How the UFC Has Developed Following Its Commencement
In 1993, at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado, the initial Ultimate Fighting Championship was held. Semaphore Entertainment Group was the television partner, after HBO and Showtime turned it down, and it was broadcast on pay-per-view and did really well. It was marketed as the war of the worlds, a no holds barred match. For once, each person was going to see who was the best mixed martial artist.
While the first UFC event was a big hit, they were faced with a mountain of frustrations. The sport was too violent for politicians and athletic commissions and ended up getting banned in most of the fifty states. There were no rules, fighters may headbutt, soccer kick a downed adversary, as well as even strike to the genitals. This led to the sport being labeled “human cockfighting,” and Direct TV PPV was their one and only television partner. By that time, the owners of the UFC were looking for a way out. They were being pressured to add more rules as well as reduce the violence. Still, they believed the fierceness was what led to the initial win of the UFC.
Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta (Station Casinos executives) and boxing promoter Dana White approached the owners of the UFC with an attempt to buy them out. A deal was made and the two brothers became the owners, while Dana White took over as the ring leader. They begun to work with athletic commissions and toned down the fierceness. They implemented weight classes, got rid of headbutting and strikes to the crotch, etc. They got authorized in most of the fifty states and the cable television networks took them back. Nonetheless, it was the Ultimate Fighter reality show that launched the sport which has now evolve into one of the fastest growing sports in the world.
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