, but a stay-at-home order was issued by the New York state government.[180] On March 18, the New York State Athletic Commission also withdrew its sanctioning for the event.[181] Due to international travel restrictions and other withdrawals, a revised card for UFC 249 was unveiled on April 6 with a location still TBD.[182][183] The next day, White disclosed that he had booked an unspecified venue for two months, in order to host both UFC 249 and other future events involving U.S. fighters. He also disclosed plans to secure a private island, known as "Fight Island", to host events with international fighters.[184]

The new UFC 249 venue was subsequently revealed to be Tachi Palace—a tribal casino in Lemoore, California; as it is on tribal land, it also fell outside of the jurisdiction of the California State Athletic Commission, meaning that events held there could be self-sanctioned.[185] On April 9, the UFC announced that UFC 249 had been cancelled, and all other UFC events would be suspended until further notice. White cited interventions from high-ranking staff of the UFC's U.S. media rightsholders, ESPN Inc. and parent The Walt Disney Company, as well as Governor Newsom.[186][187] The New York Post reported that Governor of California Gavin Newsom had contacted Disney chairman and former CEO Bob Iger, urging ESPN and the UFC to not hold the event.[188]

Following the decree that professional sports were deemed as "essential services" in Florida, UFC 249 took place on May 9, 2020, at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida with no fans in attendance. Precautionary health and safety measures proposed by the UFC satisfied the Florida State Boxing Commission, which regulates MMA in the state. UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira and UFC on ESPN: Overeem vs. Harris were scheduled to take place at the same venue on May 13 and 16, respectively.[189] On Friday, May 8, the UFC announced middleweight fighter Ronaldo Souza was removed from his bout with Uriah Hall at UFC 249 and quarantined after he tested positive for COVID-19, along with his cornermen, despite following the protocols enforced by the UFC. No other athletes or staff tested positive for the disease.[190]

In April 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the UFC held its UFC 261 event, again at the VyStar Arena in Jacksonville but with a 100-% sold-out capacity, where attendees were not required to wear masks.[191][192][193] Public health experts criticized the event, citing the risks to attendees, as well as to the wider community.[194]

Controversy over eye pokes[edit]

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.[195][196] 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.[195] Fighters, trainers and commentators called for new gloves, citing the harms posed to fighters from the standard UFC gloves.[195]

Zuffa buyout by Endeavor[edit]

On April 29, 2021, Endeavor successfully launched an initial public offering (IPO) and became a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.[197] 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.[8]

Betting scandal[edit]

On November 5, 2022, controversy arose when the call for a sports betting fraud investigation was made on a fight involving Darrick Minner a student of James Krause, who is a UFC coach and avid bettor, and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke at UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Lemos. The UFC was informed by sources that suspicious betting patterns had been observed on the fight.[198] Minner became a large betting underdog just hours before the fight, and the cause of the suspicion came when Minner threw a kick with an apparently injured leg, then kicked with it again after showing signs of injury before being finished by technical knockout shortly thereafter.

On November 6, the UFC released a statement that its official betting partner would look into the matter, but that none of the fighters, coaches, or officials related to the fight were suspected of any wrongdoing.[199] On November 18, the Nevada State Athletic Commission informed the UFC and Krause that Krause's license was suspended and would remain so during the course of the investigation. The UFC then announced that any fighter who chose to continue to be coached by Krause or who continued to train in his gym, would not be permitted to participate in UFC events pending the outcome of the aforementioned government investigations.[200]

Following the controversy, UFC introduced rules that banned athletes, coaches, and their close family from betting on UFC events.[201]

Endeavor and WWE merger to form TKO[edit]

On September 12, 2023, Endeavor merged with professional wrestling promotion WWE to form a new publicly traded company under the stock symbol "TKO", which will be overseen by Endeavor's CEO Ari Emanuel. WWE's shareholders will hold a 49% stake in the new company, with Vince McMahon serving as an executive chairman; the merger agreement valued UFC at $12.1 billion. White serves as the CEO for UFC, though his role remains the same as during the Endeavor period.[5]

Facilities[edit]UFC Apex[edit]

The UFC Apex is a live events and production facility. The facility was officially opened on June 18, 2019.[202] In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, several UFC events (including UFC 250) were held at Apex behind closed doors.[203][204][205] 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.[206]

UFC Performance Institute[edit]

