At our house, my family maintains an extensive library of VHS tapes and DVD's covering all sorts of genres, from movies to concerts, sports and more. For me inside a few red storage boxes, I have nearly 60 tapes that have about 300 hours' worth of Olympic coverage (mostly from since Beijing 2008), plus most every Super Bowl, Grammys and other events & shows I've recorded in the last 20 years. Sometimes I would always like to think of my VCR as sort of the poor man's TiVo.
Somewhere deep in our collection is a tape that one of my dad's co-workers gave him back about 20 years ago in 1994, and it's of the 2nd & 3rd editions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Back then, this tape might not have been as significant or as huge as any other sports event. But in the long term, it would be part of the beginning stages to what is now a billion-dollar industry that's now a big part of our sports landscape, something those pioneers back then could never have imagined.
Over the years, we have all wondered about which sport can step up to become the next big thing in the American sports landscape. The NBA came back from a dark decade of the '70s to become a worldwide phenomenon. NASCAR would overtake open-wheel racing to become the premier form of motor sports here. Golf has benefited from Tiger Woods' dominance to see enormous growth in the entire sport worldwide. After a devastating lockout 10 years ago, the NHL has recovered to see great growth on both sides of the border. And as the record interest & viewership of the 2014 World Cup proved, soccer has come of age in mainstream America.
It's also the same thing when you talk UFC and mixed martial arts. It has done what no one ever thought would be possible when it began in 1993: overtake boxing to become the most popular combat sport among U.S. sports fans. What began as just a sport that intended on bringing together all forms of martial arts into the same octagon would then go through a dark period when a powerful Senator threatened to bring it all down. But thanks to a move towards the sport becoming more regulated, its purchase by new investors and a new TV show, the UFC would eventually experience a resurgence that would bring the sport full circle to the point where it's not just a niche sport, but now fully in the mainstream. Although my family still prefers the sweet science, I'm starting to appreciate mixed martial arts and the excitement & intensity of it.
Though MMA is undoubtedly the sport of the 21st century, the concept of mixing & mashing the most effective elements of grappling & striking into a single combat sport is actually almost as old as the Olympic movement. The ancient Greeks introduced a hybrid of boxing & wrestling called "Pankration," which became an Olympic event at the 32nd Ancient Olympiad in 648 BC. But it wouldn't be until the early 1900's that the first sign of modern-day mixed martial arts would emerge. That was when a Japanese prizefighter & judo artist named Mitsuyo Maeda moved across the Pacific to Brazil and began to nurture & teach his unique brand of judo to Brazilian Carlos Gracie, who would take up the form with his brothers. Ultimately, brother Helio would emerge with a new form of fighting that would set the stage for the kind of martial arts that would emerge years later.
In the 1920's, the hybrid known as Brazilian jiu-jitsu began as the brothers became icons in their South American homeland as they began accepting Vale Tudo, or "anything goes" in Portuguese, challenges from anyone with boxing, wrestling or martial arts backgrounds. Those who answered their call (not including the great boxing champ Joe Louis) found themselves caught in a rude awakening to the brand of Gracie jiu-jitsu in every challenge match from every form of fighting. The Gracies became the first family of the sport, proof in television shows and selling out the world's largest stadium, Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janiero at 120,000 for Helio's match against Japan's Masahiko Kimura.
Forty years later, a videotape of matches featuring the Gracies caught the eye of California ad exec Art Davie, and after sales of that video took off, he and Helio Gracie's son Rorion conceived the idea of bringing together all forms of fighting into a new event. His idea was to bring together various forms of martial arts of karate, kickboxing and Kung fu, all battling each other in an eight-man elimination tournament, winner goes the spoils. After TV negotiations with first HBO and then Showtime didn't go well, PPV producer Semaphore Entertainment Group was much more receptive in coming on board. And when art director Jason Cusson designed the Octagon cage and SEG came up with the name, the first seeds of the Ultimate Fighting Championship were finally in place.
