The largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world and one of the fastest growing sports organizations across the globe, the UFC is also a relatively new entry into the world of professional sports. For all but the most die-hard fans, the UFC seems to have sprung up out of nowhere and become a worldwide phenomenon. What many casual fans don’t know is just how the UFC began, and how the organization reached the pinnacle of professional mixed martial arts promotion.

1. The Gracies Really Are UFC’s First Family – While most MMA fans consider the Gracies to be the sport’s closest thing to a royal family, many don’t know that the UFC itself owes much of its existence to them. The very first UFC competition was the result of Rorion Gracie and an advertising professional named Arthur Davie. Gracie wanted to showcase the superiority of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu on a large scale, and helped conceptualize the first UFC event.
2. One Style to Reign Supreme – Today, the UFC is as much about a fighter’s personal brand and style as anything else, but the initial purpose behind the Ultimate Fighting Championship was to crown one style of martial arts supreme, not one fighter. The idea was that experts in various styles would compete to determine which style was most effective, rather than to decide which fighter was most skilled.
3. Early UFC Fights Had No Time Limit – The only way to end an early UFC fight was to secure a submission, knock out an opponent or make the other fighter’s corner throw in the towel. There were no rounds, no time limits and no wins by decision when the UFC first emerged.
4. Weight Classes Came Later – Just as there were no time limits for an early match, there were also no weight classes. A small fighter might easily find themselves against a massive opponent before the spectacle became a regulated sport, and weight classes were instituted later to avoid legal ramifications.
5. Avoiding the Athletic Commissions – Any UFC fan today knows how big a role the Nevada State Athletic Commission plays in the sport, but this was far from always the case. In fact, early events took place in smaller markets, specifically in states with no athletic commission in order to avoid regulation and retain the “no holds barred” free-for-all nature of the fights.
6.  Senator John McCain Almost Killed the UFC – While many people were enthralled with the spectacle of extreme violence displayed at UFC events when the organization first began, viewership was relatively small. This vocal minority was not able to drown out the disdain of government officials, largely led by Senator John McCain. The man who would one day be a Republican nominee for President of the United States called the UFC “human cockfighting,” and took up a one-man crusade to end the sport once and for all. Fortunately for MMA fans, his efforts were ultimately unsuccessful.
7. The Zuffa Era: Increasing Legitimacy – While the regulation which allowed UFC to survive public scrutiny took place under earlier ownership, the purchase of the UFC name by the Fertitta brothers and Dana White, who would form the parent entity Zuffa, LLC to govern the organization. Thanks to Lorenzo Fertitta’s pull with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, Zuffa was able to secure sanctioning and begin the work of making UFC a household name in 2001, close to a decade after the first-ever UFC event.

Under the careful management of Zuffa, the UFC has grown from a tiny organization struggling to even be allowed to air their events to a multinational entity. The next time you tune in for a Fight Night, remember just how close the UFC came to dissolving under political pressure before growing into a sports entertainment juggernaut.

When mixed martial arts fighters ascend to the professional ranks, they aspire to join organizations like the UFC or Bellator. Before they reach that point, though, they’re part of an amateur circuit which can often be dangerous. Boxing, with organizations like USA Boxing to oversee amateur fights, sets a far better example for new fighters. Here are nine reasons why amateur MMA enthusiasts should take notice of this example, for the good of fighters and fans alike.

1. Greater Organization – Right now, there is no single regulatory entity to oversee amateur mixed martial arts fights. This means that some events, as well as some amateur organizations, can be remarkably disorganized. With no one to report to and limited oversight, it’s often difficult for amateur fighters to safely navigate their way to a professional career. Of course at the UMMAF we believe that we can and will eventually provide this oversight.
2. Increased Safety Measures – Under the revised USA Boxing rules in 2015, elite-level men in the sport are not required to wear headgear. The rule doesn’t apply to female fighters at the elite level, who must still wear protective headgear to compete. While these seasoned fighters are able to start testing the waters without headgear when they’ve reached a certain level, this isn’t the case in mixed martial arts. Amateur MMA fighters rarely wear headgear, may not be required to undergo a pre-fight examination or get post-fight medical attention. The safety rules in many cases are left up to organizations hosting their own events, and fighter safety often suffers.
3. Better Regulation – Many of the problems rampant in amateur MMA circles can be attributed to a simple lack of regulation and the absence of a designated regulatory body over all amateur fights. USA Boxing, on the other hand, does provide important regulation, lending legitimacy and important protection to fighters across the country.
4. Preparing Fighters for Professional Careers – An amateur mixed martial arts fighter may be competing for the opportunity to become a professional, but the lack of oversight in comparison to amateur boxing circles can leave them ill prepared for such a transition.
5. Protecting Fighters’ Health – In states where amateur MMA fights are legal but state law prohibits professional bouts, like New York, there are a host of issues which can and often do threaten fighters’ health. In these completely unregulated states, fighters have been known to compete after being diagnosed with potentially lethal, blood-borne diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C. Physicals are neither required nor particularly encouraged. With a national regulatory system in place, the health of fighters in these states would be better protected.
6. Facilitating Athletic Commission Support – New York isn’t the only state where legal loopholes make it impossible for a state athletic commission to oversee amateur fights, and the lack of a regulatory body makes it even more difficult to work with lawmakers to make important changes. The presence of one recognized entity could potentially facilitate state commission involvement, preventing any number of issues for amateur fighters and promotions.
7. Enforcing Bans and Suspensions – The state of amateur MMA today makes it relatively easy for fighters to be banned or suspended in one area where a local agency oversees amateur mixed martial arts to continue fighting in violation in other areas. This wouldn’t be the case if amateur MMA were regulated in a manner similar to amateur boxing.
8. Accurate Fight Results Reporting – In the absence of a regulatory body, it’s easy for the results of unsanctioned and unregulated bouts to be misreported, even if there were an agency to which to report those results. When misrepresenting a fighters’ record is so easy in some areas, both the sport and the brand of an amateur fighter can suffer.
9. Protecting and Nurturing Amateur Fighters’ Brands – Just as there’s no governing agency overseeing amateur MMA fights to protect fighters’ health, there’s also no real way of safeguarding the brand they’re trying to build. Misrepresentation, poor management and any number of misunderstandings can damage a fighter’s brand before they ever make it out of the smaller amateur circuit, potentially ruining a promising career before it starts.

