UFC - Ultimate Fighting Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship ( UFC ) is a U.S.- based mixed martial arts ( MMA ) organization, currently recognized as the major MMA promotion in North America. The UFC is based in Las Vegas, Nevada and is owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC.
The UFC was started as a tournament to find the world's best fighters no matter what style they used, and was based upon Brazilian vale tudo fighting.
Although there were a limited number of rules, the UFC was initially known as no holds barred fighting and contests were often violent and brutal. Early UFC fights were less sport and more spectacle, which led to accusations of brutality and "human cockfighting" by many opponents.
Political pressures eventually forced the UFC into the underground, as pay-per-view providers nixed UFC programming, practically extinguishing the UFC's public visibility.
As political pressure mounted, the UFC reformed itself, slowly embracing stricter rules, becoming sanctioned by athletic commissions, and marketing itself as a legitimate sporting event. Dropping the no holds barred label and carrying the banner of mixed martial arts, the UFC has emerged from its political isolation to become more socially acceptable, regaining its prime position in pay-per-view television.
With a cable television deal and legalization of MMA in California ( a hotbed for MMA fans ) the UFC is currently undergoing a remarkable worldwide surge in popularity, along with heightened global media coverage.
UFC programming can now be seen on Spike TV in the United States, as well as in 35 other countries worldwide without a satellite dish and every country worldwide with satellite dishes.
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