The night of November 12, 1993 (just before my 10th birthday) was the birth of the UFC, taking place at the then-home of the Denver Nuggets, McNichols Sports Arena. The younger brother of UFC co-founder Rorion Gracie, Royce, was picked to represent the family in the eight-man tournament, in a field that included kick boxers, savate fighters, a karate expert, a sumo wrestler, a boxer and a future Hall of Famer in shoot wrestler Ken Shamrock. In the end, Gracie's skills of putting his three opponents into submission with ease earned him the first UFC title and the $50,000 winner's check, and went on to win two of the next three tournaments.
This inaugural UFC event proved to be a very successful debut, with over 86,000 subscribers watching on pay-per-view, and many more watching it later on home video worldwide. But the early promoters didn't think that this one-off event would be a prelude to an ongoing series, and according to UFC president Dana White, the success of UFC 1 would lead to not only doing more of these events, but eventually planting the seeds for a sport that would eventually take off.
The night of November 12, 1993 (just before my 10th birthday) was the birth of the UFC, taking place at the then-home of the Denver Nuggets, McNichols Sports Arena. The younger brother of UFC co-founder Rorion Gracie, Royce, was picked to represent the family in the eight-man tournament, in a field that included kick boxers, savate fighters, a karate expert, a sumo wrestler, a boxer and a future Hall of Famer in shoot wrestler Ken Shamrock. In the end, Gracie's skills of putting his three opponents into submission with ease earned him the first UFC title and the $50,000 winner's check, and went on to win two of the next three tournaments.
This inaugural UFC event proved to be a very successful debut, with over 86,000 subscribers watching on pay-per-view, and many more watching it later on home video worldwide. But the early promoters didn't think that this one-off event would be a prelude to an ongoing series, and according to UFC president Dana White, the success of UFC 1 would lead to not only doing more of these events, but eventually planting the seeds for a sport that would eventually take off.
With no dedicated weight classes back then, early UFC tournaments resembled the old format of Indiana's one-class high school basketball tournament showcasing fighters of varying sizes and fighting styles all competing in one bracket. It was billed as "no holds barred," but it wasn't exactly as the "There Are No Rules!" tagline advertised: fighters weren't allowed to bite, attack the groin or gorge an opponent's eyes. Hence, a disclaimer was displayed at the beginning of broadcasts which warned audiences of the sport's ultra violent nature.
At UFC 5 in Charlotte in April 1995, the first element of the modern-day UFC was installed in the first singles match called "The Superfight" which pitted Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock in a rematch of the 1st UFC card. This was noteworthy as single matches would feature fighters who didn't suffer any prior damage in a previous fight in the same card, in contrast to standard tournament bouts. It began as a simple challengers' match to determine the reigning UFC Champion for tournament winners to face in the night's final bout, as single matches eventually becoming a staple of the event and replaced the tournament format. After that event, Davie and Gracie sold their shares in the promotion to SEG, but Davie stayed on for two more years as booker, matchmaker and commissioner.
But soon, the sport would garner the kind of eyebrow raising that comes with a controversial sport, and ultimately the authorities would cave in on this flourishing sport. The man whose "Ali Act" helped to clean up boxing and would later challenge Obama for the White House, Senator John McCain stepped to the forefront to challenge the UFC. Once he saw a tape of those early events, he called it "human cockfighting" and wrote to governors to ban the event. Thirty-six states took the Senator's advice in enacting anti-"no holds barred" fighting, and the event was taken off of cable pay-per-view.
In reply to the governmental action, the UFC began increasing cooperation with state athletic commissions and rapidly redesigned its rules to make the sport more acceptable and tasteful but still retaining the core elements of striking and grappling. Starting with UFC 12, weight classes were introduced along with fighters' gloves being made mandatory. Then came bans on certain kicks, headbutting and low blows, and ultimately introductions of five-minute rounds at UFC 21. The UFC and mixed martial arts had began the process of becoming more of a sport than just a mere spectacle.
