Ultimate Fighting Championship

From MartialTalk Online Martial Arts Encyclopedia Project

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is a mixed martial arts organization. Originally using the tagline, "There Are No Rules!", UFC events were eventually banned in almost all of the US. As a result, a set of rules was developed and dragged the UFC out of the arena of bloodsport. It is typically a PPV event; however, Spike TV has been broadcasting replays of the bouts. The UFC has also spawned a reality tv show called The Ultimate Fighter.

The UFC is currently owned and operated by Zuffa Entertainment, LLC.

1 UFC current champions
2 History
3 UFC rules
4 UFC Hall of Fame inductees
5 UFC Viewer's Choice Awards
6 Website

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UFC current champions

List Of UFC Champions

Division	Champion as of November 19, 2005
Heavyweight	Andrei Arlovski
Light heavyweight	Chuck Liddell
Middleweight	Rich Franklin
Welterweight	Matt Hughes

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History

Early UFC events were eight- or sixteen-man tournaments conducted by the organisation Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG) in association with WOW Promotions (headed by Art Davie and Rorion Gracie), wherein participants were required to beat three opponents in a single evening to be crowned Ultimate Fighting Champion. Reportedly no other event matched fighters of different style to prove which was the best (though events like the Vale Tudo No Maracanãzinho, held in Brazil on November 30, 1984, would appear to contradict this claim). Fighters were typically skilled in one discipline only (for example Boxing, Judo, Jujitsu) and had little experience in battling against opponents with different skills of their own. In addition, some competitors were given falsified ranks in traditional martial arts in order to legitimise their presence (for example, Kimo Leopoldo was erroneously touted in UFC III as a 'third degree Black Belt' in Tae Kwon Do).

With no weight classes, fighters could find themselves facing opponents who were significantly larger and taller than themselves. These factors combined led to a trend of short, violent fights, although there were notable exceptions (for example, the 'superfight' between Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie in UFC V lasted 36 minutes). This was very much in line with the way the UFC was being marketed at the time. "There are no rules!" said the famous tagline. Although not strictly true, the UFC did operate with a limited set of rules; techniques such as hair pulling and groin strikes were frowned upon, but allowed. How the rules were enforced: should a competition rule be violated, the competitor who broke the rule was fined $1000.

The brutal nature of the burgeoning sport quickly drew the attention of the authorities and UFC events were banned in almost all American states. To survive, the UFC redesigned its rules to remove the less palatable elements of fights, while still retaining the core elements of striking and grappling. Five minute rounds, Referee stoppages, weight classes and limitations on permissible striking areas gradually found the UFC being rebranded as a sport rather than a violent circus attraction.

Through this event the term MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) was coined.

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UFC rules

(As found on ufc.tv)

UFC rules, as approved by the Nevada State Athletic Commission - July 23, 2001

Weight classes:

Lightweight: 145 to 155 lb (66 to 70 kg)
Welterweight: 155 to 170 lb (70 to 77 kg)
Middleweight: 170 to 185 lb (77 to 84 kg)
Light heavyweight: 185 to 205 lb (84 to 93 kg)
Heavyweight: 205 to 265 lb (93 to 120 kg)

Bout duration:

All non-championship bouts shall be three rounds.
All championship bouts shall be five rounds.
Rounds will be five minutes in duration.
A one-minute rest period will occur between each round.

Fouls:

Butting with the head.
Eye gouging of any kind.
Biting.
Hair pulling.
Fish hooking.
Groin attacks of any kind.
Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent.
Small joint manipulation.
Striking to the spine or the back of the head.
Striking downward using the point of the elbow.
Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea.
Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh.
Grabbing the clavicle.
Kicking the head of a grounded opponent.
Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent.
Stomping a grounded opponent.
Kicking to the kidney with the heel.
Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck.
Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area.
Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent.
Spitting at an opponent.
Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent.
Holding the ropes or the fence.
Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area.
Attacking an opponent on or during the break.
Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee.
Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat.
Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee.
Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.
Interference by the corner.
Throwing in the towel during competition.

Ways To Win:

Submission by:
- Physical tap out.
- Verbal tap out.
- Technical knockout by the referee stopping the contest.
Technical knockout by the referee stopping the contest.
Decision via the scorecards, including:
- Unanimous decision.
- Split decision.
- Majority decision.
- Draw, including:
  - Unanimous draw.
  - Majority draw.
  - Split draw.
Technical decision.
Technical draw.
Disqualification.
Forfeit.
No contest.