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Ultimate Fighting Championship is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts organization. Fighters in the sport use combinations of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, Muay Thai, karate, and many other martial arts. The UFC is currently owned and operated by Zuffa Entertainment, LLC.

History
Early UFC events were eight- or sixteen-man tournaments conducted by the organisation Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG) in association with WOW Promotions (headed by Art Davie and Rorion Gracie), wherein participants were required to beat three opponents in a single evening to be crowned Ultimate Fighting Champion. Reportedly no other event matched fighters of different style to prove which was the best (though events like the Vale Tudo No Maracanãzinho, held in Brazil on November 30, 1984, would appear to contradict this claim[1]). Fighters were typically skilled in one discipline only (for example boxing, Judo, Jiu Jitsu) and had little experience in battling against opponents with different skills of their own. In addition, some competitors were given falsified ranks in traditional martial arts in order to legitimise their presence (for example, Kimo Leopoldo was erroneously touted in UFC III as a 'third degree black belt' in taekwondo[2]). The first ever UFC premiered in 1993.

With no weight classes, fighters could find themselves facing opponents who were significantly larger and taller than themselves. These factors combined led to a trend of short, violent fights, although there were notable exceptions (for example, the 'superfight' between Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie in UFC V lasted 36 minutes). This was very much in line with the way the UFC was being marketed at the time. "There are no rules!" said the famous tagline. Although not strictly true, the UFC did operate with a limited set of rules; techniques such as hair pulling, headbutts and groin strikes were frowned upon, but allowed. How the rules were enforced: should a competition rule be violated, the competitor who broke the rule was fined $1000.

The brutal nature of the burgeoning sport quickly drew the attention of the authorities and UFC events were banned in almost all American states. To survive, the UFC redesigned its rules to remove the less palatable elements of fights, while still retaining the core elements of striking and grappling. Five minute rounds, Referee stoppages, weight classes and limitations on permissible striking areas gradually found the UFC being rebranded as a sport rather than a violent circus attraction.

Through this event the term MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) was coined.

Popularity
Today, Ultimate Fighting Championship events have become popular in places like Japan, Brazil, Canada, and the United States, where live fights are often seen on television's Pay Per View system as well as occasionally on Spike TV. Spike TV also airs UFC Unleashed, which replays recorded matches from past cards. In the United States, championship fights are usually held in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, much like in boxing. The ring announcer for UFC championship fights is Bruce Buffer, brother of the famous boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer.

In 2005, the UFC launched its own reality TV series, The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV, in which MMA practitioners who had not yet appeared in the UFC would reside and train together in two teams, and fight one another in matches where the loser would be eliminated and eventually one fighter from each of two weight classes would be awarded a contract. A second series launched in August of the same year, and a third series has been announced and is currently in production. The UFC nearly doubled its fanbase because of this free TV exposure.