UFC commissioner and 1984 Olympic hero Jeff Blatnick joined with referee John McCarthy to create the policies, procedures, codes of conduct and rules to help their sport become sanctioned by more states. By spring 2000, their work had paid off as California became the first state to sign a bill on rules that would govern MMA, followed shortly by their New Jersey counterparts. While work was continuing on sanctioning the sport, the UFC carried on in building a following in the Southern states. By the fall, the first U.S.-sanctioned MMA event had taken place in New Jersey in September 2000 by the International Fighting Championship, and two months later the first sanctioned UFC event took place under the auspices of the NJ State Athletic Board's Unified Rules.
After their long battle of securing sanctioning, SEG was on the verge of being counted out as it stood on the edge of bankruptcy. That was when executives of Las Vegas locals casino company, Station Casinos, brothers Frank & Lorenzo Fertitta and business partner Dana White, approached them with an offer to take control of the UFC. With a $2 million check, the Fertittas became the new owners in January 2001 and created Zuffa, LLC as its parent company (Zuffa means "fight" in Italian). Afterwards, thanks to Lorenzo being a former Nevada State Athletic Commission member, Zuffa secured sanctioning in the world's combat sports capital. That paved the way for the UFC to make its return to cable PPV with a rare championship tripleheader at UFC 33 at MGM Grand in fall 2001.
At UFC 5 in Charlotte in April 1995, the first element of the modern-day UFC was installed in the first singles match called "The Superfight" which pitted Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock in a rematch of the 1st UFC card. This was noteworthy as single matches would feature fighters who didn't suffer any prior damage in a previous fight in the same card, in contrast to standard tournament bouts. It began as a simple challengers' match to determine the reigning UFC Champion for tournament winners to face in the night's final bout, as single matches eventually becoming a staple of the event and replaced the tournament format. After that event, Davie and Gracie sold their shares in the promotion to SEG, but Davie stayed on for two more years as booker, matchmaker and commissioner.
But soon, the sport would garner the kind of eyebrow raising that comes with a controversial sport, and ultimately the authorities would cave in on this flourishing sport. The man whose "Ali Act" helped to clean up boxing and would later challenge Obama for the White House, Senator John McCain stepped to the forefront to challenge the UFC. Once he saw a tape of those early events, he called it "human cockfighting" and wrote to governors to ban the event. Thirty-six states took the Senator's advice in enacting anti-"no holds barred" fighting, and the event was taken off of cable pay-per-view.
In reply to the governmental action, the UFC began increasing cooperation with state athletic commissions and rapidly redesigned its rules to make the sport more acceptable and tasteful but still retaining the core elements of striking and grappling. Starting with UFC 12, weight classes were introduced along with fighters' gloves being made mandatory. Then came bans on certain kicks, headbutting and low blows, and ultimately introductions of five-minute rounds at UFC 21. The UFC and mixed martial arts had began the process of becoming more of a sport than just a mere spectacle.
UFC commissioner and 1984 Olympic hero Jeff Blatnick joined with referee John McCarthy to create the policies, procedures, codes of conduct and rules to help their sport become sanctioned by more states. By spring 2000, their work had paid off as California became the first state to sign a bill on rules that would govern MMA, followed shortly by their New Jersey counterparts. While work was continuing on sanctioning the sport, the UFC carried on in building a following in the Southern states. By the fall, the first U.S.-sanctioned MMA event had taken place in New Jersey in September 2000 by the International Fighting Championship, and two months later the first sanctioned UFC event took place under the auspices of the NJ State Athletic Board's Unified Rules.
After their long battle of securing sanctioning, SEG was on the verge of being counted out as it stood on the edge of bankruptcy. That was when executives of Las Vegas locals casino company, Station Casinos, brothers Frank & Lorenzo Fertitta and business partner Dana White, approached them with an offer to take control of the UFC. With a $2 million check, the Fertittas became the new owners in January 2001 and created Zuffa, LLC as its parent company (Zuffa means "fight" in Italian). Afterwards, thanks to Lorenzo being a former Nevada State Athletic Commission member, Zuffa secured sanctioning in the world's combat sports capital. That paved the way for the UFC to make its return to cable PPV with a rare championship tripleheader at UFC 33 at MGM Grand in fall 2001.
