UFC Fight Pass is an American subscription-based video streaming service owned by the UFC 's parent company, TKO Group Holdings , that launched in December 2013.
90-463: Fight Pass showcases live and on-demand mixed martial arts , submission grappling , kickboxing , boxing and Thai boxing events. In addition to UFC events (with their flagship pay-per-view events appearing on the service around a month after their initial broadcasts), Fight Pass also includes content from the libraries of PRIDE FC , World Extreme Cagefighting , Strikeforce , Affliction Entertainment , World Fighting Alliance , EliteXC , King of
180-409: A combat -based style which blended wrestling , kickboxing and submission grappling . Another promotion formed around the same time by Akira Maeda called Fighting Network RINGS initially started as a shoot-style professional wrestling promotion but it also promoted early mixed martial arts contests. From 1995 onwards it began identifying itself as a mixed martial arts promotion and moved away from
270-453: A fencer , and his fight against Taiwanese kung fu master Wu Ming Jeet. Wong combined boxing and kickboxing into his kung fu, as Bruce Lee did. Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki took place in Japan in 1976. The classic match-up between professional boxer and professional wrestler turned sour as each fighter refused to engage in the other's style, and after a 15-round stalemate it was declared
360-668: A gyaku-ude-garami armlock, which later became known as the "Kimura" in Brazilian jiu jitsu. In 1963, a catch wrestler and judoka " Judo " Gene Lebell fought professional boxer Milo Savage in a no-holds-barred match. Lebell won by Harai Goshi to rear naked choke, leaving Savage unconscious. This was the first televised bout of mixed-style fighting in North America. The hometown crowd was so enraged that they began to boo and throw chairs at Lebell. On February 12, 1963, three karatekas from Oyama dojo ( kyokushin later) went to
450-633: A 1905 fight between French savateur George Dubois and a judo practitioner Re-nierand which resulted in the latter winning by submission, as well as the highly publicized 1957 fight between French savateur and professional boxer Jacques Cayron and a young Japanese karateka named Mochizuki Hiroo which ended when Cayron knocked Hiroo out with a hook . Catch wrestling appeared in the late 19th century, combining several global styles of wrestling , including Indian pehlwani and English wrestling. In turn, catch wrestling went on to greatly influence modern MMA. No-holds-barred fighting reportedly took place in
540-411: A base in striking arts became more competitive as they cross-trained in styles based around takedowns and submission holds. Likewise, those from the varying grappling styles added striking techniques to their arsenal. This increase of cross-training resulted in fighters becoming increasingly multidimensional and well-rounded in their skill-sets. The new hybridization of fighting styles can be seen in
630-515: A contest was held in France between French savateurs and English bare-knuckle boxers in which French fighter Rambaud alias la Resistance fought English fighter Dickinson and won using his kicks. However, the English team still won the four other match-ups during the contest. Contests occurred in the late 19th to mid-20th century between French savateurs and other combat styles. Examples include
720-771: A different set of rules (example: eliminating kicking a grounded opponent), which differed from other leagues which were more in favour of realistic, "street-like" fights. The first documented use of the term mixed martial arts was in a review of UFC 1 by television critic Howard Rosenberg in 1993. Originally promoted as a competition to find the most effective martial arts for real unarmed combat, competitors from different fighting styles were pitted against one another in contests with relatively few rules. Later, individual fighters incorporated multiple martial arts into their style. MMA promoters were pressured to adopt additional rules to increase competitors' safety, to comply with sport regulations and to broaden mainstream acceptance of
810-522: A draw. Muhammad Ali sustained a substantial amount of damage to his legs, as Antonio Inoki slide-kicked him continuously for the duration of the bout, causing him to be hospitalized for the next three days. The fight played an important role in the history of mixed martial arts. The basis of modern mixed martial arts in Japan can be found across several shoot-style professional wrestling promotions such as UWF International and Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi , both founded in 1991, that attempted to create
900-561: A mixed match, which catch wrestler Steele won in 35 seconds. 27 years later, Ray Steele's protégé Lou Thesz fought boxer Jersey Joe Walcott twice in mixed style bouts. The first match was a real contest which Thesz won while the second match was a work, which Thesz also won. In the 1940s in the Palama Settlement in Hawaii, five martial arts masters, under the leadership of Adriano Emperado, curious to determine which martial art
