Mixed+Martial+Arts

MMA Factsheet Feb. 25   ·  "The sport bears no resemblance to what it was when it started in 1993. UFC is here to stay." UFC President Dana White  ·  **"The sport has grown up. The rules have been adopted to give its athletes better protections and to ensure fairer competition." Senator John McCain **  ·  The first staging was marketed as a one-off event with only one rule: that there weren't any rules. "There are three ways of winning" proclaimed an over-zealous marketing campaign at the time, "by knockout, submission or death".  ·  martial arts and UFC were banned across every state in America by 1997, and then went underground. The events were then organised through the internet after cable television contracts were terminated.  ·  Senator John McCain, of Arizona, led the charge to ban these competitions from cable television, describing the events as "human cock fighting"  ·  2.8 million in gate revenues for ufc fights in 2007  ·  11 tv series about the sport in 2007 <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">14 former Olympians competing in MMA <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">17 former NCAA wrestling champions competing in MMA <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">32 US in which MMA is regulated <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Television Coverage **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> • The annual percentage growth of PPV buys has increased from 47% in 2004 (over 2003) to 189% in 2005 to 352% in 2006. • Gross revenues of PPV events has had annual increases of 47% in 2004, 232% in 2005, and 424% in 2006. • Over 55 hours per month of television programming on US channels including Fox, FSN, Spike TV, National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, and in syndication. • An average growth rate over the past four years of almost 390% in terms of hours of monthly television programming featuring MMA. <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Television Ratings **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The number one rated fighting event among men 18-34 (including boxing) of 2006 on television was a Spike TV featuring UFC® fighters Ortiz and Shamrock. Three of the top ten fights were MMA fights, with the rest featuring boxing. <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> ·  <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The sport is booming in the US and around the world. The turnaround has come courtesy of UFC president Dana White, a former boxer who bought the rights to the UFC brand for $2 million, with two partners, in 2001. This year alone, UFC has grossed over $200 million. The Ultimate Fighting Championships' first fight night took place 14 years ago today, but the mixed martial arts sport of the present day bears little resemblance to its giddy inception. <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is unregulated and uncontrolled. **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Mixed Martial Arts is one of the most regulated and controlled sports in the world. With imposed time limits, set numbers of rounds, mandatory judges, five weight classes and over 31 other rules governing how the bouts are fought, organizations strive for the highest safety standards. The UFC®, the biggest of the organizations, only holds bouts in states where the sport is regulated. MMA is recognized by the world’s most prestigious sports regulatory bodies including the California, Florida, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania State Athletic Commissions.
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">By Eric Rubenstein **
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Quotes **
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">History **
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Stats **
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Conclusion **
 * <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Extra Answers **

<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">MMA is dangerous and its fighters are put at a serious risk of injury each time they enter the Octagon. **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> MMA fighters are given more care and precaution than athletes in any other sports organization in the world. With supervised fights, pre and post-fight MRIs, four ringside doctors and two ambulances in case of emergency at each event and mandatory steroid testing – these organizations reach the highest levels of safety and quality in all aspects of the sport. Safer than boxing, no organization fighter has ever suffered a serious injury or death.

<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">MMA is a steel cage death match. **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> MMA is an intense, strategic sport that demands world class athleticism from its fighters. The athletes use interdisciplinary forms of fighting that include jiu-jitsu, judo, karate, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling and others to their strategic and tactical advantage in supervised matches.

<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Mixed martial artists are nothing more than street fighters. **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> Mixed martial artists are some of the best athletes in the world. Before taking up MMA many of the athletes were college All-American’s and Olympic champions. To stay competitive, all of the athletes are trained in a variety of martial arts disciplines including judo, wrestling, boxing, karate and jujitsu. UFC®, the biggest MMA organization, boasts that a significant majority of their fighters have college degrees.

<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">MMA has only one rule, prohibiting eye gouging. **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">MMA is governed under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts which were created by the most prestigious state sports regulating bodies in the United States. In addition to the five weight classes, the imposed time limits, and set number of rounds, there are 31 other rules that govern how the sport is played. In fact, most of the rules are derived from the rules governing Olympic wrestling, boxing and martial arts.

<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">MMA is much safer than boxing. Since its inception in the United States there have been no serious injuries or deaths in any of the major, sanctioned MMA organizations. Unlike boxing, in which fighters sustain repeated blows to the head for up to 15 rounds, MMA bouts last only 3-5 rounds and much of the fighting takes place on the mat as wrestling or grappling. In addition, unlike boxing gloves, MMA gloves are not weighted.<span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">
 * <span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"> ·  ****<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">MMA is much more harmful than other fighting sports like boxing. **<span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">