Ultimate Fighting Championship
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Ultimate Fighting Championship is an American based mixed martial arts organization. Fighters in the sport utilise a combination of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, boxing, wrestling and many other martial arts.
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Early UFC events were eight or sixteen man tournaments whereby participants were required to beat three opponents in a single evening to be crowned Ultimate Fighting Champion. Fighters were typically skilled in one discipline only, eg. boxing, Judo, Jiu Jitsu etc. and had little experience in battling against opponents with different skills to their own. With no weight classes, fighters could find them facing opponents who were significantly larger and taller than themselves. (These kind of fights are referred to as 'Freak fights' by MMA enthusiasts, and still occur but mainly in Japanese organisations where the spectacle of the fight is considered as important as the skills being showcased.). These factors combined led to a trend of short, violent fights. 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 and groin strikes were frowned upon, but valid.
The brutal nature of the burgeoning sport quickly drew it to 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, whilst 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. As the sport evolved, so did its fans and fighters, both of which quickly realised the effectiveness of ground techniques.
The popularisation of grappling and submission strategies, particularly those of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu ("BJJ"), was almost entirely due to the success of Royce Gracie, whose brother Rorion had been instrumental in creating the UFC. Royce quickly proved in the early UFC events that BJJ was incredibly effective against strikers with no ground game and limited takedown defense.
Royce's efforts were rewarded with 3 Ultimate Fighting Championships. In 2003, along with fellow UFC veteran Ken Shamrock, Royce Gracie was inducted into the UFC's newly founded hall of fame.
Today, Ultimate Fighting Championship events have become very popular in places like Japan, Brazil, Canada, and the United States, where fights are often seen on television's Pay Per View system. In the United States, championship fights are usually held in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, much like in boxing.
In 2005 the UFC launched its own reality TV series, The Ultimate Fighter, 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.
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UFC Weight Classes and Current Champions
The UFC currently uses six weight classes, of which four are chamionship divisions:
| Division | Weight maximum | Champion as of June 2005 |
|---|---|---|
| Super Heavyweight | None | None |
| Heavyweight | 264.9 lbs | Frank Mir (current champion, injured)/Andrei Arlovski (interim champion) |
| Light heavyweight | 204.9 lbs | Chuck Liddell |
| Middleweight | 184.9 lbs | Rich Franklin |
| Welterweight | 169.9 lbs | Matt Hughes |
| Lightweight | 154.9 lbs | None |
Notable UFC Fighters
- David "Tank" Abbott (UFC 6 & UU '96 Tournament finalist, UFC 17 Heavyweight Superfight Champion)
- Andrei Arlovski (Current UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion)
- Josh Barnett (Former UFC Heavyweight Champion)
- Vitor Belfort (UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament Champion, UFC Ultimate Brazil Middleweight Superfight Champion, Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion)
- Murilo Bustamante (Former UFC Middleweight Champion)
- Mark Coleman (UFC 10 & 11 Tournament Champion, First UFC Heavyweight Champion)
- Randy Couture (UFC 13 Heavyweight Tournament Champion, UFC 15 Heavyweight Superfight Champion, 2x Former UFC Heavyweight Champion, 2x, Former Interim Light Heavyweight Champion, Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion)
- Don Frye (UFC 10 Tournament finalist, UFC 8 & UU '96 Champion)
- Royce Gracie (UFC 1, 2 & 4 Tournament Champion)
- Matt Hughes (2x (Current) UFC Welterweight Champion)
- Mark Kerr (UFC 14 & 15 Heavyweight Tournament Champion)
- Chuck Liddell (Current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion)
- Pat Miletich (UFC 16 Lightweight Tournament Champion, Former UFC Lightweight/Welterweight Champion)
- Frank Mir (Current UFC Heavyweight Champion)
- Tito Ortiz (UFC 13 Lightweight Tournament finalist, Former UFC Middleweight/Light Heavyweight Champion)
- BJ Penn (Former UFC Welterweight Champion)
- Jens Pulver (Former UFC Bantamweight/Lightweight Champion)
- Kevin Randleman (Former UFC Heavyweight Champion)
- Pedro Rizzo (UFC Ultimate Brazil Heavyweight Superfight Champion)
- Ricco Rodriguez (Former UFC Heavyweight Champion)
- Marco Ruas (UFC 7 Tournament Champion)
- Bas Rutten (Former UFC Heavyweight Champion)
- Dan Severn (UFC 4 Tournament finalist, UFC 5 & UU '95 Tournament Champion, UFC 9 Superfight Champion)
- Frank Shamrock (Former UFC Middleweight/Light Heavyweight Champion)
- Ken Shamrock (UFC 6 & 8 Superfight Champion)
- Maurice Smith (Former UFC Heavyweight Champion)
- Tim Sylvia (Former UFC Heavyweight Champion)
- Oleg Taktarov (UU '95 Tournament finalist, UFC 6 Tournament Champion)
- Evan Tanner (Current UFC Middleweight Champion)
UFC Hall of Fame inductees
- Royce Gracie (Inducted UFC 45)
- Ken Shamrock (Inducted UFC 45)
- Dan Severn (Inducted UFC 52)
UFC Viewer's Choice Awards
(From UFC 45; Top 10 most popular UFC fighters of all time)
- David "Tank" Abbott
- Mark Coleman
- Randy Couture
- Don Frye
- Royce Gracie
- Pat Miletich
- Marco Ruas
- Dan Severn
- Ken Shamrock
- Oleg Taktarov
External links
- Official UFC site (http://www.ufc.tv)
- UFC Official Rules (http://www.ufc.tv/learnUFC/rulesUfc.asp)
- UFC Tournament History (MMAReview) (http://mmareview.com/ufc_tournament_information.htm)
- UFC Championship History (MMAReview) (http://mmareview.com/ufc_championship_history.htm)
- UFC Entrance Music Listing (MMAFighting.com) (http://www.mmafighting.com/mma/ufcthemes.html)
- Mixed Martial Arts FAQ (MMAFighting.com) (http://www.mmafighting.com/mma/faq.html)
- UFC Results (WrestlingPressBox) (http://www.wrestlingpressbox.com/ufc-results.php)
- FightEdge fighting forum (http://www.fightedge.com)es:Ultimate Fighting Championship