990-692: A new peak of popularity in North America in December 2006: a rematch between then UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell and former champion Tito Ortiz , rivaled the PPV sales of some of the biggest boxing events of all time, and helped the UFC's 2006 PPV gross surpass that of any promotion in PPV history. In 2007, Zuffa LLC , the owners of the UFC MMA promotion, bought Japanese rival MMA brand Pride FC , merging
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#17327908121121080-445: A number of returning competitors along with debutants in another team tournament. This tournament was won by the team representing Anthony Pettis Fighting Championships. The third UFC Fight Pass Invitational event took place on December 15, 2022 and saw a slight change in format. This event featured an eight-man absolute tournament instead, featuring top grapplers like Nick Rodriguez , Mason Fowler , and Patrick Gaudio. The main event
1170-399: A result of an increased number of competitors, organized training camps, information sharing, and modern kinesiology , the understanding of the effectiveness of various strategies has been greatly improved. UFC commentator Joe Rogan claimed that martial arts evolved more in the ten years following 1993 (the first UFC event ) than in the preceding 700 years combined. "During his reign atop
1260-482: A rooftop fight scene in the 1950s and 1960s, where gangs from rival martial arts schools challenged each other to bare-knuckle fights on Hong Kong's rooftops, in order to avoid crackdowns by colonial British Hong Kong authorities. The most famous fighter to emerge from Hong Kong's rooftop fight scene was Bruce Lee , who combined different techniques from different martial arts schools into his own hybrid martial arts system called Jeet Kune Do . Lee went on to popularize
1350-463: A single year: Pan Championship , European Championship , Brasileiro , and World Championship . Lovato was born in Cincinnati , Ohio , but his family moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma , when he was eight years old. The son of a Jeet Kune Do instructor, Lovato studied a variety of martial arts in his youth and competed in amateur boxing before discovering Brazilian jiu-jitsu at age 13. He
1440-551: A total of just five minutes. sparking a revolution in martial arts. The first Vale Tudo Japan tournaments were held in 1994 and 1995 and were both won by Rickson Gracie . Around the same time, International Vale Tudo competition started to develop through (World Vale Tudo Championship (WVC), VTJ , IVC , UVF etc.). Interest in mixed martial arts as a sport resulted in the creation of the Pride Fighting Championships (Pride) in 1997. The sport reached
1530-591: Is an American retired mixed martial artist and former Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor. At the time of his original retirement, he was the Bellator MMA Middleweight World Champion and was ranked the no. 4 middleweight fighter in the world. He was the first non-Brazilian to win Brasileiros at black belt. In 2007, he was the first person to win the black belt "Grand Slam" of all major Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions in
1620-566: Is of Spanish and Italian descent. Lovato was the second American, after B.J. Penn , to win the World Jiu Jitsu Championship as a black belt . Lovato is a black belt under Carlos Machado , the oldest of the Machado family . Rafael has had a long and formative training history with Xande and Saulo Ribeiro , one which began after he competed against Saulo in the finals of the 2003 Arnold Classic , when Rafael
1710-485: The Joe Rogan Experience , Lovato revealed that he was diagnosed with a brain condition called cerebral cavernoma , a condition where a group of abnormal blood vessels are formed, usually found in the brain and spinal cord, and can make one even more susceptible to brain damage than usual. Lovato stated that the condition was nearly a reason for him to be pulled from his title bout with Gegard Mousasi, but he
1800-754: The Pride Fighting Championships in 1997. In the 1990s, the Gracie family brought their Brazilian jiu-jitsu style , first developed in Brazil from the 1920s, to the United States—which culminated in the founding of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) promotion company in 1993. The company held an event with almost no rules, mostly due to the influence of Art Davie and Rorion Gracie attempting to replicate mixed contests that existed in Brazil and Japan. They would later implement
1890-486: The UFC came to prominence in mainstream media in 2006, and with their 2007 merger with Pride FC and purchases of WEC and Strikeforce , it has been the most significant MMA promotion in the world in terms of popularity, salaries, talent , and level of competition. According to Fight Matrix , these are the promotions with the top ranked talent as of November 2024: There are hundreds of MMA training facilities throughout
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#17327908121121980-575: The karateka was allowed to use his fists, feet and knees, while the boxer could only use his fists. Hadley won the fight via knockout on the first round. In 1988 Rick Roufus challenged Changpuek Kiatsongrit to a non-title Muay Thai vs. kickboxing super fight. Roufus was at the time an undefeated Kickboxer and held both the KICK Super Middleweight World title and the PKC Middleweight U.S. title. Kiatsongrit