The UFC Performance Institute is the official mixed martial arts school for UFC.[207] The building is located in Las Vegas, Nevada opposite the UFC Apex.[208][209] The institute was opened in 2017, and is the world's first mixed martial arts center for innovation, research and training.[210][211][212] As many as 400 MMA athletes have visited the center, as well as NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB athletes.[213]

In June 2019, a second facility was opened in Shanghai, China.[214] In 2021, UFC was named the official "high performance advisor" of the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC), under which the Performance Institute in Shanghai would be designated as an official high performance training facility of the COC, and would offer access to its resources for Chinese athletes training to compete in the Olympic Games.[215]

Drug policy efforts[edit]

During the early years of mixed martial arts, when Pride Fighting Championships along with the Ultimate Fighting Championship were early premierships of the sport, it has been documented that there was a noteworthy lack of rules and regulations regarding drug testing for performance-enhancing drugs.[216][217][218] This led to a widespread debate and discussion regarding how preval‎ent the use of steroids were in the sport, as well as a long list of competitors in the UFC and other major organizations facing failed drug tests.[219] This was further highlighted by continued problems with UFC champions, including Jon Jones and Anderson Silva, failing drug tests.[220][221] So in February 2015, UFC announced a more aggressive year round, random-testing approach for its competitors to begin in July 2015.[222][223][224]

USADA anti-doping partnership (2015–2024)[edit]

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.[225] 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.[225] 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.[226][227][228]

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.[229][230] 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).[231] 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.[232] 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.[233] 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, 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, Androsta, Clomiphene, Dehydrochloromethyltestosterone, and Testosterone for increased testosterone.[234]

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.[235] In 2017 and 2018 a total of 2818 and 2888 tests were conducted by USADA respectively.[236]

As of May 16, 2019, a total of 76 UFC fighters had been sanctioned by USADA since the UFC USADA testing program started.[237]

On October 11, 2023, USADA announced that its partnership with the UFC would end on January 1, 2024.[238]

Drug Free Sport International anti-doping partnership (2024–present)[edit]

With the UFC's partnership with USADA coming to an end in 2023, the UFC announced a new partnership with Drug Free Sport International, the same company that oversees the anti-doping programs of the NCAA, MLB, NFL, and NBA.[239] This partnership is set to begin in 2024, after their current contract with USADA expires on December 31, 2023. The UFC announced that former FBI agent George Piro would serve as the independent administrator of the UFC's anti-doping program.[239]

Anti-piracy efforts[edit]

UFC has been one of the largest and most aggressive spenders among anti-piracy political lobbyists in the United States since the end of the 2000s.[240] One thing in particular that sets them apart from other sports leagues is that, in addition to supporting efforts of stricter piracy laws, they have also on numerous occasions gone after selected individuals in addition to pirate hosting websites.[241][242] Some of the most notable cases have included, a well publicized lawsuit with Justin.tv in 2011[243][244][245] and a $32 million settlement involving a New York man in 2014.[246][247]

UFC has always maintained the stance that the large amounts of illegal streams of their events causes massive financial losses.[248] In response to having such a stringent stance it has been extremely controversial and has caused a number of debates within the mixed martial arts community on its effectiveness.[249] As a result, the UFC began experimenting on an online subscription model known as UFC Fight Pass in 2014. It is unclear how beneficial the service has been since its emphasis has been largely minimal next to UFC's partnership with Fox and noticeable decline in average PPV buyrates, highlighted by the S&P downgrading Zuffa's credit rating in late 2014.[250]

Insurance policy[edit]

On May 9, 2011, it was announced that UFC would be providing year-round customized insurance coverage for any injury suffered by their or Strikeforce athlete.[251][252][253][254][255][256][257] The policy covers any injuries that occur during competition, training, and non-training related accidents. The policy was underwritten by Houston-based specialty insurance group HCC Insurance Holdings and went into effect on June 1, 2011.[257]

The details of the policy include:

• Coverage for all athletes signed by the UFC or Strikeforce.
• Coverage for athletes residing both within and outside of the United States.[251]
• Zuffa paying for all premiums for the policy, with athletes not required to pay anything.
• Allowing athletes to use up to $50,000 in annual coverage for any injuries that occur while under contract to Zuffa. This includes services such as, doctor services, laboratory tests, emergency medical evacuation, and physical therapy.
• Coverage for athletes regardless of if they are scheduled to compete.
• Life and dental insurance at no cost to the athletes.[251]
• No coverage for minor illnesses, but training-related illnesses like staph infections are covered.[254]

