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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.
Clearly UFC 1, back in 1993, was a pivotal event in mixed martial art history, but while it is noteworthy, viewership was low. About 86,000 buys were recorded for this live event which was broadcast via pay-per-view. It took more than 15 years to garner more than one million pay-per-view buys, and this momentous goal was reached at 2008's UFC 91, which featured a great bout between Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar.
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.
For many years, women were not part of mixed martial arts and certain people truly didn't believe they belonged in the sport or were even interesting to watch (Dana White). While UFC refused for many years to sanction fights between women, more forward-thinking organizations such as Bellator and Strikeforce recognized the potential. One of the first notable fights for women was the 2009 Strikeforce event that pit Cristiane Justino against Gina Carano. Not only was this a good showcase of the strong MMA skills that women can possess, it was great entertainment and the interest has only grown from this point.
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.
Clearly UFC 1, back in 1993, was a pivotal event in mixed martial art history, but while it is noteworthy, viewership was low. About 86,000 buys were recorded for this live event which was broadcast via pay-per-view. It took more than 15 years to garner more than one million pay-per-view buys, and this momentous goal was reached at 2008's UFC 91, which featured a great bout between Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar.
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.
For many years, women were not part of mixed martial arts and certain people truly didn't believe they belonged in the sport or were even interesting to watch (Dana White). While UFC refused for many years to sanction fights between women, more forward-thinking organizations such as Bellator and Strikeforce recognized the potential. One of the first notable fights for women was the 2009 Strikeforce event that pit Cristiane Justino against Gina Carano. Not only was this a good showcase of the strong MMA skills that women can possess, it was great entertainment and the interest has only grown from this point.
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 writing 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 website now.
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