Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ultimate Fighting Championship is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts organization. Fighters in the sport use combinations of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, Muay Thai, karate, and many other martial arts. The UFC is currently owned and operated by Zuffa Entertainment, LLC.

UFC logo mark.

History

Early UFC events were eight- or sixteen-man tournaments conducted by the organisation Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG) in association with WOW Promotions (headed by Art Davie and Rorion Gracie), wherein participants were required to beat three opponents in a single evening to be crowned Ultimate Fighting Champion. Reportedly no other event matched fighters of different style to prove which was the best (though events like the Vale Tudo No Maracanãzinho, held in Brazil on November 30, 1984, would appear to contradict this claim[1]). Fighters were typically skilled in one discipline only (for example boxing, Judo, Jiu Jitsu) and had little experience in battling against opponents with different skills of their own. In addition, some competitors were given falsified ranks in traditional martial arts in order to legitimise their presence (for example, Kimo Leopoldo was erroneously touted in UFC III as a 'third degree black belt' in taekwondo[2]). The first ever UFC premiered in 1993.

With no weight classes, fighters could find themselves facing opponents who were significantly larger and taller than themselves. These factors combined led to a trend of short, violent fights, although there were notable exceptions (for example, the 'superfight' between Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie in UFC V lasted 36 minutes). This was very much in line with the way the UFC was being marketed at the time. "There are no rules!" said the famous tagline. Although not strictly true, the UFC did operate with a limited set of rules; techniques such as hair pulling, headbutts and groin strikes were frowned upon, but allowed. How the rules were enforced: should a competition rule be violated, the competitor who broke the rule was fined $1000.

The brutal nature of the burgeoning sport quickly drew the attention of the authorities and UFC events were banned in almost all American states. To survive, the UFC redesigned its rules to remove the less palatable elements of fights, while still retaining the core elements of striking and grappling. Five minute rounds, Referee stoppages, weight classes and limitations on permissible striking areas gradually found the UFC being rebranded as a sport rather than a violent circus attraction.

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

Popularity

Today, Ultimate Fighting Championship events have become popular in places like Japan, Brazil, Canada, and the United States, where live fights are often seen on television's Pay Per View system as well as occasionally on Spike TV. Spike TV also airs UFC Unleashed, which replays recorded matches from past cards. In the United States, championship fights are usually held in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, much like in boxing. The ring announcer for UFC championship fights is Bruce Buffer, brother of the famous boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer.

In 2005, the UFC launched its own reality TV series, The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV, in which MMA practitioners who had not yet appeared in the UFC would reside and train together in two teams, and fight one another in matches where the loser would be eliminated and eventually one fighter from each of two weight classes would be awarded a contract. A second series launched in August of the same year, and a third series has been announced and is currently in production. The UFC nearly doubled its fanbase because of this free TV exposure.

UFC current champions

UFC rules

(As found on ufc.tv)

UFC rules, as approved by the Nevada State Athletic Commission - July 23, 2001

Weight classes:

  • Lightweight: 145 to 155 lb (66 to 70 kg)
  • Welterweight: 155 to 170 lb (70 to 77 kg)
  • Middleweight: 170 to 185 lb (77 to 84 kg)
  • Light heavyweight: 185 to 205 lb (84 to 93 kg)
  • Heavyweight: 205 to 265 lb (93 to 120 kg)


Bout duration:

  1. All non-championship bouts shall be three rounds.
  2. All championship bouts shall be five rounds.
  3. Rounds will be five minutes in duration.
  4. A one-minute rest period will occur between each round.


Fouls:

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


Ways To Win:

  1. Submission by:
    • Physical tap out.
    • Verbal tap out.
  2. Technical knockout by the referee stopping the contest.
  3. Decision via the scorecards, including:
    • Unanimous decision.
    • Split decision.
    • Majority decision.
    • Draw, including:
      • Unanimous draw.
      • Majority draw.
      • Split draw.
  4. Technical decision.
  5. Technical draw.
  6. Disqualification.
  7. Forfeit.
  8. No contest.