An insurance policy is not a first for mixed martial arts or combat sports as a whole. Former promotions such as the International Fight League, offered insurance to its athletes. However Zuffa's policy is the first to cover a large group of combat sport athletes.[255] According to UFC president Dana White, the policy was a goal of the company since Zuffa first purchased the UFC in 2001. In addition UFC chairman and CEO, Lorenzo Fertitta stated that the policy took three years to establish while trying to find possible insurers.[251] Prior to the introduction of this policy, Zuffa provided up to $100,000 for an athlete on each event to cover injuries sustained during competition. However, if an athlete was injured outside of competition they would have to pay for their own medical expenses.[257]

Notable incidents where UFC athletes were injured outside of competition include,

• Frank Mir, who was struck by a car while riding his motorcycle in 2004, and forced out of competition for over 20 months.
• Brock Lesnar, who was forced out of action for several months while struggling with diverticulitis.

Impact on MMA regulations[edit]

The current rules used in the UFC were first established by the New Jersey Athletic Control Board in 2000, in consultation with the UFC and other MMA promotions in the United States.[258] The first UFC event under the new rules was UFC 28, held before Zuffa's takeover. New Jersey's Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts has since been established throughout the country by other state athletic commissions, including Nevada and California.[258] The UFC has, however, kept close ties with state commissions, especially the Nevada State Athletic Commission, of which Lorenzo Fertitta is a former board member.[259]

Controversies[edit]

Main article: Ultimate Fighting Championship controversies

Legal disputes and monopoly accusations[edit]Class action lawsuits[edit]

2014

On December 16, 2014, a class action lawsuit was filed against UFC by fighters Cung Le, Jon Fitch and Nate Quarry.[260][261] Within a few days, Javier Vazquez and Dennis Hallman filed a second class action.[262] And on December 24, Brandon Vera and Pablo Garza filed a third lawsuit.[263] Shortly after the initial news spreading, UFC quickly responded following the first class action with the statement that, "The UFC will vigorously defend itself and its business practices."[264] This soon led other promoters such as Scott Coker, President of Bellator MMA, expressing an interest in the outcome of the lawsuit, while rejecting his organization as being labeled a "minor league" as was done several times in the initial filing.[265] By the end of December 2014, the UFC made a formal statement stating, "We are proud of the company we have built, confident in our legal position, and intend to prevail in this lawsuit."[266]

2015

On February 7, 2015, a fourth lawsuit was filed against the UFC, this one by Mac Danzig and Gabe Ruediger.[267][268] It was around this time that UFC motioned to move the hearing date from May 7 to March 26, as well as to move the venue from Northern California to Las Vegas, where they are headquartered.[269] A few weeks later, UFC motioned to have the lawsuits dismissed, in four separate documents they claim, "The Complaints' vague and conclusory allegations fall far short of the Supreme Court's requirements in Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, for pleading specific facts showing a plausible antitrust claim."[270]

Shortly thereafter, a fifth lawsuit was added by Kyle Kingsbury and Darren Uyenoyama on March 20, 2015.[271] On April 12, the plaintiff athletes filed an opposition to February's motion to dismiss and transfer.[272] Following the May 7 hearing regarding the motion to change venue, a Californian federal judge granted UFC the motion to change venue to Las Vegas after citing contract agreements from the former employees.[273] As a result of the change of venue to Nevada, UFC was denied its motion to remain a discovery for 15 years of its financial records.[274][275] This would prompt a debate, especially by MMAFA founder Rob Maysey, on who should have access to the UFC's sensitive information and how that information should be viewed.[276]

Both sides have argued for different criteria, so as not to put them at an disadvantage. However, UFC has requested a two-tiered system of confidentiality: confidential and highly confidential. They have stated they feel that Maysey's access to highly confidential information could have an influential impact on him and his role in the MMAFA. Meanwhile, Maysey has openly stated his goal is to represent the fighters and ultimately try to get a reform similar to the Ali Act of 2000.[277]

Moving forward to September 25, 2015, due to the gradual nature and complications regarding the lawsuit; UFC requested another dismissal of the case and asked that it be thrown out of Las Vegas federal court. In a surprise bench ruling, this was ultimately denied, which promoted the UFC to release a formal response.[278][279][280] The following week, magistrate judge Peggy Leen ruled that the UFC could not prevent plaintiffs attorney Rob Maysey from viewing its most highly confidential and sensitive business and financial information. This has officially caused an expert discovery that is estimated to last from 12 to 16 months (September 2016 to January 2017).[281] In doing so, both parties will have to hand over various highly confidential and sensitive documents.