2070-645: The "Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts". The motion passed unanimously. In November 2005, the United States Army began to sanction mixed martial arts with the first annual Army Combatives Championships held by the US Army Combatives School . Canada formally decriminalized mixed martial arts with a vote on Bill S-209 on June 5, 2013. The bill allows for provinces to have the power to create athletic commissions to regulate and sanction professional mixed martial arts bouts. Since
2160-671: The "father of mixed martial arts" stating: "If you look at the way Bruce Lee trained, the way he fought, and many of the things he wrote, he said the perfect style was no style. You take a little something from everything. You take the good things from every different discipline, use what works, and you throw the rest away". A contemporary of Bruce Lee, Wing Chun practitioner Wong Shun Leung , gained prominence fighting in 60–100 illegal beimo fights against other Chinese martial artists of various styles. Wong also fought and won against Western fighters of other combat styles, such as his match against Russian boxer Giko, his televised fight against
2250-607: The 1920s and became renowned through its association with the " Gracie challenge ", which was issued by Carlos Gracie and Hélio Gracie and upheld later by descendants of the Gracie family . The "Gracie Challenges" were held in the garages and gyms of the Gracie family members. When the popularity grew, these types of mixed bouts were a staple attraction at the carnivals in Brazil. In the mid-20th century, mixed martial arts contests emerged in Hong Kong's street fighting culture in
2340-633: The Brawlers contests", and ended the sport. Japan had its own form of mixed martial arts discipline, Shooto , which evolved from shoot wrestling in 1985, as well as the shoot wrestling derivative Pancrase , which was founded as a promotion in 1993. Pancrase 1 was held in Japan in September 1993, two months before UFC 1 was held in the United States in November 1993. In 1993, the sport
2430-479: The Cage , Pancrase , Cage Warriors , Shooto and UCMMA . Yahoo Sports created the first iteration of a global, digital UFC Pay Per View product in 2007, offering dozens of UFC PPVs through 2014. In September 2014, Invicta FC began live-streaming events on its first incarnation of Fight Pass.. In 2015, Yahoo Sports executive, Eric Winter, was recruited to become Senior Vice President & General Manager, to oversee
2520-557: The IBJJF Master World Championship on September 2, 2023, where he won the master 1 super-heavyweight division. Lovato Jr. was then invited to challenge Pedro Marinho for the WNO light-heavyweight title at Who's Number One 20: Night of Champions on October 1, 2023. Marinho withdrew from the match due to injury and was replaced by Ricardo Evangelista, with the match being changed to a non-title bout. Lovato Jr. won
2610-512: The Iowa Athletic Commission officially sanctioned Battlecade Extreme Fighting under a modified form of its existing rules for Shootfighting . These rules created the three 'five-minute round/one-minute break' format, and mandated shootfighting gloves, as well as weight classes for the first time. Illegal blows were listed as groin strikes, head butting, biting, eye gouging, hair pulling, striking an opponent with an elbow while
2700-642: The Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Thailand and fought against three Muay Thai fighters. The three kyokushin karate fighters were Tadashi Nakamura, Kenji Kurosaki and AkiFujihira (also known as Noboru Osawa), while the Muay Thai team of three authentic Thai fighter. Japan won 2–1: Tadashi Nakamura and Akio Fujihira both knocked out their opponents with punches while Kenji Kurosaki, who fought the Thai,
2790-512: The United States by CV Productions, Inc. Its first competition, called Tough Guy Contest was held on March 20, 1980, New Kensington, Pennsylvania , Holiday Inn . During that year the company renamed the brand to Super Fighters and sanctioned ten regulated tournaments in Pennsylvania . In 1983, Pennsylvania State Senate passed a bill known as the " Tough Guy Law " that specifically called for: "Prohibiting Tough Guy contests or Battle of
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2880-406: The absolute tournament, while Roman Bravo-Young and Alex Perez fought to a draw. Georges St-Pierre was booked to make his return to professional grappling at this event on December 14, 2023. It was later confirmed that his opponent was supposed to be Nick Diaz , but the match was postponed when both men were injured prior. The main event was later announced as Gordon Ryan vs. Mason Fowler , and
2970-658: The co-main event was announced as Nicholas Meregali vs. Felipe Pena . Nick Rodriguez vs. Yuri Simoes took place on the main card, as did Dan Manasoiu vs. Victor Hugo, Nicky Ryan vs. Jonnatas Gracie, and Luiza Monteiro vs. Elisabeth Clay . Gordon Ryan withdrew from the event on short notice and was replaced with Haisam Rida , which resulted in Meregali vs. Pena being promoted to main event status. Meregali, Rodriguez, Fowler, Gracie, Hugo, and Clay all won their respective matches. UFC Fight Pass Invitational 6 took place on March 2, 2024 with Craig Jones vs Rafael Lovato Jr. as
