The
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the largest
mixed martial arts promotion company in the world featuring most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport. Based in the
United States, the UFC produces events worldwide. The organization showcases nine weight divisions and enforces the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. The UFC promotes a brand of MMA which is self-acknowledged as "not just a sporting event; it is also entertainment and theater. The fighters are athletes and performers both." The UFC has held over 250 events to date. Dana White serves as the president of the UFC while brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta control the UFC's parent company, Zuffa, LLC.
The first
Ultimate Fighting Championship event was held on
November 12, 1993 in Denver, Colorado. The purpose of the early UFC competitions was to identify the most effective martial art in a real fight between competitors of different fighting disciplines, including Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Sambo, Wrestling, Muay Thai, Karate, Judo, and other styles. In subsequent competitions, fighters began adopting effective techniques from more than one discipline, which indirectly helped create an entirely separate style of fighting known as present-day
mixed martial arts.