The goal of the expert discovery is to determine three key factors for antitrust liability to all hold true: (1) Does the UFC have monopoly power? (2) Did the UFC acquire or maintain such power through exclusionary conduct? (3) Did the UFC cause antitrust injury since having a monopoly is not always illegal in the United States? This is expected to involve a wide range of important figures (past and present) in both mixed martial arts and boxing, including most top ranked UFC staff, Scott Coker, Bjorn Rebney, Ray Sefo, Frank Shamrock, Fedor Emelianenko, Randy Couture, Ben Askren, Mark Cuban, Oscar De La Hoya, Bob Arum, Lou DiBella, Bob Meyrowitz, Ken Hershman and even various PRIDE FC executives. Following this ruling through the end of 2015, both sides have provided well over 100,000 documents.[282]

2016

Starting in January, the UFC defense team filed its official answer, denying the fighters' antitrust claims. In an amended complaint, which contained nearly identical legal and economic substance to the original version from December 2014. The only major difference being the number of plaintiff fighters has declined from eleven to six.[283] Pablo Garza, Gabe Ruediger, Darren Uyenoyama, Dennis Hallman, and Mac Danzig all dropped out of the lawsuit while the original three plaintiffs, Cung Le, Nate Quarry, and Jon Fitch, remain along with Brandon Vera, Javier Vazquez, and Kyle Kingsbury. In addition, UFC has stood by its point of protecting its brand. Additionally, the UFC inadvertently produced PRIDE FC acquisition materials.[284]

Following this in October, UFC made a motion to dismiss the consolidated complaint, which was ultimately denied.

2017 and 2018

By this point of the lawsuit, there was considerably less notable coverage of the case. Aside from the occasional legal filings, the first of which being in February 2018 in which the plaintiffs filed a motion for class certification which faced opposition from UFC. Furthered in September, when the plaintiffs filed their opposition to UFC's motion for summary judgment.[285]

Before finally on December 5, 2018, when the plaintiffs held an informational session to cover the status of the lawsuit in Las Vegas, Nevada.[286]

2019

All of which led to some major breaking news in regards to financial information about UFC being revealed once hearings started place in August and September. At this point the case included 12 plaintiffs attorneys, two from Bellator MMA, and two from Top Rank. As they intend to look into the business practices used by UFC throughout the years towards other MMA promotions throughout the 2000s. Who often have placed some level of blame of their demise on UFC.

Some of the most notable revelations included:

• The WME–IMG purchase for the UFC in 2016 was for $4 billion. As was speculated at the time of purchase.[287]
• Athlete compensation ranged from 18.6% to 20.5% during 2011 to 2013. Compared to Strikeforce's wage share being around 63% and Bellator's around 44.7%. In addition, evidence was provided that showed that UFC made it part of their business strategy to keep athlete compensation below 25%.[288][289]
• Yearly revenue, PPV, and other financial figures for most of the time UFC owned the company.[290][291]
• Detailed accounts of negotiation tactics used on particular athletes.[292]
• UFC paid former Pride Fighting Championships CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara $10 million for a 7-year non-compete clause.[293]

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has been accused of monopolistic business practices both in casual criticism[294][295][296][297] and in formal lawsuits for a number of years. There are numerous fighters who have accused the company of various wrongdoing's regarding issues including unequal pay, predatory actions toward rival promotions, lack of a pension or union safety net, and other perceived unethical business practices. These perceptions have been most highlighted by a Federal Trade Commission investigation that took place between 2011 and 2012. As well as in a series of class action lawsuits filed against the company in late 2014 and early 2015.

Federal Trade Commission investigation[edit]

In the months following the March 2011 acquisition of rival promotion Strikeforce, rumours began to circulate that a possible investigation by the FTC would take place.[298] These rumours later came to be true when it was officially announced around the end of January 2012 that the FTC had in fact conducted an investigation, and found no wrongdoings regarding the UFC being a monopoly.[299][300][301]

Relationships with combat sports organizations[edit]International Fight League[edit]

Throughout the existence of the International Fight League (IFL) between 2006 and 2008, both UFC and the IFL had competed in a hostile relationship. UFC accused the IFL and sued them for illegally using proprietary information obtained by hiring executives from their organization. The IFL responded with their own suit claiming that UFC was threatening potential partners not to work with the IFL, including Fox Sports Net (a deal with Fox Sports was later signed before resolution of the suit[302]). The tension between the IFL and the UFC worsened with accusations that the IFL had attempted to buy out several top UFC fighters.