Following the Zuffa purchase, the UFC would begin their slow and steady rise in popularity thanks to the increased visibility in advertising, sponsorship, television and home video revenue. As live gates continued to rise at MGM and Trump Taj Mahal, the promotion's first television deal with FOX Sports Networks was secured, bringing with it cable's first MMA match in June 2002 - UFC 37.5 in Chuck Liddell vs. Vitor Belfort - plus highlight shows. Also, the likes of Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Matt Hughes and Frank Shamrock emerged as notable UFC fighters as the sport's rules began to evolve and the talent pool matured.
All of the increased exposure for the sport set the stage for the most-important event to date in Zuffa's UFC ownership: UFC 40 in Las Vegas that November. This increased visibility paid off in selling out MGM Grand Garden Arena and tripled the amount of PPV buys at 150,000, as fans eagerly anticipated the Light Heavyweight Championship between champion Tito Ortiz and former Superfight champ Ken Shamrock, back from a WWE stint. This was the sport's biggest splash since it was forced underground five years earlier, and garnered more mainstream media attention than ever before. The night's huge success provided hope for the UFC and for mixed martial arts in it becoming big. Also emerging in those years included Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, B.J. Penn and Robbie Lawler.
All of the increased exposure for the sport set the stage for the most-important event to date in Zuffa's UFC ownership: UFC 40 in Las Vegas that November. This increased visibility paid off in selling out MGM Grand Garden Arena and tripled the amount of PPV buys at 150,000, as fans eagerly anticipated the Light Heavyweight Championship between champion Tito Ortiz and former Superfight champ Ken Shamrock, back from a WWE stint. This was the sport's biggest splash since it was forced underground five years earlier, and garnered more mainstream media attention than ever before. The night's huge success provided hope for the UFC and for mixed martial arts in it becoming big. Also emerging in those years included Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, B.J. Penn and Robbie Lawler.
THE GAME-CHANGER, AND THE TURNING POINT
In spite of it all, Zuffa still found itself $34 million in the red in financial deficits by 2004. And with the possibility of throwing in the towel in the cards, the UFC made a bold, last-ditch gamble of stepping outside of pay-per-view and into television. After being featured on Discovery Channel's American Casino, the Fertitta brothers had an idea: have the UFC be the feature of its own reality series mixing competition with two teams of fighters living & training together under the guidance of top UFC stars.
Their idea was The Ultimate Fighter--up & coming MMA fighters competing for a UFC contract in the six figures in a tournament of exhibition matches until one fighter was left standing. Their idea was turned down by several networks until it reached Viacom's male-oriented channel Spike TV. Not only did MTV's sister channel offer to pay that $10 million production bill themselves, it also gave the show the coveted timeslot of following cable powerhouse WWE Raw.
It culminated with the TUF Season 1 finale: the first-ever live UFC fight on cable, and one of the most memorable in UFC history: Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar for a chance to win the UFC deal and a financial windfall that would change everything. It was a closely-fought fight where both men gave all they could handle in a way only Hollywood would better script it. This grabbed viewers' attention so much that fans called, emailed and texted fellow fans to check out what was going on. And though Griffin would be given the nod and the win by the judges, the fight was so evenly-matched that both him and Bonnar were both given the contracts nonetheless. After that fight, Dana White knew the UFC had just been saved. Little did he know, this became the turning point and the start of the sport's climb to the pantheon of American sports.
With that fight and The Ultimate Fighter bringing the UFC into mainstream awareness, it helped jump start the sport's rise as PPV numbers began to explode. The first post-TUF event, UFC 52, saw former Liddell avenge his loss to fellow eventual Hall of Famer Randy Couture to a PPV audience of 300,000, double of UFC 40. By the time of TUF Season 2 and UFC 57, the third match in the Liddell-Couture trilogy drew 410,000 PPV buys. It went up to 620,000 when Royce Gracie returned to the Octagon at UFC 60, and then to 775,000 at UFC 61 for the Ken Shamrock-Tito Ortiz rematch following TUF Season 3. And once Ortiz & Liddell had their rematch at UFC 66, the total buys reached the 1 million mark.
