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So here are 10 interesting facts you may not know about the UFC.
1. Original promoters of the Ultimate Fighting Championship wanted to include such sensational side shows as alligator moats and electric fences surrounding the ring. UFC Doctors of course warned against them due to the dangers the fighters could face.
2. The UFC was founded by Rorian Gracie and Arthur Davie. It was created to promote the Gracie family's martial arts school. Before the UFC the Gracie's were known for inviting fighters of any style to compete against a member of the family or one of their students to prove that Gracie jiu-jitsu reigned supreme.
3. Originally Semaphore Entertainment Group, the company that purchased the UFC, was only going to hold one UFC event. The event was so successful they immediately began to plan more tournaments. Good thing it was so successful.
4. With the exception of UFC 9, every UFC up until UFC 18 used the tournament style format. UFC 23 also used this format. Eight fighters would compete to start out the tournament. The four winners would then compete in semi-final matches. The two semi-final winners would compete for the championship belt. If a fighter could not continue at any point an alternate was brought in to take his place.
5. Early on the UFC would hold events in states without athletic commissions to avoid regulations. In the beginning there were no judges either. When judges were added eventually there were no clear parameters on how to judge the fight.
6. For the first couple UFC events, the referees had very little power. They could not even stop a fight. There only purpose was to make sure that the few rules that existed were enforced. The only rules at that time were no biting, fish hooking, eye gouging or throat strikes. Fortunately after the first few events refs were allowed to stop fights.
7. In 2000 SEG and the UFC almost went under. The face that SEG marketed the sport as brutal and bloody almost led to the UFC's demise. Luckily an amateur boxer and promoter named Dana White convinced the Fertitta brothers to buy the failing organization. The UFC has since flourished to unbelievable heights.
8. Dana White managed Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz in the early days of the UFC. He also owned three gyms in the Las Vegas area.
9. After many years of "bad blood" Dana White and Tito Ortiz were going to settle things in the ring with a 3 round boxing match on March 24, 2007. Surprise, surprise the fight never happened as Tito Ortiz was a no show at the weigh ins.
10. In 2006 the UFC generated $222,766,000 in revenue, braking the PPV industry's all time record for a single year of sales, surpassing wrestling and boxing. The largest events reached nearly 800,000 viewers.
I bet you didn't know some of those facts!
1. Original promoters of the Ultimate Fighting Championship wanted to include such sensational side shows as alligator moats and electric fences surrounding the ring. UFC Doctors of course warned against them due to the dangers the fighters could face.
2. The UFC was founded by Rorian Gracie and Arthur Davie. It was created to promote the Gracie family's martial arts school. Before the UFC the Gracie's were known for inviting fighters of any style to compete against a member of the family or one of their students to prove that Gracie jiu-jitsu reigned supreme.
3. Originally Semaphore Entertainment Group, the company that purchased the UFC, was only going to hold one UFC event. The event was so successful they immediately began to plan more tournaments. Good thing it was so successful.
4. With the exception of UFC 9, every UFC up until UFC 18 used the tournament style format. UFC 23 also used this format. Eight fighters would compete to start out the tournament. The four winners would then compete in semi-final matches. The two semi-final winners would compete for the championship belt. If a fighter could not continue at any point an alternate was brought in to take his place.
5. Early on the UFC would hold events in states without athletic commissions to avoid regulations. In the beginning there were no judges either. When judges were added eventually there were no clear parameters on how to judge the fight.
6. For the first couple UFC events, the referees had very little power. They could not even stop a fight. There only purpose was to make sure that the few rules that existed were enforced. The only rules at that time were no biting, fish hooking, eye gouging or throat strikes. Fortunately after the first few events refs were allowed to stop fights.
7. In 2000 SEG and the UFC almost went under. The face that SEG marketed the sport as brutal and bloody almost led to the UFC's demise. Luckily an amateur boxer and promoter named Dana White convinced the Fertitta brothers to buy the failing organization. The UFC has since flourished to unbelievable heights.
8. Dana White managed Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz in the early days of the UFC. He also owned three gyms in the Las Vegas area.
9. After many years of "bad blood" Dana White and Tito Ortiz were going to settle things in the ring with a 3 round boxing match on March 24, 2007. Surprise, surprise the fight never happened as Tito Ortiz was a no show at the weigh ins.
10. In 2006 the UFC generated $222,766,000 in revenue, braking the PPV industry's all time record for a single year of sales, surpassing wrestling and boxing. The largest events reached nearly 800,000 viewers.
I bet you didn't know some of those facts!
About the Author:
If you a fan of The Ultimate Fighter show TUF then make sure you check out ufcultimatefighter.com. UFC Ultimate Fighter for MMA Videos and MMA news.
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