Ultimate Fighting Championships is a mixed martial arts combat sport that is more than just a brutal encounter between two warriors. Although it started out as a raw, fighting tournament, UFC fighting has now transformed into a legitimate, legal sport.
However, gradually adding more rules and regulations to the sport does not mean that things became safer in the ring. If anything else, the game became more competitive and more action-packed. As a result, UFC training is more intense than ever, as fighters need to be at the very peak of their physical conditioning if they want to stand a chance inside the deadly Octagon.
The predominant and preferred fighting style in UFC is mixed martial arts. Those who train under this style pick up several other fighting techniques that enhance both defensive and offensive capabilities of a fighter. The revolutionized sport now requires training for a variety of moves in hand-to-hand, grappling and ground combat. A fighter can improve a variety of important tools by concentrating his UFC training in these three categories because it encompasses everything he will need during a fight.
Hand-to-hand combat remains an important component in the arsenal of a UFC fighter. A well-timed punch can ultimately decide who survives and who does not. Boxing, kick boxing, and Muay Thai are just some of the styles used to increase the punching power of a fighter especially in a standing position. Hand strikes also play a role in ground fighting.
Hand-to-hand combat while on the ground is not just about pummeling the opponent to a pulp. There is a method to the madness, even if the fighter makes it look like he is just engaging his opponent to an all-out street brawl. Fighters can utilize their hand-to-hand techniques even more while on the ground because the feet are almost entirely used for defense and keeping the opponent down.
However, an opponent will not just drop on his back so fighters also need to learn how to grapple or clinch fight. This can be achieved by learning fight sports such as Judo, Sambo and wrestling. This allows a UFC fighter to learn how to effectively take down an opponent in different kinds of situations. On the flip side, clinch fighting also teaches fighters how to defend against such a tactic, which is particularly important to fighters who have a weak ground game. Once on the ground, clinching can then be used to force the opponent to a submission.
UFC matches are more than just brawls, or plain streetfights. It is a competitive sport that features world-class athletes and technical fighters. Despite the many rules in UFC fights today, the quality has not dropped one bit. The action remains as intense as ever because competitors know they have to bring their best game every time they step into the Octagon to survive.
As the predominant method of fighting in UFC, mixed martial arts incorporate a variety of styles that have turned fighters into legends. UFC training always include an array of weapons for different situations. Fighters can never enter the UFC Octagon without having hand-to-hand, grappling and ground techniques in their arsenal.
Although many UFC fights have been decided via submission, hand-to-hand fighting remains an important tool in mixed martial arts, since both fighters start a round standing up and not on their backs. Boxing, kick boxing, and Muay Thai are just some of the styles used to enhance the fighting ability of a UFC fighter in a standing position. These fighting arts greatly enhance the footwork, elbowing, punching, kicking and kneeing techniques of a mixed-martial artist.
UFC fighting greatly relies on footwork, especially on offense. Fighters with Muay Thai and boxing backgrounds are easily noticeable from their stance, wherein their leading leg is on a more advanced direction than the other. However, more and more fighters are finding linear movements deadlier than a boxing stance. In this martial arts stance, the objective is to strike and the method is speed.
The philosophy is that a straight line is the fastest and most efficient way to punish an opponent, as long as the fighter uses quick and explosive movements. This rigid stance also conceals a fighter's intent of bringing his opponent down to the floor and forcing a submission. Footwork is also very crucial on defense, especially if a fighter is more vulnerable against a particular technique, such as grappling or kick boxing. Great footwork may very well define a fighter's victory or defeat.
Another crucial element in stand-up combat that many UFC fighters use is a thrusting blow using the fist, or simply called a punch. In UFC fighting, punches are not only used in stand-up, but also when the fighter has his prey on a lockdown position – on his back and on the ground. In this position, the fighter basically tries to inflict as much damage possible by pummeling the opponent to the ground.
A fighter who focuses his UFC in mixed martial arts will learn so many styles that will allow him to survive in the Octagon. Unlike before where brute force alone can be enough to win matches, the constant evolution of the sport has forced many current UFC participants to be multi-dimensional fighters. The result is not just more competitive matches, but it also provides superior entertainment as well, by far the most action-packed event in television today.
In the very first UFC match, despite all the advertising that said the sport has no rules, fighters basically agreed to no biting, no eye-gouging, and five-minute rounds even though UFC 1 matches did not last that long. Additionally, groin strikes were actually not allowed and despite the announced no-holds barred rule, fighters abided that particular rule.