While most fans of professional mixed martial arts may not follow amateur fights, it’s important for all MMA enthusiasts to recognize how integral amateur circuits are to the sport as a whole. After all, even the world’s biggest stars were once unknown amateurs; doesn’t the next Jon Jones or the next Anderson Silva deserve to emerge from their amateur career unscathed (imagine how many great fighters out there will never get their big break)?

MMA has been called “the world’s fastest-growing sport,” which makes sense given it hasn’t been around that long. For instance, among 18-34 year-old fans in the United States, MMA is more popular than either the NHL or even NASCAR. While there’s no doubt about the rise in popularity of MMA, there is some confusion about what’s driving the success. Here are a few possible reasons in no specific order:

1. Regulations – In the earliest days of MMA as an organized sport, it wasn’t allowed on pay-per-view and Republican politician John McCain lobbied heavily for the FCC to keep mixed martial arts off PPV. In response, mixed martial arts leagues began to organize their fighters into weight classes and institute regulations to make the sport more palatable for the masses. With these changes, MMA began to move out of the underground circuits and into the mainstream.
2. Gambling & Fantasy MMA – Where boxing was once the go-to combat sport for Vegas odds-makers, mixed martial arts is now taking its own piece of the action. Betting on MMA fights is a booming business and fantasy MMA sites like http://www.kountermove.com  are making it easier than ever to bet on MMA fights.
3. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) – Mixed martial arts promotions like PRIDE and StrikeForce generated lots of buzz, but there is no doubt that the UFC put mixed martial arts on the professional sports map in the United States. The UFC entered the scene in 1993 and after a series of buyouts have positioned themselves as the top MMA promotion in the World.
4. Social Media – In the earliest days of MMA as a mainstream sport, the Internet was just getting going and social media had yet to become an integral part of our lives. Now, athletes from all sports, including MMA leverage Instagram, FaceBook, Twitter, & others to create a stronger bond with their growing fan bases.
5. Training Availability – It used to be hard to find gyms that specialized in MMA training with tae kwon do & karate being much more popular martial art forms.  That has significantly changed now with the emergence of the Gracie Jiu Jitsu gyms, UFC gyms, and many others that combine traditional combative arts like jiu jitsu, kickboxing, and other styles to train MMA fighters.
6. Diversity – MMA has always had cross-cultural but with the emergence of professional WMMA promotions like Invicta and introducing many more weight classes, MMA has opened up to more athletes offering female and male fighters of all sizes the opportunity to fight for a living (the number of weight classes for men and women  is more likely to increase than decrease).
7. Increased Understanding of the Sport – As MMA becomes a mainstream sport and expanded its rules and regulations it also has become easier for fans to understand. What was once seen as a blood sport by some politicians and some fans has become more appreciated for the technical skill required to become a pro fighter.
8. Increased Promotion – Organizations like UFC and Bellator are working overtime to get MMA out there for public consumption. From reality shows that showcase up-and-coming fighters to aggressive multi-channel marketing campaigns that promote their Pay Per View (PPV) fights these promotions are marketing machines.
9. Sponsorship Deals for Fighters – While athletes in any sport have sponsorship deals, MMA fighters take it to another level. From paid public appearances to walk–out shirts to the shorts they wear for fights, MMA fighters proudly represent brands like no other individual sport.  It’s more like NASCAR than the NFL from this perspective.
10. Accessibility – With networks like AXSTV, Spike, and FoxSports1 frequently running fights on the weekends it is far easier to watch high level MMA fights.

MMA is a rapidly innovating and evolving sport which will continue to fuel it’s increase in popularity.  As the UFC and other promotions cut deals like the massive uniform deal with Reebok in December 2014, we will see more and more merchandise and marketing of MMA athletes and promotions.  This will continue to bring more fans to the sport for years to come.  No matter how quickly it grows though it is clear that MMA is mainstream and it is here to stay.