In July 2008, there were reports of the IFL's possible purchase by the UFC.[303] That same month, Joe Favorito, former IFL senior vice president, cited financial troubles for the closing of the company on July 31, 2008. Anonymous sources stated that UFC had bought the IFL.[304] Other reports cited the UFC's airing of IFL footage on its programming, and the signing of previous IFL fighters, as an indirect confirmation of the purchase.[305]

World Fighting Alliance[edit]

On December 11, 2006, the UFC acquired the assets of the World Fighting Alliance, and formed WFA Enterprises, LLC. as a subsidiary to handle these assets, including select fighter contracts.[306] On the same day, it was reported that UFC was formalizing plans to buy World Extreme Cagefighting, to be run as a separate promotion.[needs update]

World Extreme Cagefighting[edit]

Following the purchase of the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), UFC made several changes to the promotion. This included modifying the WEC's cage, transferring to a focus on lighter weight classes, giving it the ability to host events in Las Vegas, and having the championships of fighters who were contracted UFC fighters vacated. From 2007 to the end of 2010, the WEC was run as a separate promotion under the UFC banner, airing events 28 to 53 on Versus in the US and on The Score in Canada. On October 28, 2010, Dana White announced that the WEC would be absorbed into the UFC in early 2011.[307]

Pride Fighting Championships[edit]

Main article: Pride Fighting Championships § Pride Worldwide era

On March 27, 2007, it was announced that the UFC's Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta were acquiring the assets of Pride Fighting Championships, the UFC's largest rival, from Dream Stage Entertainment. To handle the take over, the Fertitta brothers created a new corporate entity to handle the assets, Pride FC Worldwide Holdings LLC. With common ownership in place, Zuffa and Pride Worldwide would be working closely together.[308] Although goals of reviving Pride were not realized, many of Pride's assets, including contracts with fighters and intellectual property, are now regularly utilized by the UFC.

Strikeforce[edit]

On March 12, 2011, it was announced that the UFC had purchased Strikeforce[309][310][311][312][313] in a deal made with partial owner Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment.[309][314] The amount of money involved has not been officially disclosed, however, it has been reported that the deal was worth $40 million.[315] The deal included licensing rights, fighter contracts, and the Strikeforce video library.[316][309] Strikeforce continued to operate as a separate company, similar to that of the WEC, until January 12, 2013. After the final show was held in Oklahoma City, the promotion was dissolved and several fighter contracts were absorbed into the UFC.

United Glory[edit]

When United Glory was originally formed in 2006, it was known as Ultimate Glory before a lawsuit with UFC forced a name change.[317]

Invicta Fighting Championships[edit]

In June 2014 the UFC announced that they had signed a multi-year, multi-event broadcast deal to show and archive all Invicta Fighting Championships events on UFC Fight Pass.[318][319] This has allowed the UFC to further expand its women's divisions by adding a strawweight division in July 2014, and signing Invicta fighters such as Carla Esparza and Felice Herrig.

Shooto[edit]

In June 2014 the UFC announced that they had signed a development deal with the recently revived, Vale Tudo Japan. A brand that was brought back in 2012 by the long running, Shooto promotion.[320][321] The UFC plans on promoting and operating a new tournament series that will focus on 135 and 145 pound divisions. There were plans of a The Ultimate Fighter-like TV show to help promote these tournaments but it is unclear on what the status remains on it.[322][323]

Rules and features[edit]

The current rules for the Ultimate Fighting Championship were originally established by the New Jersey Athletic Control Board.[324] The set of "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.[11]

Rounds[edit]

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.[325]

Cage[edit]

Shot of the Octagon as Chris Weidman upsets Anderson Silva at UFC 162.

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".[326]

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 30 ft (9.1 m) with a 6 ft (1.8 m) high fence.[327][328] The cage sits atop a platform, raising it 4 ft (1.2 m) 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.[329][327] The mat (also referred to as the canvas[330][331]), 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 25 ft (7.6 m) across.[332][333][327]

Attire[edit]

All competitors fight in approved shorts, without shoes. Tops are only approved for female competitors. Required safety equipment include padded gloves, mouthguard, and protective cups held in place with a jockstrap for males.[334] 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.[335]

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 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.[336]

Reebok uniform[edit]

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.[337]

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.[337] 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.[337] 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.[338] 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.[339]

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.[337]

Venum uniform[edit]

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.[340]

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.[341]

Match outcomes[edit]

Matches may end via:

• 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.[342]

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.[343]

Judging criteria[edit]

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 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.[344]