3060-544: The co-main event. Nicholas Meregali and Roberto "Cyborg" Abreu were booked to compete against one another on the main card, while two-time NCAA champion Roman Bravo-Young was set to make his BJJ debut against UFC flyweight Alex Perez , and Helena Crevar was booked against Emily Fernandez. There was also an eight-man absolute tournament with a $ 30,000 grand prize, featuring Nick Rodriguez , Vagner Rocha , and Haisam Rida among others. Crevar, Jones, Meregali, and Teixeira all won their respective matches. Nick Rodriguez won
3150-460: The concept of mixed martial arts internationally. Early mixed-match martial arts professional wrestling bouts in Japan (known as Ishu Kakutōgi Sen (異種格闘技戦), literally "heterogeneous combat sports bouts") became popular with Antonio Inoki only in the 1970s. Inoki was a disciple of Rikidōzan , but also of Karl Gotch , who trained numerous Japanese wrestlers in catch wrestling . Regulated mixed martial arts competitions were first introduced in
3240-523: The conclusion of the meeting, all parties in attendance were able to agree upon a uniform set of rules to govern the sport of mixed martial arts. The rules adopted by the NJSACB have become the de facto standard set of rules for professional mixed martial arts across North America. On July 30, 2009, a motion was made at the annual meeting of the Association of Boxing Commissions to adopt these rules as
3330-534: The contracted fighters under one promotion. Comparisons were drawn to the consolidation that occurred in other sports, such as the AFL-NFL Merger in American football . The first documented use of the name mixed martial arts was in a review of UFC 1 by television critic, Howard Rosenberg , in 1993. The term gained popularity when the website, newfullcontact.com (one of the biggest websites covering
3420-561: The current decline of traditional TV Invicta opted to go down the Fight Network route where their events will now broadcast live in the United States and Canada similar to the WWE Network model where full live events is part of a subscription base price. Although media subscription services tend to experience significant churn , UFC Fight Pass is believed to have approximately 250,000 subscribers globally, as of 2017. In 2020, it
3510-661: The digital experiences for UFC. In February 2016, it was announced Fight Pass would begin streaming kickboxing promotions Glory and K-1 , and the Eddie Bravo Invitational submission grappling tournaments. On December 5, 2019, UFC announced an upgrade which included 1080p video, improved search and multi view for desktop. UFC president Dana White said "The redesigned Fight Pass offers upgrades like 1080p video, multi-view for desktop, improved search, and coming early next year, ‘Downloads to Go,’ so you can watch Fight Pass content without an internet connection. Add in
3600-528: The early 1920s, merged various forms of combat styles such as wrestling, judo and striking into one unique martial art. The popularity of professional wrestling, which was contested under various catch wrestling rules at the time, waned after World War I , when the sport split into two genres: " shoot ", in which the fighters actually competed, and " show ", which evolved into modern professional wrestling . In 1936, heavyweight boxing contender Kingfish Levinsky and professional wrestler Ray Steele competed in
3690-629: The end of the first round. His next fight came at LFA 46, against the future UFC middleweight contender Kevin Holland . Lovato Jr. won the fight by a rear naked choke, 84 seconds into the first round. After these two victories, Lovato Jr. was scheduled to fight Marcelo Nunes at LFA 54, for the Middleweight title. Lovato Jr. won the fight by TKO near the end of the second round. He was scheduled to make his first title defense against Cortez Coleman at LFA 62. He submitted Coleman with an armbar in
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3780-512: The fight by unanimous decision. Lovato was expected to face John Salter at Bellator 198 on April 28, 2018. John Salter was later pulled from the event by the Illinois Athletic Commission due to an eye issue on April 24 and replaced by Gerald Harris . Rafael Lovato Jr. won the fight via armbar submission in the first round. Lovato faced John Salter on September 21, 2018, at Bellator 205 . Rafael Lovato Jr. won
3870-673: The fight via a submission. Lovato was scheduled to face Gegard Mousasi for the Bellator Middleweight World Championship . This bout was expected to serve as the co-headliner of Bellator 214 . On December 20, 2018, it was reported that Mousasi pulled from the fight, citing a back injury and Lovato was pulled from the card. The bout against Mousasi was rescheduled to June 22, 2019, in London, England , at Bellator 223 . Lovato defeated Mousasi by majority decision. On January 29, 2020, while appearing on
3960-561: The final and winning a silver medal. He then won the super-heavyweight division of the IBJJF No Gi European Championship on October 20, 2024. Lovato Jr. then won a gold medal in the super-heavyweight division of the IBJJF no gi Pan Championship 2024 on November 3, 2024. Lovato made his professional MMA debut on September 26, 2014, at LFA 35, against Canaan Grigsby. He won the fight by an arm-triangle choke at
