Everyone knows that martial arts has grown in leaps and bounds. Almost four decades ago, Bruce Lee helped in the martial arts become more popular, when he came up with his style of Jeet Kune Do. He acted in many movies, showcasing his swiftness and finesse. Then onwards, movies have been a trendy means to showcase martial arts skills.
Back in the early 1990s, something known as the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) arrived with a bang and brought MMA much needed acclaim. Although there have been other competitions just like the UFC, none of them had the flair and enthusiasm that UFC enjoyed. When it first began, the UFC pitted fighters of different styles and weight classes against each other.
This lead to interesting match ups with varying results. The first ever UFC saw Royce Gracie from Brazil lift the winners trophy. He introduced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the UFC by employing those techniques throughout the fights. Following the first UFC tournament, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was instantaneously viewed as the best martial art. Weighing under 200 pounds, Royce completely dominated people virtually 3 times his size.
Royce lifted the winners trophy in UFC 2 and 4 as well. His dominant style during the tournament earned him global acclaim. In UFC 3, he didnt lose, although he ran into a very tough fighter who nearly beat him. Gracie had an evenly contested fight with Ken Shamrock in UFC 5 which ended in a draw.
Over the years, many fighters have showcased their skills in the UFC arena, but none could match the feats of Royce Gracie. Fighters such as Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Oleg Taktarov, Matt Hughes, and Matt Sylivia have also done exceedingly well. Matt Hughes is also regarded as one of the best, as he fights in the Welterweight class and is considered pound for pound to be the best fighter in the world.
In the world of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), the UFC has played a key role. At first, there were no judges or rules, only one on one bouts until someone either tapped out, got knocked out, or the ref threw in the towel. The UFC also had a tournament style where 3 fights decided the champion.
Over time, there were several changes in the UFC format. The UFC would start with judges after a few years, and the tournament style was scraped. Eventually, the UFC only had one on one fights, which were exciting and thrilling for the fans. Though the fights didnt have time limits at first, they do now. The title fights are five rounds of 5 minutes each, and the non title fights are three rounds of 5 minutes each.
If a fight goes to the judges, the judges decide the winner. Judges are there do determine the winner if there is no knockout or submission. There are three judges, which normally change with each different UFC. The ref is there to protect the fighters. The referee has the authority to stop a fight if he feels that a fighter is unable to defend himself.
The UFC has come a long way, and is now one of the most popular sports in the world. Check out our line of Workout T Shirt for champions.
