It's hard to imagine a time when MMA was not a popular sport, but the history of MMA dates back only about three decades. In that time, many events have shaped the course of Mixed Martial Arts. Obviously, the first Ultimate Fighting Championship was a big deal, but here are a few other events that have altered the future of this sport.
UFC 1 was notable obviously as the first UFC event and was broadcast only on pay-per-view. About 86,000 people paid to watch this pivotal fight at home back in 1993. The first UFC event to garner more than one million buys was UFC 91 in 2008 which featured a main card that included main card fights between Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar, as well as Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson.
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.
While it took quite a bit of time to build an audience for MMA, a few TV shows helped make the sport more successful and mainstream. Spike TV began airing episodes of The Ultimate Fighter in 2005 and viewers soon became hooked, and not just the ones that already were following MMA. It helped that the first two coaches were highly popular veterans of the sport - Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture.
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.
The first women's UFC event, between Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche, didn't occur until February, 2013 at UFC 157. It's notable not only because it was the first women's UFC fight, but the fight was Main Event of the night and was one of the most-watched UFC events in history.
UFC 1 was notable obviously as the first UFC event and was broadcast only on pay-per-view. About 86,000 people paid to watch this pivotal fight at home back in 1993. The first UFC event to garner more than one million buys was UFC 91 in 2008 which featured a main card that included main card fights between Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar, as well as Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson.
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.
While it took quite a bit of time to build an audience for MMA, a few TV shows helped make the sport more successful and mainstream. Spike TV began airing episodes of The Ultimate Fighter in 2005 and viewers soon became hooked, and not just the ones that already were following MMA. It helped that the first two coaches were highly popular veterans of the sport - Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture.
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.
The first women's UFC event, between Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche, didn't occur until February, 2013 at UFC 157. It's notable not only because it was the first women's UFC fight, but the fight was Main Event of the night and was one of the most-watched UFC events in history.
About the Author:
Rod Bourgoine likes blogging about mixed martial arts benefits. For more info about San Diego mixed martial arts classes or to find a jiu jitsu gym in San Diego, check out The Arena MMA site now.
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