UFC 1, dubbed as “The Beginning”, was held at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado on the 12th of November 1993. Similar to video fighting games like Tekken or Street Fighter, UFC 1 was a single-elimination, fighting tournament that featured eight men battling each other out in one night only. There were no weight classes and weight limits during this time, and UFC 1 included a match between the 200-lb Frenchman Gerard Gordeau against a 430-lb Samoan Sumo Wrestler, Teila Tuli. Since matches can only be won through force, UFC 1 did not have any judges, although two veteran Vale tudo referees mediated the fights.
The eventual winner of the $50,000 pot money was Brazilian legend Royce Gracie, who beat American boxer Art Jimmerson and former WWF standout Ken Shamrock to march his way to the finals. There, Gracie forced French Savate champion Gerard Gordeau to a submission using a rear naked choke just nearly two minutes into the match. Gracie would repeat as champion against Patrick Smith in the more brutal UFC 2, the first and only time the UFC featured 16 competitors. However, Gracie withdrew during UFC 3 because of fatigue and dehydration, although he would regain his championship in UFC 4 against another former WWF champion, Dan Severn.
Those early days were a stark contrast to the cultured UFC events these days. For instance, fighters today no longer have to endure multiple matches in one night and they can already receive their paychecks just by showing up. After UFC 18, the tournament format was dropped and each event featured a single fight. Gradually, UFC included more rules, regulations and weight classes, mainly to turn it into a legitimate mixed martial arts sport.
UFC President Dana White even admitted that UFC was only supposed to be a one-night event only. However, the program did so well on pay-per-view that fans craved for more. Eventually, UFC focused on increasing their popularity, while leaving their previous image of being savage beasts.
Despite toning down the violence content a huge notch, UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships) remains as one of the most entertaining and action-packed sports around. It seems that UFC has found the secret formula of combining action that is mild, yet brutal enough for both fighting enthusiasts and first-time viewers to enjoy and appreciate. After surviving a rocky past, UFC is here to stay, and it will be that way for a long time.
UFC fighting is where the best fighters in the world meet to test their skills against one another. Early UFC tournaments were based on Brazilian Vale Tudo fighting, which literally translates to anything goes. This means that any type of fighting style was accepted in the Octagon, no-holds barred. The show became a big hit on pay-per-views and home television because of its rawness, originality and realism. However, the resulting carnage was met with hostility and heavy political pressure, pushing UFC into obscurity that almost phased out the entire organization.
To reach a wider audience, the UFC finally decided to overhaul its rules and transformed itself into a legitimate sporting event. Instead of the no holds barred label, UFC became a mixed martial arts tournament. Fighters were now required to wear gloves and weight divisions were introduced. Groin strikes, hair pulling, and other submission techniques became prohibited. The major revamp continued UFC 21 when rounds ended after five minutes. The move was an instant hit as UFC went from pay-per-view to cable television in the United States and Europe.
The surge of the UFC was reminiscent of how boxing rose to fame. However, considering that UFC is the fastest growing sport today, it will not belong before it overtakes boxing as the biggest fighting sport in the world. In fact, the sport has even spawned a reality series called The Ultimate Fighter, except there are no tribes and castaways, only amateur MMA fighters ready to prove their worth. The sport has become so big that in 2006, UFC shattered the previous PPV record for a single year of business, raking in over $222,766,000 in profits, easily surpassing the total of WWE and boxing.
Fights are held inside an eight-sided stage called The Octagon. The only gear allowed for participants to wear are shorts or trunks, and gloves that are thick enough to prevent injury, but flexible enough to allow the fighter to grab and grapple.
Similar to boxing, matches are stopped when one fighter is unconscious, when a towel is thrown into the Octagon, or when the referee thinks the fighter is already done for. Additionally, fighters can end the match outright by tapping out or telling the referee they quit. Judges are also at ringside to score the match in case the match ends with both fighters still standing up. This was a huge difference from the very first UFC fight, where matches can only end with a knockout, submission or a towel thrown into the Octagon.
As UFC fighting continues to try and receive official sanctioning, it is starting to add more rules, and consequently, turning the once violent beast into a gentle giant. Will it remain true to its roots, or will it succumb to the temptation of money? Whatever their decision may be, they should make sure to keep their fighters content or the pain might come their way instead.
