Mixed martial arts is now close to mainstream acceptance. However, this sport that many believe is new has some old roots.
Many believe MMA started with the birth of the UFC. Some even confuse the two as being one in the same. Nothing could be further from the truth.
MMA dates to 7th-century B.C. Olympic Games under pankration. Pankration is Greek meaning "all powers." It comprised boxing and wrestling, which in theory made it a form of MMA. This was even praticed by soldiers of that era.
However, MMA obviously still had a long way to go.
One crucial step for today's version of MMA started with a judo master named Mitsuyo Maeda. Some refer to Maeda as the father of not only Brazilian jiujitsu but MMA. Maeda traveled to Brazil in the early 1900's. It was there that a young Brazilian name Carlos Gracie would witness a judo presentation by Maeda. Gracie's interest led him to become a student.
Under the tutelage of Maeda, Carlos learned what would become the roots of his own adaptation. Carlos and his brother Helio adapted from Maeda a style of martial arts that permeates the world of MMA, Gracie jiujitsu also known as Brazilian jiujitsu.
Armed with BJJ, the foundation for the UFC began with a simple challenge, "The Gracie Challenge."
Any man, of any discipline was welcome to test his style against any Gracie. The fights were Vale tudo matches. Value tudo is Portuguese meaning "anything goes." In their eyes nothing was more dominant and they wanted to market their style through true tests of combat. They succeeded.
Close to a century later, it was another Gracie, Helio's son Rorian who brought the Gracie Challenge to the U.S. Rorian still accepted challenges. While the Gracies felt their style was the most dominant, of course there were others who felt the same. To prove once and for all, Rorian created the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
In 1993 the world of combat sports would change forever with the inception of the UFC. A no-holds barred tournament of fighters from across the world, of varying styles.
This wasn't a regimented martial arts tournament, this was true combat. Common misconceptions were replaced with undeniable reality.
The first UFC event was shown on PPV. The no-holds barred aspect was a design to market absolute brutality. Sadly, it was not until years later that fans would truly come to understand and appreciate the centuries of technique, tradition and discipline that enveloped the competitors.
Stars were made out of the first UFC champion Royce Gracie, Rorian's younger brother, and Ken Shamrock.
As the UFC grew, so did the spotlight on its practices. What one person calls "a ballet of violence" another calls "human cockfighting."
That latter perception brought the organization to its knees. Sen. John McCain took the moral fight to the UFC.
He urged governors nationwide to ban the UFC. Thirty-six states obliged him. Finding venues and PPV providers that would allow an event became increasingly difficult. Video became an outlet to gain revenue for the company. Even still, between UFC 23 and UFC 29, management was not even able to secure video for those events. The time period is aptly refered to as the "dark ages" of UFC and the organization was forced to adapt.
Unfortunately for the UFC this opposition by politicians walked hand in hand with the emergence of the Pride Fighting Championships. Pride was held primarily in Japan where rules and regulations were looser. With fighters like Fedor Emeliananko, Pride commanded respect and demanded attention.
The fact that the UFC was being forced into refuge and had to tone down its approach made Pride more enticing to a rabid fan base that was rapidly growing. The UFC had been rocked badly but somehow managed to stay in the fight.
Changes had to be made. Notable changes included the end of tournament style events, the addition of weight classes, the use of padded gloves, stricter time limits and attacks were more regulated. Overall the UFC had to evolve from no-holds barred genre to a more regimented mix of martial arts.
With a more safety conscious set of rules the UFC was able to gain headway with athletic commissions which was paramount to its survival. It was not only the emergence of a more timid UFC that did the trick. The fights still had to sell.
With this forward momentum came the emergence of high profile fighters. When guys like Tito Ortiz and Chuck Lidell brought their brand of fight to the UFC, people tuned in not only to see a fight but see these guys in particular fight. These were times when a young exciting fighter could make a name for himself.
The legends of today were nothing more than rookies, but they took the UFC on their shoulders and carried it as far as it could go. Names like Randy Couture, Matt Hughes, and B.J. Penn had captured the hearts of those who were no longer just spectators, they were fans.
Along with its new found acceptance came more publicity. That was not enough though. A crucial change for the UFC was the purchase of the brand by Zuffa. A company created by brothers and casino owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta.
The Fertittas were urged to purchase the failing company by their associate Dana White. Combined with the Fertittas connections in the casino industry, and a more acceptable rule base, Zuffa was able to secure sanctioning in Nevada.
The next step was a move that no one saw coming. For a struggling brand that revolved around pay-per-view and video sales, a groundbreaking change was about to take place. Zuffa was about to secure a partnership with cable channel Spike that would skyrocket the sport and the the UFC to heights unlike it had ever known.
