For MMA fans, it's hard to remember a time when MMA wasn't a prominent player in the world of sports. However, it's only been around officially for about 30 years, and it took quite a few years to build up a solid following. There were many important events in MMA along the way and while the creation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship was a huge step in the history of MMA, there are still others that also have helped legitimize and expand the sport.
While UFC 1 certainly was very important in the history of MMA, the audience was fairly small, with just 86,000 people paying for the fight on pay-per-view and less than 15,000 people in attendance at the event. It took some years, but in 2008, UFC 91 became the first MMA event to have a pay-per-view buy above one million. The event included a bout between Brock Lesnar and Randy "The Natural" Couture.
John McCain once referred to MMA as "human cockfighting," but MMA is not simply an expansion of a grisly Tyler Durden dream. There are real rules to the sport and all legitimate MMA organizations have always implemented at least a few rules. The United Rules of Mixed Martials Arts govern the sport and not only set up a structure for bouts, but also help to protect fighters from injuries. While it's true that these rules were not official throughout the country until 2009, state athletic commissions and MMA organizations did have rules, and while some might prefer a huge free-for-all in the cage, rules attach legitimacy to a sport and adopting these rules has only helped the sport progress.
Building an audience has been a big challenge in mixed martial arts, but there have been a few big steps along the way. In 2005, Spike TV began a show called The Ultimate Fighter (now filming its 18th season). Two seasoned MMA veterans, Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, trained young fighters for a chance to earn the title of Ultimate Fighter. The show has been a huge success, attracting early fans of MMA and earning new fans to the sport. In addition, it's notable because it truly showcases the work and high level of skill required by MMA fighters.
The introduction of women into the sport has been a slow process, and while women have competed for organizations such as Strikeforce and Bellator for several years, it took UFC much longer to get with the program and allow sanctioned MMA events for women. The 2009 Strikeforce bout between Gina Carano and Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (now Justino) not only proved that people were interested in watching women fight, but that the ladies were great fighters.
Fortunately even Dana White can admit to his mistakes and finally allowed women to fight at UFC. The first women's event was held in February of 2013 between Liz Carmouche and Ronda Rousey. While Rousey won easily, it was still the highlight of UFC 157 and the women were listed at the main event of the night.
While UFC 1 certainly was very important in the history of MMA, the audience was fairly small, with just 86,000 people paying for the fight on pay-per-view and less than 15,000 people in attendance at the event. It took some years, but in 2008, UFC 91 became the first MMA event to have a pay-per-view buy above one million. The event included a bout between Brock Lesnar and Randy "The Natural" Couture.
John McCain once referred to MMA as "human cockfighting," but MMA is not simply an expansion of a grisly Tyler Durden dream. There are real rules to the sport and all legitimate MMA organizations have always implemented at least a few rules. The United Rules of Mixed Martials Arts govern the sport and not only set up a structure for bouts, but also help to protect fighters from injuries. While it's true that these rules were not official throughout the country until 2009, state athletic commissions and MMA organizations did have rules, and while some might prefer a huge free-for-all in the cage, rules attach legitimacy to a sport and adopting these rules has only helped the sport progress.
Building an audience has been a big challenge in mixed martial arts, but there have been a few big steps along the way. In 2005, Spike TV began a show called The Ultimate Fighter (now filming its 18th season). Two seasoned MMA veterans, Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell, trained young fighters for a chance to earn the title of Ultimate Fighter. The show has been a huge success, attracting early fans of MMA and earning new fans to the sport. In addition, it's notable because it truly showcases the work and high level of skill required by MMA fighters.
The introduction of women into the sport has been a slow process, and while women have competed for organizations such as Strikeforce and Bellator for several years, it took UFC much longer to get with the program and allow sanctioned MMA events for women. The 2009 Strikeforce bout between Gina Carano and Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (now Justino) not only proved that people were interested in watching women fight, but that the ladies were great fighters.
Fortunately even Dana White can admit to his mistakes and finally allowed women to fight at UFC. The first women's event was held in February of 2013 between Liz Carmouche and Ronda Rousey. While Rousey won easily, it was still the highlight of UFC 157 and the women were listed at the main event of the night.
About the Author:
Rod Bourgoine likes writing about mixed martial arts benefits. For further info about San Diego mixed martial arts classes or to find a jiu jitsu gym in San Diego, check out The Arena MMA website now.
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