4050-493: The first televised use of the term. Since the late 1990s, both strikers and grapplers have been successful at MMA, although it is rare to see any fighter who is not schooled in both striking and grappling arts reach the highest levels of competition. MMA fighters are ranked according to their performance and outcome of their fights and level of competition they faced. The most popular and used, ranking portals are: Rafael Lovato Jr. Rafael Lovato Jr. (born June 25, 1983)
4140-419: The foreseeable future. On December 16, 2021 UFC Fight Pass produced its first in-house event; UFC Fight Pass Invitational. The event saw four teams of four men compete in grappling matches, including Davi Ramos , James Krause , and Rafael Lovato Jr. The tournament was won by the team representing Legacy Fighting Alliance . The second UFC Fight Pass Invitational event took place on July 3, 2022 and featured
4230-563: The form of rooftop fights. During the early 20th century, there was an influx of migrants from mainland China, including Chinese martial arts teachers who opened up martial arts schools in Hong Kong. In the mid-20th century, soaring crime in Hong Kong , combined with limited Hong Kong Police manpower, led to many young Hongkongers learning martial arts for self-defence . Around the 1960s, there were about 400 martial arts schools in Hong Kong, teaching their own distinctive styles of martial arts. In Hong Kong's street fighting culture, there emerged
4320-499: The future. On February 10, 2020, it was announced that Lovato had relinquished the Bellator Middleweight title. Lovato Jr. went on record to state his desire to return to professional MMA for at least one more fight, and ideally in 2021. However, his wish would eventually materialize later, as Lovato made his return to MMA on December 28, 2022, at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye x Ganryujima against undefeated Taiga Iwasaki. He won
4410-405: The historian E. Norman Gardiner, "No branch of athletics was more popular than the pankration." There is also evidence of similar mixed combat sports in ancient Egypt , India and Japan . The mid-19th century saw the prominence of the new sport savate in the combat sports circle. French savate fighters wanted to test their techniques against the traditional combat styles of its time. In 1852,
4500-706: The jurisdiction of the CSAC, rendering the vote meaningless. On September 30, 2000, the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board (NJSACB) began allowing mixed martial arts promoters to conduct events in New Jersey. The first event was an IFC event titled Battleground 2000 held in Atlantic City. The intent was to allow the NJSACB to observe actual events and gather information to establish a comprehensive set of rules to regulate
4590-411: The kickboxing rules already accepted by most state athletic commissions. These modified kickboxing rules allowed for take downs and ground fighting and did away with rounds, although they did allow for fighters to be stood up by the referee and restarted if there was no action on the ground. These rules were the first in modern MMA to define fouls, fighting surfaces and the use of the cage. In March 1997,
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#17327908121124680-465: The last minute of the third round. In March 2017, Lovato made his debut for Bellator MMA . He faced Charles Hackmann at Bellator 174 and won the fight via TKO just 13 seconds into the first round. In his second Bellator bout, Lovato faced Mike Rhodes at Bellator 181 on July 14, 2017. Rafael Lovato Jr. won the fight via submission in the first round. Lovato faced Chris Honeycutt at Bellator 189 on December 1, 2017 and Rafael Lovato Jr. won
4770-451: The late 1880s when wrestlers representing the style of catch wrestling and many others met in tournaments and music-hall challenge matches throughout Europe. In the US, the first major encounter between a boxer and a wrestler in modern times took place in 1887 when John L. Sullivan , then heavyweight world boxing champion, entered the ring with his trainer, wrestling champion William Muldoon , and
4860-468: The late 1960s to early 1970s, the concept of hybrid martial arts was popularized in the West by Bruce Lee via his system of Jeet Kune Do . Lee believed that "the best fighter is not a boxer, karate or judo man. The best fighter is someone who can adapt to any style, to be formless, to adopt an individual's own style and not following the system of styles." In 2004, UFC President Dana White would call Lee
4950-416: The main event and Nick Rodriguez v Roberto Jimenez as the co-main event. Nicholas Meregali vs. Matheus Diniz was also later added to the card. Jones, Rodriguez, and Meregali all won their respective matches. Mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts ( MMA ) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling , incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around
5040-420: The match by submission. Lovato Jr. faced Felipe Pena in a heavyweight match at Who's Number One 23: Meregali vs Rocha on May 10, 2024. He lost the match by decision. Lovato Jr. was invited to compete in the under 99kg division at the 2024 ADCC World Championship . He defeated Elioenai Braz on points, submitted Patrick Gaudio, and beat Michael Pixley by decision before being submitted by Kaynan Duarte in
