From time immemorial there was an opinion that for the crowd two basic things are necessary - bread and circuses. It goes without saying that such a statement in the modern interpretation implies that people have sufficient means for a normal life. Since at the moment a fairly impressive part of the planet’s population has all the material benefits, the appearance of new entertainments for the public, which are sometimes quite cruel, but at the same time spectacular, turned out to be quite logical.
One of these tournaments, which arose at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries and still attracts millions of spectators, is the UFC - Ultimate Fighting Championship. It is this media product that has grown from a small tournament into a global organization, under whose auspices there are a great many eminent athletes from all over the world. Thanks to this championship, martial arts received tremendous recognition and love, and the owners of the promotion received billions in profits.
A brief excursion into history
So, before you figure out how to get into the UFC, first of all, let's get acquainted with the main milestones of the organization itself.
She owes her appearance to a businessman from California Arthur Davy. It was his studies of martial arts in 1991 that allowed him to meet one of the adherents of the Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Rorion Gracie. This tandem subsequently stimulated the holding of the world's first tournament among fighters of different directions. It happened on November 12, 1993, when representatives of boxing, karate, savat, boxing, sumo and jujitsu met in an octagon cell. It was a Brazilian named Royce Grace who eventually won the first UFC championship. Weight categories at that time were absent.
Features of the first competition
Despite the fact that the motto “No rules!” Was originally cultivated, in reality this was not so. It was forbidden to squeeze out eyes, bite, beat in the groin, or rip open your mouth. Basically, the fighters adhered to a certain ethics and did not allow themselves liberties. Although there is a known case when in a duel between Hackney and Sana'a, the latter was struck with several deliberate blows to a causal place. In addition, the newly created martial arts were characterized by the fact that the anthropometric difference between the rivals could be simply gigantic. So, in the battle between Keith Hackney and Emmanuel Yarborough, the difference in weight was 180 kilograms.
Confrontation with the Senator
Today, many fighters are wondering: “How to get into the UFC?” But after the first competition, US Senator John McCain made every effort to ban the now insanely popular promotion. According to the politician, such fights were the embodiment of cruelty and had no right to exist. Therefore, he sent letters to all states of the country with a request to ban the showing of such tournaments. For this reason, the UFC made contact with the athletic commissions and made changes to the rules and regulations, due to which protective gloves appeared, the number of bans increased, rounds with a certain duration (five minutes) were established.
The rescue
Long ordeals and bureaucratic red tape put the UFC on the brink of extinction. But the situation changed radically when in 2001, former boxing promoter Dana Uyat and heads of several casinos, Frank and Lorenzo Faritta bought the organization for $ 2 million. To do this, they created a company called Zuffa.
rules
Almost every fighter, before getting into the UFC, is already quite familiar with the rules of mixed martial arts. The leading American organization MMA in its regulations for conducting fights adheres to the following requirements:
- Competitive fighters must fit into the limit of one weight division.
- Each athlete must be wearing gloves, an inguinal shell, and a mouth guard inserted in his mouth.
- The round lasts five minutes. Moreover, the title fight consists of five rounds, and not the title fight of three.
- Each fighter before the fight passes a medical examination and receives admission. It will also be checked for the presence / absence of doping in the blood (narcotic and anabolic substances are prohibited).
- The fight is evaluated by three side judges, who score points on a ten-point system. The winner of the round receives 10 points, the loser - 9 or less. Also, the referee in the cage can take a point for breaking the rules.
- The use of shock and wrestling equipment is allowed.
Taboo
As for the prohibited actions, the following are not allowed in the octagon:
- head bangs;
- effects on the eyes;
- retention by hair or cheeks;
- bites
- attacking actions in the groin;
- exposure to fingers in the openings of the nose, ears, orbits;
- creases of small joints (hands, fingers);
- blows to the back of the head, spine, throat, tracheal capture;
- clavicle grip;
- kicks against an opponent on the floor;
- knees to the head in the stalls (into the body are allowed);
- stamping on the body of the opponent;
- spitting;
- sticking into the canvas with the head, neck;
- throwing an opponent out of the cage;
- cell retention;
- swearing;
- attack the opponent during the break between rounds or at the moment when the fighter is in the care of the referee;
- neglect the instructions and instructions of the referee;
- throw a towel during the fight.
Weight frames
Weight categories in their current form appeared on UFC 31. The division according to the mass of fighters is as follows (from smaller to larger):
- the lightest weight (from 53 to 57 kg);
- the lightest weight (from 57 to 61 kg);
- featherweight (from 61 to 66 kg);
- light weight (from 66 to 70 kg);
- welterweight (from 70 to 77 kg);
- average weight (from 77 to 84 kg);
- light heavy weight (from 84 to 93 kg);
- heavy weight (from 93 to 120 kg).
In women, there is still a minimum weight (from 48 kg to 52 kg).
WFC contract signing ways
If you analyze what you need to get into the UFC, you can find out: the fighter of this tournament is the athlete who adheres to several points. We will dwell on them in more detail.
You must have a certain talent and regularly train with full dedication.
As practice shows, such a statement is 100% true. There are many cases where a talented fighter could not be fully realized due to elementary laziness. Therefore, as the popular wisdom says: "Work and labor will grind everything."
Perfectly recommended in other MMA promotions
There are a huge number of examples when a fighter began his career in a promotion less known than the UFC. Take the same Eddie Alvarez. This guy started his appearances at Bellator, became a champion there and ended up in the UFC. Or Belarusian Andrei Arlovsky, who, as many believed, had already gone off the rails of big sport, returned to the main octagon of the planet again thanks to his zeal and ability to work.
To fall in love with the audience and television people
In this way Chel Sonnen fought for the title three times, who, in principle, does not have vivid fighting skills. Strictly speaking, this item helps to understand how Conor McGregor got into the UFC, since he is also a recognized master of the treshtok. Due to his bright and sparkling statements, he was able to attract the attention of the public, and then reinforce his words with active actions in the cage, literally shocking the world with an instant victory over former champion Jose Aldo.
Select through TUF
The Ultimate Fighter is a show through which hundreds of fighters went through and which saved the organization from bankruptcy. This “meat grinder” was visited by: Nate Diaz, Roy Nelson, Kenny Florian, Forrest Griffin, Mat Serra, Josh Koschek, Rashad Evans and many other stars that many MMA fans know today. Thanks to the battles in this mini-tournament, many guys were on top.
Be "scarce"
In this case, only weight is meant. If you look at how many fights are required to reach the middleweight title shots, and how many - the fighter of the easiest division, it becomes clear: the small martial artist will be in a better position.
Be the star of some other martial arts
Everything is clear here. To promote an athlete who has created a name for himself earlier is much easier than raising him from the bottom. A poster in the style of "the best boxer in the world in the past, and now - an MMA fighter" will always attract the public and, accordingly, money, for which everything, in principle, is done. And finally, another way to get into the UFC.
Fill in the form
More recently, the UFC provided an opportunity for athletes to fill out an online application form on their website and post videos with their fights. Based on the results of the views, the leadership may propose that the fighter sign a contract. As you can see, modern technologies also do their job and save the time of athletes.
These briefly described actions allow you to understand how to get to the UFC, fights in which are a matter of prestige for many hand-to-hand combat masters.