Do you remember the 1999 Movie Fight Club starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton? The Hollywood blockbuster introduced us to an underground fighting ring, where everything is illegal, and no rules apply to the game. It was a bloody sport where people would congregate, away from the prying eyes of the law, as a bloodbath unfolds in front of all the spectators. There are no rules; everything goes, meaning fight with what you have and all the might you possess. The punters wagering on the fight would be the people making the ring, who also break the law by placing illegal bets.
This was the most primitive form of MMA that we all knew existed. This was the first and most raw type of fighting that existed. It is not legal, yet it used to happen and most probably still does. Fast forward to today, where combat sports are more organized, more regulated, and televised for us to feast on. Nowadays, you head to reliable online casino reviews to check out the odds and dates of your next MMA fight and let the fights begin.
MMA has changed drastically through time, with the fighter and the punter being at the centre of all fights, and safety is given top priority.
It all started in Ancient Greece
Many moons ago, in 648 BC, Ancient Greece was a pillar when it came to sports. The Greeks invented the Olympic Games, and their love for combat sports saw them adding pankration to their Olympic schedule. It was a brutal contact sport with no rules at all. The only way a fight ended was when one of the fighters would submit by raising their hand in the air—the equivalent of tapping out during a current MMA UFC fight. Unlike the recent MMA fights that currently have a maximum of 5 rounds with 5 mins each, the most primitive form of MMA held no rounds, and fights could last for hours. To say that they were bloody is an understatement.
Whilst before, the ring was very restricted and small in size, forcing the fighters to face off instead of bouncing around the octagon as we see at UFC, today. The most primitive of MMA consisted of body strikes, many chokes holds (submission holds), elbow and foot kicks, and boxing punches. As you might guess, bare-knuckle was also the primary fighting stance, making the fight brutal with the potential for life-threatening long-lasting injuries.
The sport did lose some of its following through time but then found itself in Brazil, where the art of Ju-Jitsu and Capoeira was born. This was followed by Mixed Martial Arts finding its roots in Asia, embedding itself in its culture, and reborn as a sport of discipline and strategy. The 80s saw MMA over to the US, and a cult-like following was incepted. With so many people showing interest in the sport, a need for a safe and regulated space arose, with the most primitive of fighting championships launched: The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
UFC1 and the new MMA era
UFC1 was held on November 12th, 1993, and the rest was history. The event didn’t get any media attention; however, it was available to watch via PPV paid events. Many notable kickboxers were invited to the event. The creators had one motive: creating the real-live Mortal Combat or Street Fighter games.
Before no rules applied, UFC1 saw its fighters’ safety and wanted the public to understand that this fighting championship would be a legal sport. Some rules that kicked off UFC included having no doping probes, no bars, no biting, no eye-poking, no gloves needed (essentially making the contest bare-knuckle), and fights would end with either a KO, tapping out, or a stoppage from either corner.
The move to a safer Octagon
Senator McCain compared UFC to cock fighting, and his comments started a media parade that saw UFC banned from 50 states in the US. As a response to backpack, UFC decided it was time to regulate fights and thus implement measures that would make the championships easier on the eyes. The introduction of judges was the first move to set in stone a new era of UFC, with round time limits, weight divisions, and a 10-point scoring system marking the changes.
The biggest change of all came in rules being applied to fighting. Whilst before, you could strike your opponent anywhere, and with no gloves, gloves were not a must when entering. Headbutting was now an illegal move, along with striking your opponent at the back of the head or kneck.
The Dana White era and what UFC is today
2000 came along, with some money struggles being felt by UFC’s mother company SEG. In comes Dana White, who teams up with Lorenzo and Frank Ferrata, who purchase UFC for a mere 2 million US dollars. This was when Zuffa LLC was created, marking a new era of UFC. The fight nights we all look forward to today.
A year later, the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board started regulating MMA and issued the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. Such rules would be adopted by Zuffa and implemented in UFC. In a bid to rectify and also instigate a new era for MMA, the team was ultimately successful.
Twenty-two years have passed since the day that Zuffa LLC, aka Dana White & co, took over UFC. And look at how sports have become a household name. Today we all look forward to a fight night. Some of us place our bets: Will McGregor make a comeback to UFC? Will he win his first bout after a long time out of the sport? Will Francis Ngannou ever face Adesanya? Will Adesanya make it to light heavyweight again? These are all MMA betting markets available at our fingertips, and with such a love for what MMA represents today, betting on MMA is fun. Just keep in mind a betting strategy, keep track of fighter stats, and you are good to go.