5130-471: The match by submission. The match between Lovato Jr. and Pedro Marinho for the WNO light-heavyweight title was then rescheduled for Who's Number One 21: Ryan v Barbosa on November 30, 2023. After Gordon Ryan withdrew from the event, Lovato Jr. vs Pedro Marinho was promoted to the main event. Lovato Jr. lost the match by judge's decision. Lovato Jr. competed against Craig Jones in the main event of UFC Fight Pass Invitational 6 on March 3, 2024. He lost
5220-583: The match by unanimous decision. Lovato Jr. returned to headline another Fight 2 Win event at F2W 177 on July 16, 2021, where he defeated Alexandro Ceconi by unanimous decision to win the promotion's Light-Heavyweight no gi title. He defended his light-heavyweight no gi title at F2W 180 on August 6, 2021, defeating Gabriel Arges by unanimous decision. He then competed at Raw Grappling 1 on November 14, 2021, against Adam Wardzinski, defeating him by penalty points. In his final matches of 2021, Lovato Jr. represented Team LFA at UFC FightPass Invitational 1. Team LFA won
5310-493: The mats after his final match. He competed at the ADCC World Championships in 2022 and finished fourth in the under 99 kg division, announcing his retirement from that competition at the same time. Lovato Jr. was booked to compete in the co-main event of Who's Number One 18 on May 18, 2023, against Elder Cruz. Lovato Jr won the match, submitting Cruz with a rear-naked choke. Lovato Jr. competed at
5400-602: The name "MMA" at the UFC 17 rules meeting in response to increased public criticism. The question as to who actually coined the name is still in debate. The first state-regulated MMA event was held in Biloxi, Mississippi on August 23, 1996, with the sanctioning of IFC's Mayhem in Mississippi show by the Mississippi Athletic Commission under William Lyons. The rules used were an adaptation of
5490-485: The opponent is on the mat, kidney strikes, and striking the back of the head with closed fist. Holding onto the ring or cage for any reason was defined as a foul. While there are minor differences between these and the final Unified Rules, notably regarding elbow strikes, the Iowa rules allowed mixed martial arts promoters to conduct essentially modern events legally, anywhere in the state. On March 28, 1997, Extreme Fighting 4
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#17327908121125580-542: The original shoot style. Professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki founded Pancrase in 1993 which promoted legitimate contests initially under professional wrestling rules. These promotions inspired Pride Fighting Championships which started in 1997. Pride was acquired by its rival Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2007. A fight between Golden Gloves boxing champion Joey Hadley and Arkansas Karate Champion David Valovich happened on June 22, 1976, at Memphis Blues Baseball Park. The bout had mixed rules:
5670-620: The precursors of modern MMA are mixed style contests throughout Europe, Japan, and the Pacific Rim during the early 1900s. In Japan, these contests were known as merikan , from the Japanese slang for "American [fighting]". Merikan contests were fought under a variety of rules, including points decision, best of three throws or knockdowns, and victory via knockout or submission. Sambo , a martial art and combat sport developed in Russia in
5760-561: The same year. UFC Fight Pass was officially released in Brazil on January 1, 2023. In 2023, the ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship signed an exclusive multi-year streaming deal with UFC Fight Pass, leaving their previous broadcaster FloSports . That deal fell apart just four months later, and ADCC left UFC Fight Pass. On June 16, 2023, Submission Hunter Pro signed an exclusive contract with UFC Fight Pass to stream all of their events for
5850-547: The sport at the time), hosted and reprinted the article. The first use of the term by a promotion was in September 1995 by Rick Blume, president and CEO of Battlecade Extreme Fighting, just after UFC 7. UFC official, Jeff Blatnick , was responsible for the Ultimate Fighting Championship officially adopting the name mixed martial arts. It was previously marketed as "Ultimate Fighting" and "No Holds Barred (NHB)", until Blatnick and John McCarthy proposed
5940-469: The sport effectively. On April 3, 2001, the NJSACB held a meeting to discuss the regulation of mixed martial arts events. This meeting attempted to unify the myriad rules and regulations which had been utilized by the different mixed martial arts organizations. At this meeting, the proposed uniform rules were agreed upon by the NJSACB, several other regulatory bodies, numerous promoters of mixed martial arts events and other interested parties in attendance. At
6030-438: The sport in the late 1990s he was the prototype – he could strike with the best strikers; he could grapple with the best grapplers; his endurance was second to none. " — Mike Sloan describing UFC champion Frank Shamrock 's early dominance The high profile of modern MMA promotions such as UFC and Pride has fostered an accelerated development of the sport. The early 1990s saw a wide variety of traditional styles competing in
