What is UFC? Get to know the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
If you hear MMA, the first federation that probably comes to mind is the American giant - UFC. Right? In this article, we’ll take you through its history, rules and all the key information worth knowing about it.
Meet the true pioneer of mixed martial arts. Welcome to another article on our SMMASH blog!
What is UFC?
UFC, or Ultimate Fighting Championship, is without a doubt one of the biggest MMA organisations in the world, with a history dating back to 1993. That was when the first event took place, and at the time it followed a tournament format. It was literally a mixed martial arts competition in which representatives of many disciplines faced each other (from boxing and sumo to jiu-jitsu and several others).
Originally, UFC operated under no holds barred rules, which could quite literally be seen as fights with virtually no rules. There was no scoring system, no rounds, and no weight classes either. As you can probably imagine, this approach had a major impact on how brutal the spectacle was. It’s no surprise that after its first successes, the federation began to attract the attention of the US authorities. Countless interventions and protests led to restrictions being introduced, additional safety measures and an overall tightening of the rules. Until the point UFC has reached today.
Rules of UFC fights
Just like its Polish counterpart (as a reminder - KSW), the Ultimate Fighting Championship organisation has a set of rules and standards that govern its fights. Notably, most of them are very similar to those used by the Polish promotion. Below you’ll find the key ones.
- Place of competition: the octagon, an eight-sided ring (cage).
- Refereeing: 1 in-cage referee (who controls what happens directly in the octagon) and judges outside the cage (who are responsible for awarding points).
- Fight length: championship fights and main events consist of 5 rounds. All other fights have 3 rounds. In both cases, each round lasts 5 minutes, while the breaks between them last 1 minute.
- How a fight ends: disqualification, points (decision based on the judges’ scorecards), knockout or technical knockout, and submission.
UFC rules also include a full list of actions, moves and holds that are prohibited, and using them may result in points being deducted or even disqualification. At present, the list includes nearly 30 items.
Where and when do UFC events take place?
Ultimate Fighting Championship is unquestionably one of the biggest MMA organisations in the world, which is also confirmed by its global reach. Although a large number of events take place in its home country, the United States, UFC is very eager to showcase itself on the international stage. So far, the organisation has held its events in both North and South America, Australia, Asia and Europe.
Each event has its own number, and at the time of writing this article, the historic event numbered “300”, which took place in Las Vegas, has just happened.
Fans can follow the fighters’ bouts live, as well as watch the fights on TV or online. The vast majority of UFC events are available via PPV (pay per view).
Weight classes in UFC
In its nearly 30-year history, the organisation has not been without changes related to the different divisions in which fighters could compete. The current list is as follows:
- Strawweight – up to 52.2 kg
- Flyweight – up to 56.7 kg
- Bantamweight – up to 61.2 kg
- Featherweight – up to 65.8 kg
- Lightweight – up to 70.3 kg
- Welterweight – up to 77.1 kg
- Middleweight – up to 83.9 kg
- Light heavyweight – up to 93 kg
- Heavyweight – up to 120.2 kg
It is worth noting that in women’s competition, fighters compete in the first 4 categories. In men’s fights, competition takes place in 8 out of 9 divisions (excluding strawweight).
There are also rankings within each of the categories described above. Fighters who win their bouts are rewarded with points and, as a result, the chance to move up the table. Reaching the top is, in turn, a route to competing for a title.
Championships and awards in the Ultimate Fighting Championship
As is easy to guess, alongside the division into weight classes come the championships that fighters compete for. At present, there are exactly as many titles as there are divisions.
Of course, the greatest motivation is winning a fight in which a title is on the line. However, apart from the belts held by individual champions, UFC also offers other awards. After each event, cash bonuses are awarded to fighters who: had the best fight, executed the best submission, delivered the best knockout, as well as those who earned the so-called performance of the night.
What gear do UFC fighters wear?
Gloves and mouthguards are the absolute basics. Men compete in the cage without shirts, which is why another important part of their outfit is dedicated MMA shorts. In this area, we distinguish 2 types: traditional loose-fit shorts and tight-fitting ones (so-called sports leggings).
Looking for more information about mixed martial arts?
Remember that MMA is one of the leading topics on our sports blog. Visit it today to discover more information. And if you want to stock up on reliable clothing, for example for training, be sure to check out the range in the SMMASH online store. There’s genuinely plenty to choose from!
