The UFC Changing the Martial Arts for Over 25 Years: The Davie/Gracie W.O.W. Era; An Encyclopedia Vol. 1

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American Mixed Martial Arts Promotion Company based out of Las Vegas, Nevada, that is currently owned and operated by parent company William Morris Endeavor. It is the largest MMA promotion company in the world and features the highest-level fighters on any MMA roster. The UFC produces events worldwide that showcase 12 weight classes and abide by the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. By 2018, the UFC had held over 400 live events. Dana White serves as the current President of the UFC and has held the position since 2001; while under his stewardship, the UFC has grown into a globally popular multi-billion-dollar enterprise. The 1st event was held in 1993 at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado. The purpose of the early UFC competitions was to identify the most effective Martial Arts styles and possibly showcase the superiority of Gracie Jujitsu in a contest with minimal rules and no weight classes between competitors of different fighting disciplines stemming from Boxing, Brazilian Jujitsu, Judo, Karate, Muay Thai, Wrestling, and Sambo. In subsequent events, fighters began adopting effective techniques from more than one discipline, which indirectly helped create an entirely separate style of fighting known as today as “mixed martial arts.” In 2016, UFC’s parent company, Zuffa, was sold to a group led by William Morris Endeavor (WME–IMG) for a reported $4.025 BILLION. With a TV deal and expansion in Australia, Asia, Europe, and new markets within the United States, the UFC has increased in popularity, in turn achieving greater mainstream media coverage; the promotion brought in a total revenue of $609 million U.S. in 2015, and its next domestic media rights agreement with ESPN was valued at $1.5 billion over a 5-year term. The UFC Changing the Martial Arts for Over 25 Years: The Gracie/Davie W.O.W. Era; An Encyclopedia Vol. 1 is a chronological record of the beginning of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and how it took the world by storm with its debut on November 12, 1993, to the present in 2019. With a more specific look at the Davie/Gracie W.O.W. Era from UFC 1 to UFC 5 (1993-1995). These Volumes talk about the meteoric rise, how the UFC was near bankruptcy, how it has developed into a multi-billion-dollar business, paving the way for many other M.M.A. (Mixed Martial Arts) companies, entrepreneurs, and more. The UFC Changing the Martial Arts for Over 25 Years: The Gracie/Davie Era; An Encyclopedia Vol. 1 is truly the ultimate, most informative book out there on the subject of the UFC and MMA as it talks about everything from businesses like Tap Out Clothing that have profited thanks in part to its association with the UFC and MMA as a whole, to everyone who has had a part in the UFC and other MMA businesses. This book includes both the good and the bad that has come with the UFC, including many of the controversies that have plagued it. Controversies include illegal doping of fighters, fighters being incarcerated, and more. This book is a must for any fan of the UFC and Martial Arts as a whole and it is my hope that you enjoy reading about the phenomenon that is the UFC. Read more