6120-482: The sport. Following these changes, the sport has seen increased popularity with a pay-per-view business that rivals boxing and professional wrestling . In ancient China , combat sport appeared in the form of Leitai , a no-holds-barred mixed combat sport that combined Chinese martial arts , boxing and wrestling. In ancient Greece , there was a sport called pankration , which featured grappling and striking skills similar to those found in modern MMA. Pankration
6210-483: The sport. However, early competition saw varying levels of success among disparate styles. In the early 1990s, practitioners of grappling based styles such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu dominated competition in the United States. Practitioners of striking based arts such as boxing , kickboxing , and karate , who were unfamiliar with submission grappling, proved to be unprepared to deal with its submission techniques . As competitions became more and more common, those with
6300-401: The technique of "ground and pound" developed by wrestling-based UFC pioneers such as Dan Severn , Don Frye and Mark Coleman . These wrestlers realized the need for the incorporation of strikes on the ground as well as on the feet, and incorporated ground striking into their grappling-based styles. Mark Coleman stated at UFC 14 that his strategy was to "Ground him and pound him", which may be
6390-446: The tournament, with Lovato Jr. submitting Mike Wilcox with a rear-naked choke and registering two draws against Jonathan Piersma and Travis Tooke. Lovato Jr. had also verbally agreed to compete against the reigning ADCC World Champion Gordon Ryan at some point in 2021. After the match did not come to fruition, Lovato Jr won the 2022 IBJJF European Open and competed in that year's world championships, retiring from IBJJF competition on
6480-441: The world's largest fight library with 17,000 fights, every UFC fight ever, and over 1,000 hours of live combat sports, and Fight Pass continues to be a must-have streaming service for combat sports fans". Content included alongside live events and the fight library includes shows such as The Ultimate Fighter, Unleashed, Dana White's Contender Series, Unfiltered, Connected and the popular long running show UFC Now. On July 22, 2020, it
6570-666: The world. MMA gyms serve as specialized training centers where fighters develop their skills across various martial arts disciplines, such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling, Muay Thai, and boxing. These gyms provide structured environments for athletes to prepare for competition, offering coaching, sparring, and conditioning programs. Certain gyms, such as the UFC Performance Institute offer facilities like cryotherapy chambers , underwater treadmills , and DEXA machines. The following are popular MMA gyms along with notable fighters that have trained out of them. As
6660-461: The world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place throughout Japan and the countries of East Asia . At the same time, in Brazil there was a phenomenon called vale tudo , which became known for unrestricted fights between various styles such as judo , Brazilian jiu-jitsu , catch wrestling , luta livre , Muay Thai and capoeira . An early high-profile mixed bout
6750-528: Was Bartitsu , which Edward William Barton-Wright founded in London in 1899. Combining catch wrestling , judo , boxing , savate , jujutsu and canne de combat (French stick fighting), Bartitsu was the first martial art known to have combined Asian and European fighting styles, and which saw MMA-style contests throughout England, pitting European catch wrestlers and Japanese judoka champions against representatives of various European wrestling styles. Among
6840-446: Was Kimura vs. Gracie in 1951. In mid-20th century Hong Kong , rooftop street fighting contests between different martial arts styles gave rise to Bruce Lee 's hybrid martial arts style Jeet Kune Do . Another precursor to modern MMA was the 1976 Ali vs. Inoki exhibition bout, fought between boxer Muhammad Ali and wrestler Antonio Inoki in Japan, where it later inspired the foundation of Shooto in 1985, Pancrase in 1993, and
6930-563: Was announced that UFC had rolled out their Fight Pass service in Japan. Kevin Chang, senior vice president for UFC Asia said "Japan is a pioneer in the sport of MMA, with a fan base that is knowledgeable, sophisticated, and always hungry for more". The promotion had also introduced the service to other major territories in Asia, including China and India. As of February 2021, Invicta FC was pulled from Fight Pass. As many broadcasters have chosen with
7020-427: Was best, began testing each other in their respective arts of kenpo, jujitsu, Chinese and American boxing and tang soo do . From this they developed kajukenbo , the first American mixed martial arts. In 1951, a high-profile grappling match was Masahiko Kimura vs. Hélio Gracie , which was wrestled between judoka Masahiko Kimura and Brazilian jiu jitsu founder Hélio Gracie in Brazil. Kimura defeated Gracie using
7110-412: Was finding it increasingly difficult to get fights in Thailand as his weight (70 kg) was not typical for Thailand, where competitive bouts tended to be at the lower weights. Roufus knocked Changpuek down twice with punches in the first round, breaking Changpuek's jaw, but lost by technical knockout in the fourth round due to the culmination of low kicks to the legs that he was unprepared for. This match
