The UFC celebrates their 15th anniversary this November. Here are the 10 most significant events in UFC history.
UFC 1 takes place. November 12, 1993. Denver, Colorado witnesses the beginning of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. “Bloodsport”, “There are no rules”, a bunch of heavily hyped up verbiage surrounding what would be the origin of the sport in North America.
Royce Gracie wins the first UFC tourney. November 12, 1993. Showing the effectiveness of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Royce Gracie defeated Art Jimmerson, Ken Shamrock and Gerard Gordeau to become the first UFC champion. He shook up the martial arts world and introduced BJJ to huge audience.
Mark Coleman wins UFC 11. September 20, 1996. With his tournament win, Coleman won 4 straight fights in the UFC and 2 straight tournaments. He showed how effective wrestlers could be in the sport and basically patented a blueprint for future wrestlers to use in the sport—score takedowns and pound your opponent, while avoiding submissions. He became the “godfather of ground and pound” and an inspiration for a whole new wave of wrestlers to come into the game.
UFC 12 takes place in Alabama after being banned in 36 states after Senator John McCain’s campaign to ban “Ultimate Fighting.” February 7, 1997. The UFC was dropped from the major cable pay-per-view distributor Viewer’s Choice, and cable carriers such as TCI Cable. 36 states set up laws banning “no-holds-barred” fighting, including New York, which set up the ban on the eve of UFC 12, forcing the event to be set in Dothan, Alabama.
Maurice Smith defeats Mark Coleman by decision at UFC 14. July 27, 1997. Just as Coleman showed how effective wrestling could be, Maurice Smith did the same for kickboxing at UFC 14 when he defeated Coleman by outstriking the wrestler after 21 minutes of fighting. Smith showed that a great striker with a solid takedown defence could beat a wrestler or BJJ stylist. Gracie showed the greatness of BJJ, Coleman of wrestling, and Smith of striking. Together they formed the basis that is the foundation of MMA. They were 3 of the most potent forces driving the evolution of the sport to where it is today.
UFC holds its first sanctioned event. November 17, 2000. The UFC held its first sanctioned event under the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board’s “Unified Rules”. These rules were the basis for all the guidelines to be followed at all future UFC events.
Zuffa takes over the UFC from SEG. January, 2001. With Sephamore Entertainment Group on the verge of bankruptcy, Station Casino owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, alongside long-time friend and boxing manager and gym owner Dana White purchased the fledgling organization for $2 millon. Zuffa, LLC would be the parent company under which the 3 men would run the brand.
The Ultimate Fighter reality series hits Spike TV. January 18, 2005. This would create what is the current MMA phenomenon and mass appeal of the UFC. In January 2005 the UFC brought reality MMA to Spike TV and it would change their fate completely. Mainstream appeal on a whole new level began.
UFC buys out Pride. March 27, 2007. Taking out their biggest competition by purchasing them, the UFC successfully squashed and dissolved Pride Fighting Championships, based out of Japan. The UFC became far and away the leader in MMA worldwide. This allowed them access to fighters such as Quinton Jackson, Anderson Silva, Wanderlei Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, amongst others.
Lorenzo Fertitta resigns from Station Casinos to work full-time with the UFC. June 18, 2008.
Leaving his role as president of one of the most successful casino chains in Las Vegas, Fertitta decides to focus on expanding the UFC into countries such as Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Russa, Dubai, as well as Asian giants such as Chin, South Korea, Japan and India. Fertitta noted,
“Think about this for a second: India has 350 million men between the ages of 18 and 34, and that’s our key demographic…The magnitude of these markets is staggering.”