By March 2006 as the UFC surged in popularity, it gained an unlikely ally in its executive team: former NSAC Executive Director, Marc Ratner, once aligned to Senator McCain's mission to take down the UFC, became its Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. It gave them credibility in helping the sport gain more sanctioning in more jurisdiction at home & abroad and working with other statutory athletic boards to make the sport safer. In December, Zuffa bought NorCal-based World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), which focused on MMA's lighter weight classes while keeping the UFC's focus on the heavier fighters. Later that month, they acquired cross-town rival World Fighting Alliance and brought Quinton Jackson into the UFC fold.
By 2007, the UFC overtook boxing for the first time in betting revenues (despite the De La Hoya vs. Mayweather mega fight), and later the UFC surpassed both boxing and WWE in PPV revenue at over $222 million, leading to it gracing the magazine covers. Also that year, Zuffa acquired Japan-based organization Pride Fighting Championships bringing Japan-based fighters under the UFC banner and expanding its reach to Asia. Also, Lorenzo Fertitta stood down from his Station Casinos role to devote his energies to MMA. In 2009, the landmark UFC 100 reached 1.7 million buys as Brock Lesnar took on Frank Mir and Georges St. Pierre fought Thiago Alves, landing ESPN exposure as well. Later, Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson fought the first co African-American main event, and after time away Lesnar retained his heavyweight title in a fight that lived up to the pre-match hype.
After the largest crowd in UFC history: 55,000 in Toronto seeing St-Pierre garner record revenues in his home country, in late 2010 the WEC merged with the UFC to unite the lighter & heavier weight classes under one roof. Months later, Zuffa purchased rival promotion Strikeforce and began slowly transitioning fighters to the big show. In summer 2011, it announced a major TV deal with FOX Sports to broadcast 70 events on FOX and its cable networks and becoming home of The Ultimate Fighter and other UFC programming, eventually becoming a cornerstone of FOX Sports 1 when it launched two years later with a Fight Night card on its first night of programming.
And in fall 2012, the UFC took the next step by bringing female fighters into the Octagon for the very first time. Zuffa's Strikeforce pact brought with it bantamweight champion and former Olympic judoka Ronda Rousey into the fold, along with other fighters filling both that and the strawweight division. Three years later after becoming its first champion and thus the UFC's first Olympic & UFC champ as well, Ronda has become the sport's biggest superstar in having finished off her first seven opponents in the first round. Her gracing the S.I. cover, writing a best-selling book and being just about everywhere these days is the epitome of interest in the UFC being at its biggest in its history, emphasized by 15 other countries including Canada, Britain, Mexico and Australia among others hosting UFC cards and even TUF seasons as well.
NEED TO KNOW
The early UFC events were given status of being "no holds barred," but it wasn't the first promotion to enact this sport; an '80s Pennsylvania organization organised MMA events before PA Legislature made it illegal. Senator McCain's intervention led MMA to toughen up its image and the sport in making it safer to where now McCain himself approves of the modern day sport.
Current UFC rules were originally established by one of the country's strongest statutory boards for combat sports, the New Jersey Athletic Control Board, and the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts ultimately became the standard de facto rules for pro MMA in Nevada, California and other states that regulate the sport. This doesn't officially include, at least for now, New York State; all attempts to regulate MMA have not yet passed NY State Legislature...thus it's not yet graced the Madison Square Garden marquee - though it is welcomed across the Hudson in Newark, NJ's Prudential Center.
Like pro boxing, matches vary in terms of their maximum length, dependent upon whether it's for a Championship belt or if it's the Main Event. Regardless of whether it's the main event or a undercard bout, each round is scheduled for five minutes, two minutes longer than their established ring counterparts. All Championship matches and any non-title Main Event bouts go for a maximum of five rounds, while every other bout is scheduled for only three rounds. As in other combat sports, there's a one-minute rest period between rounds with a cut man being assigned to both fighters; so in TV time a Main Event/Title fight can go for 29 minutes, or 17 minutes for a three-round fight (down considerably from the length of a 12-round boxing match at 47-Min.)
