Article of the Week - Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ultimate Fighting Championship
UFC 1 took place in Denver, Colorado in 1993

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in the United States that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the world and produces numerous events worldwide. The UFC has five weight-divisions and enforces the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. Dana White serves as the president of the UFC; Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta control its parent company, Zuffa, LLC.

Inspired by vale tudo tournaments in Brazil, the UFC and the sport of MMA have roots in the ancient Olympic combat sport of Pankration in 648 B.C. The UFC held its first competition in Denver, Colorado in 1993. Showcasing fighters of different disciplines—including boxing, Brazilian jiu jitsu, wrestling, Muay Thai and other styles—the UFC sought to identify the most effective martial art in a real fight. After a period of political backlash, the UFC gradually underwent reform by embracing stricter rules and achieving sanctioning with State Athletic Commissions.

With a cable-television deal and expansion into Canada, Europe, Australia the Middle East and new markets within the United States, the UFC as of 2010^[update] has gained in popularity, along with greater mainstream-media coverage. As of 2010^[update] viewers can access UFC programming on pay-per-view television in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and Italy. UFC programming can also be found on Spike and Versus in the U.S., in the United Kingdom and Ireland on ESPN, as well as in over 130 countries and 20 different languages worldwide.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "UFC"