This thread is strictly for UFC talk.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is hands down the biggest MMA organization on the planet, based right here in the USA. They kicked things all off back on November 12, 1993, in Denver, Colorado.
THE BACKSTORY
So, how did this whole thing start? Some guy named Art Davie had this wild idea for a tournament where masters of different fighting styles would just go at it. He teamed up with Rorion Gracie and wow Promotions to get the ball rolling, which eventually led to them owning the UFC. Then, wow Promotions partnered up with SEG, a big pay-per-view outfit, to host that first event in Denver back in '93. Fast forward to April 1995, and Art Davie and Rorion Gracie decided they were done, selling their shares in wow Promotions over to SEG and shutting the whole thing down. Back in those early days? Man, it was basically a bloodbath. You couldn't bite or gouge eyes, but pretty much anything else went. Crazy, right?
Because it was so insanely violent, the UFC ran straight into a wall of trouble. They were getting hammered by TV networks refusing to show it and politicians trying to ban the fights in various states across the USA. To survive, they had to clean things up, tighten the rules, and actually start playing nice with the various state athletic commissions that regulate combat sports in America.
Then came 2001. That’s when Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, along with boxing promoter Dan White, stepped up with a massive offer to buy out SEG. It worked. In January 2001, they snatched it up for $2 million and formed Zuffa, LLC, the powerhouse that owns and runs the UFC today. They also made sure the rules lined up with the Nevada State Athletic Commission to keep everything legal in that state. Once Zuffa took the reins, the UFC started its slow, steady climb to the top, eventually leaving the old Japanese powerhouse Pride FC in the dust.
THE RULES
Every round lasts 5 minutes. If you're fighting for a title, you're going three or five rounds depending on the setup, but usually, championship fights go 5 rounds while standard bouts go 3. You get a 1-minute breather between rounds.
The fight happens inside an octagon—this eight-sided cage wrapped in black vinyl-coated wire. The distance from corner to corner is about 38 feet, and it's roughly 30 feet across. The fence stands about 6 feet high.
WEIGHT CLASSES
Right now, the men's side runs through 8 weight classes:
-Flyweight (up to 125 lbs)
-Bantamweight (up to 135 lbs)
-Featherweight (up to 145 lbs)
-Lightweight (up to 155 lbs)
-Welterweight (up to 170 lbs)
-Middleweight (up to 185 lbs)
-Light Heavyweight (up to 205 lbs)
-Heavyweight (up to 265 lbs)
There’s actually one more class in the books that isn't really being used lately:
-Super Heavyweight (over 265 lbs)
And for the women, there are two main divisions:
-Strawweight (105 to 115 lbs)
-Bantamweight (135 to 145 lbs)
CURRENT CHAMPS
As of 2018
Women:
Strawweight: Rose Namajunas
Bantamweight: Amanda Nunes
Men:
Flyweight: Henry Cejudo
Bantamweight: J. Dillashaw
Featherweight: Max Holloway
Lightweight: Khabib Nurmagomedov
Welterweight: Tyron Woodley
Middleweight: Robert Whittaker
Light Heavyweight: Daniel Cormier
Heavyweight: Daniel Cormier