The UFC currently recognizes nine weight classes, which is half of what is recognized by the major professional boxing organizations of 17. They are: Strawweight - 115 lbs., Flyweight - 125 lbs., Bantamweight - 145 lbs (only weight class competed for by men & women), Featherweight - 145 lbs, Lightweight - 155 lbs., Welterweight - 170 lbs, Middleweight - 185 lbs., Light Heavyweight - 205 lbs. and Heavyweight - 265 lbs. There is a tenth weight class recognized by the Unified MMA Rules though it is not used currently in the UFC of Super Heavyweight at 265+ lbs.; but non-title fights do have a one-pound leniency.
Mixed Martial Arts has an eight-sided cage, which SEG originally branded as "the Octagon" and to this day remains the exclusive domain of the UFC. That name and concept was actually trademarked by the originals and prevented other promotions from using the stop sign-shaped enclosure, but in 2001 Zuffa gave the green light to other promotions to use the shape in an effort to need uniformity and gain sanctioning in more & more states. For size, its diameter is 32 feet, space is 30 feet point to point, fence stands up to 5'8" in height, and has foam padding throughout the top of the fence. And there's two gates opposite one another for the combatants to enter & exit, and it's completely surrounded to protect fighters from falling off the platform unlike the ropes in boxing.
There are numerous fighting styles that those who compete utilize in the cage. There's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu that was the domain of the Gracie family, and the original Jiu-Jitsu invented by the Japanese. There's judo, where Ronda Rousey competed in and one the USA's 1st two Olympic medals in before joining SF/UFC. There's the two classic forms of martial arts, karate and Kung Fu, along with kickboxing. And the three other forms of major combat sports that's also Olympic sports, wrestling, taekwondo and, yes, boxing, that's also in the styles of the combatants.
There are seven categories and three main ways for a match to be decided in the UFC. The most common occurrence is when a fighter taps the mat or their opponent, verbally submits, clearly communicates that he is in pain to a degree that causes the referee to stop the fight, or may be on the verge of getting a serious injury or losing consciousness; this is called a submission. The other thing that fans love is when a fighter is put into a state of unconsciousness by way of any legal strike...of course that's a knockout, and unlike boxing there's no need to put a 10-count on the downed fighter. And as in the sweet science, there's also a technical knockout if the referee, doctor or fighter's cornerman decide they're in danger or if he's unfit to continue.
Like boxing, there's a ten-point must system scored by three judges, and if the match goes the distance, like in the sweet science they can brand their verdict a unanimous, majority, split or technical decision (ladder if an unintentional foul takes place after the bout becomes official), or a draw in any of those four instances too. There's also a disqualification, forfeit and no contest call as well, should it be deemed necessary. And in the case of The Ultimate Fighter, the show using the original tournament format also puts into account the possibility of an extra tie-breaking "sudden victory" round in case the bout in regulation is drawn.
When you do tune into any UFC event, the atmosphere is just as electric as any in combat sports. The popularity of the sport that boomed after TUF has brought in a new generation of fight fans in a way no other traditional form of fighting has ever achieved. You can't go to any sporting goods store nowadays without seeing the UFC logo on an article of clothing, gym equipment or even stretching to action figures and of course DVD's. There's even a whole slew of UFC Gym locations that trains the next generation of MMA fighters.
There are seven categories and three main ways for a match to be decided in the UFC. The most common occurrence is when a fighter taps the mat or their opponent, verbally submits, clearly communicates that he is in pain to a degree that causes the referee to stop the fight, or may be on the verge of getting a serious injury or losing consciousness; this is called a submission. The other thing that fans love is when a fighter is put into a state of unconsciousness by way of any legal strike...of course that's a knockout, and unlike boxing there's no need to put a 10-count on the downed fighter. And as in the sweet science, there's also a technical knockout if the referee, doctor or fighter's cornerman decide they're in danger or if he's unfit to continue.