Referee may stand fighters up: If the fighters reach a stalemate and do not work to improve position or finish.

Events


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Referee may stand fighters up: If the fighters reach a stalemate and do not work to improve position or finish. Compilation:.
Ways To Win:. Go Pop and Technicolour a belated US release in 2004.
Fouls:. In 1999, the Tugboat label released the 'Mixing It Session' which featured 6 instrumental tracks the band had recorded for the radio, while One Little Indian gave D.I.
Bout duration:. Paul Wilmott formed Transformer who recorded a cover of Wire's Outdoor Miner which appeared on the Wire tribute album, Whore (WMO 1996), before making recordings under the name Lisp.

Weight classes:. Some of these songs later appeared on his solo singles 'Elemental' and 'Head Over Heels' which featured drummer Ritchie Thomas (Dif Juz, Jesus And Mary Chain). UFC rules, as approved by the Nevada State Athletic Commission - July 23, 2001. After the split, Ian Crause formed Floorshow who recorded some material for an unreleased album which was to be called 'The Vertical Axis'. (As found on ufc.tv). Their final single, 'It's A Kid's World', sampled the distinctive drumbeat from Iggy Pop's Lust for Life and added in a series of old children's TV themes to good effect, but despite critical acclaim the band attracted little commercial success and split before their final album, Technicolour was released in 1996. The UFC nearly doubled its fanbase because of this free TV exposure. Go Pop the band opted for restraint on the beautiful 'Second Language' EP which also had a new-found optimism in Crause's lyrics.

A second series launched in August of the same year, and a third series has been announced and is currently in production. After the full-on assualt of D.I. In 2005, the UFC launched its own reality TV series, The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV, in which MMA practitioners who had not yet appeared in the UFC would reside and train together in two teams, and fight one another in matches where the loser would be eliminated and eventually one fighter from each of two weight classes would be awarded a contract. Go Pop was harsh and concise, with Crause's vocals (often buried in the mix) concerning frustration rather than bliss. The ring announcer for UFC championship fights is Bruce Buffer, brother of the famous boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer. Unlike many of the post rock bands Disco Inferno were labelled alongside, the music on D.I. In the United States, championship fights are usually held in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, much like in boxing. The melody on the album's 8 tracks is often carried by the bassline, while an imaginative array of samples (including running water, breaking glass, car crashes, fax machines) builds dense aural collages.

Spike TV also airs UFC Unleashed, which replays recorded matches from past cards. Go Pop. Today, Ultimate Fighting Championship events have become popular in places like Japan, Brazil, Canada, and the United States, where live fights are often seen on television's Pay Per View system as well as occasionally on Spike TV. The band's use of sampling combined with traditional instruments - particularly Wilmott's bass - continued on the EPs 'A Rock To Cling To' and 'The Last Dance' and reached it's peak on their second album D.I. Through this event the term MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) was coined. In 1992 the band released 'Summer's Last Sound', widely regarded as the first in a run of classic Disco Inferno EPs which saw the band's increasing use of samples. Five minute rounds, Referee stoppages, weight classes and limitations on permissible striking areas gradually found the UFC being rebranded as a sport rather than a violent circus attraction. 'Entertainment', Open Doors, Closed Windows and the 'Science' EP would later be collected on the album In Debt.

