Justin Hollon

English 2: research paper

Mr. Combs

11-19-10

The UFC

introduction

The ultimate fighting championship is one of the fastest growing sports in the United

States. According to completemartialarts.com the UFC follows a rich history and tradition of Competitive mixed martial arts dating back to the Olympic Gamesin Athens. About 80 years ago a Brazilian, form of mixed martial arts known as “vale tudo” sparked local interest in the sport. Then the UFC organization brought MMA to the world. The goal was to find the Ultimate Fighting Champion with a concept to have a tournament of the best athletes skilled in the various disciplines of all the martial arts.

Several rules are in place to keep fighters and the referee safe inside the octagon such as no “dirty fighting” which includes spitting, head butting, eye gouging, biting, and hair pulling, but the dirtiest move that you can do is a groin shot. Also you cannot hit an opponent with your elbow to the back of their head. If any of these things are done the referee will give you a warning but if continued you will lose points or in the worst case you’ll be disqualified (ehow.com).

The UFC has made mixed martial arts one of the most popular contact sports in the United States. In the UFC there are several famous fighters that are known just for their technique and knock power. The popularity of the UFC may one day surpass boxing or pro wrestling (ehow.com).

The beginning

The idea behind the UFC of today is to bring the athletes from various fighting disciplines together on one stage and pit them against each other in a vale tudo style. Every few months they have events, such as UFC 11. The disciplines involved in the UFC are: boxing, kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, freestyle wrestling, etc...the UFC debuted in Nov. 1993 in Denver Colorado. And nobody, neither the promoters nor the participants had any idea what they were getting into. (Dave Meltzer yahoo sports)

The first real big event for the UFC was when Royce Gracie fought Kimo Leopoldo at UFC 3. The muscular Hawaiian, who outweighed Gracie by 60 pounds, looked to be victim no. 8. But unlike his previous foes, Gracie had trouble taking him to the ground, and had to resort to moves like hair pulling and knees to the groin, both legal at this time. After 4:40 leopoldo gassed out and was submitted by an arm bar. Gracie prevailed once again. But the beating he took forced him to withdraw from the tournament, and it became the most talked about fight up to this point. (Dave Meltzer yahoo sports)

Since the creation of the sport, UFC has gone from a backyard brawl organization, to a multi-million dollar organization with clothing lines and video games to a reality television series known as “the ultimate fighter.” In which 16 up and coming fighters are split into teams that are coached by UFC fighters. Where contestants live and train together and fight on a weekly basis, with the loser of those fights being sent home and the eventual champion winning a UFC contract. (Dave Meltzer yahoo sports)

How to become a part of the UFC

For startersget experience. Before the UFC will even consider taking you in as a legitimate fighter, you need experience, and lots of it. Start learning basic skills such as wrestling and boxing. Additionally, one of the most common martial arts used in UFC fighting is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Find a dojo that offers BJJ classes and take them. The most important aspect of achieving useful experience is getting some well-rounded cross-training. Once you've got some training under your belt, learn the UFC rules. There are regulations regarding weight classes, bout duration, fouls and ways to win. Get to know all of them so you can continue to train accordingly. (ehow.com)

To become a UFC referee you need to work your way up in the sport, but in most cases referees were once fighter themselves.(chacha.com)

To be a judge in the UFC you need to get a job with the commissioner of the UFC. (chacha.com)

Risks/injuries

Mixed martial arts (MMA) competition, also known as cage fighting, extreme fighting and no holds barred sport fighting, has attracted attention in recent years for its violence. Competitors wear minimal protective equipment and attempt to win the bout by: concussing an opponent into defenselessness through blunt head trauma; disabling an opponent through joint subluxation, dislocation, or soft tissue trauma; causing unconsciousness through a neck choke; or forcing an opponent into submission through a variety of the above techniques.

To date there has been limited research into the incidence and aetiology of injuries in MMA competitions. Recently Dr George Buse undertook a study to identify the primary medical issues that may be associated with MMA competition by determining the types and proportions of match stoppages (‘No holds barred sport fighting: a 10-year review of mixed martial arts competition’, British Journal of Sports Medicine2006: 40, 169-172). Dr Buse reviewed video footage of 1,284 men competing in 642 televised matches between November 1993 and November 2003. Based on the legal techniques and target areas, Dr Buse expected that there would be four key categories of match stoppage:

* Head impact (blunt force to the head).

*Musculoskeletal stress (joint lock, blunt orthopedic trauma or other apparent musculoskeletal trauma).

* Neck chokes (submission or stoppage due to the afflicted competitor being asphyxiated or unconscious).

* Miscellaneous trauma (other mechanisms of match stoppages not included in above categories). (all from sportsinjuriesbulletin.com)

Differences in weight classes

The heavy weight division in mixed martial arts generally groups fighters between a minimum of 206 and a maximum of 265 pounds, although many ambiguities exist within the lower weight classes regarding division naming and weight limits, the Heavyweight division are, for the most part, uniform. (wikipedia.org)

The Light heavyweight division in mixed martial arts generally refers to competitors weighing between 186 and 205 pounds. It sits between the lighter Middleweight division, and the Heavyweight division. There are some alternate interpretations of the term. In the former Pride, the 205-pound division was known as middle weight; there was no division named Light Heavyweight in PRIDE. This division also was formerly Middleweight in the UFC. Pancrase’s light heavyweight division, which formerly limited competitors to 199 lb (90.5 kg) has been revised to 205 lb.The light heavyweight limit, as defined by the Nevada State Athletic division, is 205 pounds. (wikipedia.org)

The middleweight consists of fighters from the weight range of 181 pounds to 187 pounds. The middleweight is considered the weight class with the most popularity and superstars of the sport. (Wikipedia.org)

Conclusion

The Ultimate fighting championship is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States.

The UFC has grown from a simple idea to a multi-million dollar industry not only on paper view but with merchandise as well.

The UFC has become a rich sporting event with thousands of people watching not only in the United States but also in several countries around the world.

Bibliography

By Joshua Landa, "Risk and Injuries in Contact Fighting." EJMAS Electronic Journals of Martial Arts and Sciences Splash Page. Web. 12 Nov. 2010. <

Heavyweight (MMA)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. <

“ History - Complete Martial Arts.com." CompleteMartialArts.com - Most Comprehensive Martial Arts Site. Web. 12 Nov. 2010. <

"HowStuffWorks "UFC History"" Howstuffworks "Entertainment" Web. 12 Nov. 2010. <

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Injury Report | Sports Injury Bulletin." Sports Injuries Advice from Sports Injury Bulletin. Web. 19 Nov. 2010.

Strategies. Web. 12 Nov. 2010. <

"Ultimate Fighting Championship: History." Ultimate Fighting Championship: UFC. Web. 12 Nov. 2010. <