Like boxing, there's a ten-point must system scored by three judges, and if the match goes the distance, like in the sweet science they can brand their verdict a unanimous, majority, split or technical decision (ladder if an unintentional foul takes place after the bout becomes official), or a draw in any of those four instances too. There's also a disqualification, forfeit and no contest call as well, should it be deemed necessary. And in the case of The Ultimate Fighter, the show using the original tournament format also puts into account the possibility of an extra tie-breaking "sudden victory" round in case the bout in regulation is drawn.
When you do tune into any UFC event, the atmosphere is just as electric as any in combat sports. The popularity of the sport that boomed after TUF has brought in a new generation of fight fans in a way no other traditional form of fighting has ever achieved. You can't go to any sporting goods store nowadays without seeing the UFC logo on an article of clothing, gym equipment or even stretching to action figures and of course DVD's. There's even a whole slew of UFC Gym locations that trains the next generation of MMA fighters.
For those who watch at home on TV, the man who was a Brazilian jiu-jitsu and has a taekwondo black belt but perhaps best known to some as host of NBC's "Fear Factor," Joe Rogan, joins blow-by-blow announcer Mike Goldberg (Mr. "It Is All Over!", but also infamous for a twitter tirade after a criticized one-off NFL PBP role last year that he later apologized for) on most UFC telecasts; Jon Anik and Kenny Florian handle commentary on other UFC events. The man who has the honor of introducing the combatants is Michael Buffer's brother, Bruce Buffer who has his own famous tag-line, "It's Time!" And like boxing there's ladies who display placards to signal the upcoming rounds in between the battle, and Arianna Celeste & Brittney Palmer are the Octagon girls.
Along with the usual prize purse given to the fighters dependent upon how well-known the fighters and events are, there's also $50,000 cash bonuses as well, something unique to the UFC. They are awarded for "Fight of the Night" and "Performance of the Night" at the end of events...it's pocket change for the likes of current champions Daniel Cormier and Brazilian Jose Also, but is definitely worth every penny for those not as well-known.
This weekend as Mexico City hosts UFC 188 with the Heavyweight Championship of the World on the line, and as anticipation continues to grow for Ronda Rousey's next defense on August 1st, the premier promotion in mixed martial arts continues to increase its stature as the world's fastest growing sports organization. With increasing television viewership, mainstream media coverage and huge worldwide appeal, interest in this sport is at an all time high, and is destined to become only bigger in the years ahead.
The brawl that took place at a media day last year between then-light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and contender Daniel Cormier, similar to those we've seen a lot in boxing, became viral and even made it to ESPN's SportsCenter. What might be in a way bad publicity for the sport in the brawl taking some attention away from NFL training camp buzz can of course become one that can rake in even more money thanks to buzz generated by getting people talking about this exciting sport. And now, with Jones taking an extended leave of absence due to recent legal troubles, Rousey has become a bona-fide superstar and the face of the sport with strong crossover appeal.
Twenty-two years ago, the Ultimate Fighting Championship began as a spectacle that brought together forms of fighting in a battle to see which form and which fighter would rule the night. Along the way, it has endured hardships, both from a political and financial standpoint, while still maintaining its appeal as a sport unlike any other. And when it seemed like it was gonna crumble, one move of crossing over into television paved the way for the UFC to thrive, and to take the unlikely position of overtaking boxing and pro wrestling as the most-popular combat sport in the world's largest media, sports and entertainment market.
Just as it with the city it calls home in, Las Vegas, the UFC has gone through a lot and was even forced into the depth of being isolated from everyone else on the very fringes of the sports world. But just as it was for The City That Never Sleeps, not only has the UFC fought its way back, but now finds itself not only stronger than ever, but now fully in the mainstream and at the heart of the sports world. And unlike one of its major competitors that thrives itself on show in a show and tell medium, the UFC is, as one of its slogans suggests, "As Real As It Gets." There's nothing like true competition with great warriors competing in a sport that's truly unique and as fierce as any sport. It's no wonder why the Ultimate Fighting Championship is the Greatest Fighting Show on Earth.
