It was almost 19 years ago that the UFC first appeared on American pay-per-view for the first time. In the days since, a number of promotions have come and gone, the UFC twice came back from the brink of death and MMA has grown from a poor man’s professional wrestling sport to a multi-billion-dollar industry.
How did this come about? What could have possibly resulted in such a turnaround?
That is what we are here to discuss. Here are the 10 moments that made MMA the sport it Is today.
Enjoy your history lesson, as we look over nearly 20 years’ worth of twists and turns and pick out the junctures that led MMA down the path it is today, in the United States and abroad.