WHAT IS UFC?
We’ve all watched UFC on television at some point in our lives. But what’s your story?
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WHAT DOES UFC MEAN?
UFC stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship, the most famous MMA organization in the world, responsible for holding Mixed Martial Arts events all over the world.
Many deduce where it originated, but the most widely accepted story is that the UFC comes from an ancient competition in the Greek Olympics called Pankration, where the fighters used techniques similar to modern boxing and wrestling.
The real MMA that we know, and which gave rise to the UFC, came into existence just a few decades ago, in an event known as Vale-tudo, right here in Brazil. To understand what the UFC is, we need to travel back in time. Will you travel with me?
See also – The History of MMA
WHAT IS UFC: CROSSING TIME
We’ve already talked about Greece and how Pankraction was similar to our modern MMA. But what we want to know now is what the UFC is.
Since its creation in 1993, the UFC has gained prestige and admiration for broadcasting MMA fights globally. It is known as a company that produces entertainment and sports content, as well as the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world.
A few decades ago, Carlos Gracie organized the biggest vale tudo challenge in Rio de Janeiro, which brought together a large number of martial arts disciplines. Vale-tudo is the predecessor of MMA.
Then, a while later, MMA was introduced in the United States by the UFC and became a fever among the people.
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WHAT IS UFC: THE FIRST PROMOTED EVENT
In Denver, Colorado, the first UFC event took place in the United States. The aim was to find the supreme fighting champion among the various participants from different disciplines such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Karate, among others.
Think of it as American vale-tudo. In later events, the fights began to use a variety of techniques that took more than one style. Marco Ruas was the fighter who helped create MMA as we know it today.
Little by little, the UFC expanded to many other countries and its popularity began to grow more and more.
See also – The Rules of Mixed Martial Arts – MMA
WHAT IS UFC: WAR OF THE WORLDS
Have you ever heard of War of the Worlds? I’m not talking about the movie, but about the tournament proposed by Art Davie to Rorion Gracie and John Milius.
It was a martial arts tournament where 8 competitors competed in a sort of martial arts “knockout”.
All this combat served a single purpose: to decide who would be the best fighter and which would be the best martial art out of all 8 participants. All this in a tournament without any rules.
In 1993, Art Davie sought out and obtained 28 investors to invest in the start-up of WOW Promotions, so that he could start promoting tournaments on television.
However, when looking for partners, some refused and only one accepted the proposal. That was Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG). Together, WOW Promotions and Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG) began preparations for the event’s debut.
The octagon where the fights would take place was provided, as well as a logo for the event. The name given was The Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event was later renamed the UFC. The same UFC we know today.
The UFC was born on November 12, 1993, and to this day, it is a fever all over the world. Fans embrace it and welcome it into their homes.
VIDEO: THE HISTORY OF THE UFC
CONCLUSION
The UFC is a huge company that delivers one of the world’s most beloved sports to all its fans, and its popularity is second only to soccer. I think, after that, our question about “What is UFC” has been answered.