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Back in mid-May, Ronda Rousey was in the Big Apple to sign copies of her autobiography Rousey: My Fight / Your Fight on a nationwide book tour as interest in her started to hit a fever pitch. When sports' most-dominant figure was in town, Big Dave took advantage of the chance to meet her and got both a signed copy of that book and a photo with her as well. A month before meeting RR, Dave got to meet Ultimate Fighter 2 champion and former Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans, and last year he met Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock. And as we post this on fight day Saturday, June 13th, earlier this week he met the world's greatest sprinter Usain Bolt as top track & field athletes are in town for an IAAF Diamond League event as the Road to Rio continues.
We've included pictures of Big D meeting three of the UFC's biggest names here, and be sure to follow David at @BigTymers228 on both Twitter and Instagram, including more of his meetings with the best of the sports and entertainment worlds. And I do plan to bring him on to discuss his meetings with these people on a future edition of DC FORUM, so look out for it in the future.
- First, follow my dedicated live tweet hub, DCNOW at Twitter @DC408DxNow - where if it's happening now, it happens here. It's there that you can follow tonight's UFC action along with the NBA Finals, the FIFA Women's World Cup and the Stanley Cup Final. Next weekend, I'll be live tweeting the U.S. Open in Chambers Bay near Seattle and you'll also be at the other big events over the summer...a summer (and spring) that has already produced plenty of great sports moments including American Pharoah winning horse racing's Triple Crown last week.
- DCBLOG is complementing the Summer of Sports live tweets with extensive and unique blog coverage of all things sports right here. Check out my two previous posts on soccer's Premier League and UEFA Champions League and with other soccer posts to be presented here during the Women's World Cup & CONCACAF Gold Cup. Next week before the U.S. Open begins, we'll look at golf's major championships followed by a look at tennis' most prestigious Grand Slam Wimbledon, and a fun post looking at the World Series of Poker, among other sports posts planned this summer.
- And if you're an MTV fan, after the WWC my MTV live tweets resume with new seasons of Catfish, Teen Mom and America's Best Dance Crew, plus the VMA's. That's just a warm-up to full coverage of Season 3 of Are You The One?, which recently wrapped up filming, and season 27 of The Challenge which should follow afterwards and for which taping of that has begun. Again, fellow webcast hosts Andrew Kirk & Brian Cohen will join me for both a review of the recent seasons of The Trifecta soon, and a AYTO3 preview later this summer, on two special editions of DC FORUM.
- And as always, don't forget to follow my primary Twitter handle @DC408Dxtr, my Instagram account also at the same handle, and at Tumblr at dc408dxtr.tumblr.com.
- And if you're an MTV fan, after the WWC my MTV live tweets resume with new seasons of Catfish, Teen Mom and America's Best Dance Crew, plus the VMA's. That's just a warm-up to full coverage of Season 3 of Are You The One?, which recently wrapped up filming, and season 27 of The Challenge which should follow afterwards and for which taping of that has begun. Again, fellow webcast hosts Andrew Kirk & Brian Cohen will join me for both a review of the recent seasons of The Trifecta soon, and a AYTO3 preview later this summer, on two special editions of DC FORUM.
- And as always, don't forget to follow my primary Twitter handle @DC408Dxtr, my Instagram account also at the same handle, and at Tumblr at dc408dxtr.tumblr.com.
Thanks for checking out this look at the phenomenon that is the Ultimate Fighting Championship, all part of the Summer of Sports and just a few days away from UFC 186 featuring the Heavyweight Championship, and around the corner from the return of megastar Ronda Rousey. Again, join me on DCNOW for all your sports live tweets this weekend and all summer long, and back here on the blog as well. Until then, thanks for reading, have fun, see you then and talk to you at cage-side.
- I AM DC
Acknowledgements: UFC.com, Wikipedia: Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC: The Official Fan's Guide
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