7200-468: Was formed by combining the already established wrestling and boxing traditions and, in Olympic terms, first featured in the 33rd Olympiad in 648 BC. All strikes and holds were allowed with the exception of biting and gouging, which were banned. The fighters, called pankratiasts, fought until someone could not continue or signaled submission by raising their index finger; there were no rounds. According to
7290-691: Was held under these rules, making it the first show conducted under a version of the modern rules. In April 2000, the California State Athletic Commission voted unanimously in favor of regulations that later became the foundation for the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts . However, when the legislation was sent to the California capital in Sacramento for review, it was determined that the sport fell outside
7380-696: Was just 19 years old. Lovato currently manages his own academy in Oklahoma City , Oklahoma . After retiring from MMA due to medical issues, Lovato Jr. made a return to competing in BJJ, starting out by unsuccessfully challenging Aaron 'Tex' Johnson for the Fight 2 Win Light-Heavyweight Masters Championship at F2W 151 on September 11, 2020. Lovato Jr. competed again shortly after at BJJ Stars 4 on November 14, 2020, where he
7470-477: Was knocked out by elbows. The Japanese fighter who lost, Kenji Kurosaki, was a kyokushin instructor, rather than a contender, and that he had stood in as a substitute for the absent chosen fighter. In June of the same year, karateka and future kickboxer Tadashi Sawamura faced top Thai fighter Samarn Sor Adisorn: Sawamura was knocked down sixteen times on his way to defeat. Sawamura went on to incorporate what he learned in that fight in kickboxing tournaments. During
7560-444: Was noted that the service has continued to grow 28% year to date. General manager Crowley Sullivan said, "Even without live events for two months, UFC Fight Pass subscriptions are up 28% year-to-date and 23% year-over-year". In June 2022, JCK MMA signed a multi-event agreement with Fight Pass. In August 2022, it was confirmed that UFC Fight Pass will be released in Brazil in 2023 after the UFC rights with Grupo Globo will expire on
7650-423: Was reintroduced to the United States by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). UFC promoters initially pitched the event as a real-life fighting video game tournament similar to Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat . The sport gained international exposure and widespread publicity when jiu-jitsu fighter Royce Gracie won the first Ultimate Fighting Championship tournament, submitting three challengers in
7740-476: Was scheduled to be a superfight between Gordon Ryan and Vinny Magalhães , but Magalhaes withdrew from the match days before the event and was replaced with Nick Rodriguez. Mason Fowler won the absolute tournament and Gordon Ryan won the superfight. Dana White announced that the fourth UFC Fight Pass Invitational was scheduled to take place on June 29, 2023 and would be headlined by Craig Jones v Felipe Pena with Glover Teixeira v Anthony Smith serving as
7830-679: Was slammed to the mat in two minutes. The next publicized encounter occurred in the late 1890s when future heavyweight boxing champion Bob Fitzsimmons took on European wrestling champion Ernest Roeber . In September 1901, Frank "Paddy" Slavin , who had been a contender for Sullivan's boxing title, knocked out future world wrestling champion Frank Gotch in Dawson City , Canada. The judo-practitioner Ren-nierand, who gained fame after defeating George Dubois, would fight again in another similar contest, which he lost to Ukrainian Catch wrestler Ivan Poddubny. Another early example of mixed martial arts
7920-542: Was submitted with a crucifix choke by Dimitrious Souza. He also competed at the IBJJF Masters World Championships 2020, claiming silver in the absolute division after a close final match with Gregor Gracie. He returned to Fight 2 Win for F2W 166 on March 13, 2021, to compete against Gabriel Almeida in the main event, submitting him with a kimura. On April 30, 2021, Lovato Jr. headlined a Who's Number One event against Gilbert Burns , losing
8010-421: Was the first popular fight which showcased the power of such low kicks to a predominantly Western audience. The movement that led to the creation of present-day mixed martial arts scenes emerged from a confluence of several earlier martial arts scenes: the vale tudo events in Brazil, rooftop fights in Hong Kong's street fighting culture, and professional wrestlers , especially in Japan . Vale tudo began in
8100-474: Was ultimately given clearance. However, after further review on the potential risks of the condition weeks following the bout against Mousasi, commissions in Europe have stated they will not give Lovato clearance to fight in Europe any longer. Per the advice of his doctors, Lovato then said for the time being his MMA career is on hold, though he did not announce retirement and remained hopeful he would fight again in
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