UFC: A Rise to Power

I can remember being a teenager and packing twenty friends into whoever's house had the coolest parents, that is to say the parents that would let us get away with murder, and order the first few UFC tournaments. Back then the UFC was televised anarchy. A tournament style slugfest that pitted varying weight classes and fighting styles against each other in a fenced in octagon shaped fighting ring. The only rules were no biting and no eye gouging. It was "Mad Max" meets "Bloodsport". You could almost hear the crowd shouting "Two men enter, One man leaves" It truly was a spectacle.

We laughed as UFC Hall Of famer Royce Gracie stepped into the ring with a single gloved pugilist, aptly nicknamed Art "One Glove" Jimmerson in UFC 1. Jimmerson lasted just over two minutes and quickly learned that grappling was a big part of fighting. We cheered as Keith "The Giant Killer" Hackney treated Joe Son's groin like a speedbag in UFC 4. Hackney went on to win the fight, due in no small part to his brilliantly executed groin rage. While Son went on to play the role of "Random Task" in the first Austin Powers. I remember telling my friends that this was a lot of fun, but I don't see this ever being covered on SportsCenter.

Seventeen years later it seems that only the octagon remains. After a nationwide campaign, led by Arizona Senator John McCain, to ban the UFC for its brutal nature, the UFC underwent several rule changes and new ownership. The tournament event was eliminated and weight classes were created. Questionable tactics such as fish-hooking and groin punches were banned. This led McCain to change his stance on the sport stating "The sport has grown up". But, even with these sweeping changes, the UFC still proved to be a money losing venture. So in 2001, then owners SEG sold the UFC to Zuffa, LLC. For the next few years the sport continued to catch on but still lost money. Until 2005 when ZUFFA teamed up with Spike TV to air a reality show featuring up and coming fighters called "The Ultimate Fighter". The season finale matched light heavyweight finalists Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin. The winner would earn a six figure contract with the UFC. After the fight President Dana White was so impressed with both fighters, though Griffin won a close decision, White offered both fighters a UFC contract on the spot. White later went on to claim this fight put the UFC on the map. Suddenly this sport was reaching the masses. It wasn't long before ESPN started covering the results on SportsCenter. A once barbaric sideshow started gaining real legitimacy in the sports world.

In an era where a lack of marquis talent in the heavyweight division and questions about the legitimacy of fights left many people unsatisfied with professional boxing, the UFC was poised steal the spotlight. They appealed to boxing's target audience of males age 18-34. Those people soon glommed onto the Mixed Martial Arts craze with the UFC leading the way. With their buyout of competitors such as "WFA" and "PRIDE" and expanding coverage from other television networks, the UFC was where Americans turned for their professional fighting fix.

In August 2009, Spike TV aired a replay of UFC 100 that beat out the PGA on CBS and Major League Baseball on FOX in their key demographic. No small feat for a rerun on basic cable. But the real question is, will the UFC ever be in the same category as the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA? That is yet to be seen. But this I know for now, in sports bars and poker games everywhere, names like Ali and Tyson have been replaced by Couture and St. Pierre and I can honestly say, I never saw it coming. But I'm glad it's here.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxingandmma/2326210/UFC-night-proves-a-hit.html

http://www.mmafighting.com/2009/08/18/spike-trumpets-ufc-100-ratings/

http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=LearnUFC.Rules

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxingandmma/2326210/UFC-night-proves-a-hit.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/mma/06/19/most.hyped.tuf.matchups/index.html