The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the world's most popular Mixed Martial Arts sports association. It runs ongoing MMA competitions between high level professional fighters who use techniques from jiu-jitsu, karate, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, muay thai and others. As a result, the rules of MMA allow for striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground.
History of The Ultimate Fighting Championship
The first UFC events began in 1993, featuring an eight-sided ring now known worldwide as the UFC Octagon. Based on finding the most effective martial arts for real unarmed combat situations, competitors of were pitted against each another with minimal rules or concern for safety.
Mized Martial Arts became increasingly popular in the US, and in 2001 the company was taken over by new management and renamed the New Ultimate Fighting Championship. Since its inception, the UFC has adopted new rules to increase its safety and help promote mainstream acceptance. The new UFC is televised several times per year in cooperation with Zuffa, and is available live or on pay-per-view TV around the world.
Mixed Martial Arts Rules
MMA is a relatively new, intense combat sport that is constantly evolving by incorporating the most effective fighting techniques from martial arts around the world. By the time the UFC was launched, three martial arts stood out for their effectiveness in competition: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, amateur wrestling, and shoot wrestling. This made UFC fighters effective in a variety of situations.
Specific MMA rules that apply in the UFC include:
- No head butting or kicking to the downed opponent
- No knees to the head of a downed opponent
- No downward point of the elbow strikes
- No strikes to the spine or the back of the head
- No eye gouging, biting or fish hooking
- No groin or throat strikes
UFC Fighters
Competitors in the Ultimate Fighting Championship come from all over the world; the US, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Russia, Holland, England, and plenty others. All UFC fighters have considerable experience in other combat sports and many are world or Olympic champions. They train for many hours each day in preparation for a UFC event. Some of the most famous UFC fighters include Chuck Liddell, Fedor Emelianenko, Anderson Silva, Georges St Pierre, Randy Couture and B J Penn.
Mixed Martial Arts Gear
In the UFC, Mixed Martial Arts fighters must wear certain mandatory equipment like 4-6 oz gloves, as well as commission approved MMA shorts and kickboxing trunks. This has spawned the popularity of several MMA fashion brands including Sprawl, TapouT, Warrior Wear and Venum.
Further Reading
Readers who found The Ultimate Fighting Championship interesting may also enjoy A Guide to Mixed Martial Arts and MMA Fashion & Fight Gear.
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