"You win the fight in the training camp, not on the day of the fight." – Royce Gracie
The Ultimate Fighting Championship, better known simply as the UFC, is the world’s most popular mixed martial arts promotion. From humble beginnings that began with a one-off event asking the question “can a wrestler beat a boxer?” the UFC is now broadcast worldwide as an enterprise worth billions and represents the pinnacle of modern MMA, featuring many of the world’s top fighters.
📜 UFC History
Formed in 1993, the Ultimate Fighting Championship began life as an 8-man single-elimination tournament fought in a cage now known as the Octagon. It pitted specialists in various disciplines – including boxing, taekwondo, kickboxing, and even a sumo wrestler – against one another in no-holds-barred combat in a bid to see which was the most effective. There were no weight classes, rounds or judges, and only 3 rules: no biting, eye-gouging, or low blows.
The UFC continued to evolve in the coming years and, amid concerns over the violence on display, formalised rules were introduced to legitimise it as a sport. It truly took off in the mid-2000s, and in 2006 it surpassed both boxing and WWE in pay-per-view revenue.
Female fighters were later incorporated into the sport as it continued to enjoy mainstream success, pioneered by Ronda Rousey before her transition to wrestling, and top UFC athletes are increasingly becoming household names as that popularity grows.
💯 UFC Format & Scoring
Ultimate Fighting Championship matches pit 2 fighters against each other in an 8-sided cage known as the Octagon. Matches come to an end when 1 of the fighters is unable to continue, having either been knocked out, submitted (when a fighter literally “taps out” to concede defeat), deemed unfit by the referee or fight doctor, or their corner concedes defeat by quite literally “throwing in the towel.” Should the fight go the distance, the outcome is determined by a panel of 3 judges who have assigned scores for each round.
Championship and “main event” fights typically last 5 rounds of 5 minutes apiece, while undercard fights may be comprised of 3 rounds. Like other combat sports such as boxing, fighters are separated into weight classes and by gender.
The following techniques are banned in the UFC: headbutting, eye-gouging, biting, hair-pulling, fish-hooking, and low blows. It is also illegal to stomp on a grounded opponent or to aim a kick or knee at a grounded opponent’s head.
