“This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for … It’s time!”
This catch phrase, said by Bruce Buffer, is heard before every fight and builds the suspense right before you watch two well-trained fighters put their skills to the test. Buffer, also known as the Veteran Voice of the Octagon, is the main octagon announcer for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
UFC is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in the United States. It hosts some of the top-ranked fighters in the world. UFC was inspired by “valo tudo” tournament in Brazil, valo tudo meaning “anything goes” or “no rules,” which are unarmed combat events.
Just because this sport is circled around two men fight each other, there is more that goes into it. In my opinion, this sport is not just a bunch of reckless no rules fighting, its much more than that. Fighters in the UFC have different fighting styles such as boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling, Muay Thai and other styles. There are strict rules that have to be followed and guidelines installed to keep the fighters safe.
UFC held its first MMA match on November 12, 1993, at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado. Dana White is the president of the UFC; Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta control its parent company, Zuffa, LLC.
Since its beginning UFC has been the subject of mixed reviews.
Some people argue that UFC is barbaric and pointless. U.S. senator John McCain led a campaign to ban UFC because he called it “human cockfighting,” in the earlier stages of the sport.
UFC has not only become safer over the past few years, but also one of the fastest growing sports in the world.
With better mainstream-media coverage and UFC themed swag the sport has risen in popularity. This is partly due to a cable-television deal and expansions into Canada, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, Asia and the U.S.
UFC is growing into a major sport because of the fan base it has.
UFC has produced video games; boosting their fan base. The game UFC Undisputed 2009 was a big hit, selling over a million units in the U.S. during the first month alone.
When the UFC Undisputed 2009 video game came out I won’t lie, I went to get a copy and I was hooked. This is the type of sport that draws you in and you fall in love instantly. But the video games aren’t the only publicity UFC is receiving.
The show “The Ultimate Fighter” is a reality television series and MMA competition, originating from the United States and produced by the UFC. In one season called “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights,” the live season finale aired on December 8, 2009 and was the most watched in the 10 seasons of the show, with almost 5.2 million viewers.
Also with the social media explosion, Internet plays a part in the UFC success. With blogs and sites, such as Twitter, fans can voice their opinions about the sport. UFC currently has more than one million followers, so they must be doing something right.
“Twitter is amazing… you can talk directly to your fans instantly,” White said.
I have my own Twitter account and I’ll admit that I currently follow UFC.
These different factors have played a huge role in how UFC has become such a big name sport.
“It’s amazing to think… how close we came to not being here today. If it weren’t for what these guys did, I don’t know if there would even be a UFC. I’ll never forget these guys, ever,” White said.