To survive, the UFC redesigned its rules to remove the less palatable elements of fights, while still retaining the core elements of striking and grappling. Their first album, Open Doors, Closed Windows, was released in 1991 on Che and received positive reviews, although most mentioned the heavy influence of late 1970s post punk bands, particularly Joy Division and Wire (In fact Disco Inferno's manager, Michael Collins, had previously managed Wire during their 70's incarnation). The brutal nature of the burgeoning sport quickly drew the attention of the authorities and UFC events were banned in almost all American states. After the departure of Gish (who would later join Bark Psychosis) the three-piece Disco Inferno recorded the single 'Entertainment' with producer Charlie McIntosh. How the rules were enforced: should a competition rule be violated, the competitor who broke the rule was fined $1000. Disco Inferno was a band formed in Essex in the late 1980s by Ian Crause (guitar & vocals), Paul Wilmott (bass), Rob Whatley (drums) and Daniel Gish (keyboards). Although not strictly true, the UFC did operate with a limited set of rules; techniques such as hair pulling, headbutts and groin strikes were frowned upon, but allowed. In Debt (Che, 1995 album).

"There are no rules!" said the famous tagline. The Mixing It Session (Tugboat, 1999 EP). This was very much in line with the way the UFC was being marketed at the time. Technicolour (Rough Trade, 1996 album). These factors combined led to a trend of short, violent fights, although there were notable exceptions (for example, the 'superfight' between Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie in UFC V lasted 36 minutes). It's A Kid's World (Rough Trade, 1994 EP). With no weight classes, fighters could find themselves facing opponents who were significantly larger and taller than themselves. Second Language (Rough Trade, 1994 EP).

The first ever UFC premiered in 1993. Go Pop (Rough Trade, 1994 album). In addition, some competitors were given falsified ranks in traditional martial arts in order to legitimise their presence (for example, Kimo Leopoldo was erroneously touted in UFC III as a 'third degree black belt' in taekwondo[2]). D.I. Fighters were typically skilled in one discipline only (for example boxing, Judo, Jiu Jitsu) and had little experience in battling against opponents with different skills of their own. The Last Dance (Rough Trade, 1993 EP). Reportedly no other event matched fighters of different style to prove which was the best (though events like the Vale Tudo No Maracanãzinho, held in Brazil on November 30, 1984, would appear to contradict this claim[1]). A Rock To Cling To (Rough Trade, 1993 EP).

Early UFC events were eight- or sixteen-man tournaments conducted by the organisation Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG) in association with WOW Promotions (headed by Art Davie and Rorion Gracie), wherein participants were required to beat three opponents in a single evening to be crowned Ultimate Fighting Champion. Summer's Last Sound (Cheree, 1992 EP). . Science (Che, 1991 EP). The UFC is currently owned and operated by Zuffa Entertainment, LLC. Open Doors, Closed Windows (Che, 1991 album). Fighters in the sport use combinations of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, Muay Thai, karate, and many other martial arts. Entertainment (Che, 1990 single).

Ultimate Fighting Championship is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts organization. No contest. Forfeit. Disqualification.

Technical draw. Technical decision. Split draw. Majority draw.

Unanimous draw. Draw, including:

    . Majority decision. Split decision.

    Unanimous decision. Decision via the scorecards, including:

      . Technical knockout by the referee stopping the contest. Verbal tap out.

      Physical tap out. Submission by:

        . Interference by the corner. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.

        Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee. Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee. Attacking an opponent on or during the break.

        Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area. Holding the ropes or the fence. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent. Spitting at an opponent.

        Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent. Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck. Kicking to the kidney with the heel.

        Stomping a grounded opponent. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent. Grabbing the clavicle.

        Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh. Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea. Striking downward using the point of the elbow. Striking to the spine or the back of the head.

        Small joint manipulation. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent. Groin attacks of any kind. Fish hooking.

        Hair pulling. Biting. Eye gouging of any kind. Butting with the head.

        A one-minute rest period will occur between each round. Rounds will be five minutes in duration. All championship bouts shall be five rounds. All non-championship bouts shall be three rounds.

        Heavyweight: 205 to 265 lb (93 to 120 kg). Light heavyweight: 185 to 205 lb (84 to 93 kg). Middleweight: 170 to 185 lb (77 to 84 kg). Welterweight: 155 to 170 lb (70 to 77 kg).

        Lightweight: 145 to 155 lb (66 to 70 kg).