The fall of the UFC-and its comeback:
The beginning of the end in terms of rapid growth for the UFC was in 1997, when the New York Athletic Commission banned the sport in their state for being overly violent, despite claims by the UFC that no serious injuries have ever been sustained(This was likely true-far fewer serious injuries are suffered in Mixed-Martial Arts than in Boxing). In the next couple of years, other states followed suit, banning UFC competition, and forcing UFC to hold events in southern states such as Louisiana. In addition, due to pressure from conservative politicians, the contest lost its vital pay-per-view exposure. By 2000 SEG Sports, the longtime owner of UFC, was looking to sell the organiziation.
This buyer came in January 2001 in the form of Zuffa, LLC, headed by Frank Fertitta, a wealthy Nevada casino owner. The first action after this acquisition was an effort to regain sanctioning from the various athletic/boxing commissions of the states. To do this, UFC was forced (perhaps unfortunately) to increase the safety of its rules. Among the changes were:
- Mandatory wearing of protective gloves (these are actually to protect the hands of fighters from being broken, and are not like boxing gloves)
- Banning of elbowing, head-butting, and knee strikes to the head while on the ground (some of these rules were partially implemented before the ownership changes)
- New weight classes: Flyweight-125 or less, Bantamweight-125 to 134.9, Featherweight-135 to 144.9, Lightweight-145 to 154.9, Welterweight-155 to 169.9, Middleweight-170 to 184.9, Light Heavyweight-185 to 204.9, Heavyweight-205-264.9, and Super Heavyweight, 265 and up
- Various other protections, such as referee training, mandatory fight doctors, 5 minute rounds, etc.
These rules were added in cooperation with the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board. UFC has now regained sanctioning in most states, and, in mid-2001, regained pay-per-view coverage with In-Demand, the largest such company in the nation. Other postitive signs of renewed growth in the UFC include increased prize money, a weekly syndicated TV show, and improved venues, such as the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Still, the UFC faces some major problems. For one, they are no longer the #1 MMA organization in the world- that title belongs to Japan's Pride Fighting Championships. Lured away by superior prize money and the respect fighters are given in Japan, many of UFC's former top stars, such as Mark Coleman, Mark Kerr, Gary Goodridge, and Vanderlei Silva defected to this organization. In additon, some of those in UFC who had gained great cross-market appeal, like Ken Shamrock, Royce Gracie, and Tank Abbott are no longer competitive in UFC. But perhaps the biggest difficulty the UFC faces is that the brutality that made it popular in the beginning has been greatly reduced by a combination of the rule changes and smarter, better-trained fighters. While early UFC fights generally consisted of two men punching and kicking each other in a martial arts movie-style fight, most modern UFC battles involve two men grappling and inflicting comparatively minimal damage on each other with the contest ending in a decision. This is obviously somewhat less exciting to watch.
In 2001 and 2002, a few new stars have emerged in UFC, with perhaps the most notable being Tito Ortiz. Like Tank Abbott, Ortiz resides in Huntington Beach. He also shares some of Abbott's personal qualities, like being a badass, showing minimal respect for his opponent, and having traces of mental instablilty. Unfortunately for the UFC, Ortiz has been injured for a few months since a training accident early in 2002. Carlos Newton is another popular competitor. Newton is Canadian, and has rather flamboyant dreadlocked hair. He breaks the traditional mold of MMA fighters, as he is currently studying Pre-Med in England, and claims to practice Dragonball Z Jiu-Jitsu. Other popular fighters include Pedro Rizzo, Randy Couture, and heavyweight champion Josh Barnett, whose title is now in question due to steroid charges.
Overall, the UFC is no longer simply a display of brutality. Instead, it has become a legitimate sport, with complex strategy and focused athletes. The success of UFC in the future depends on whether or not fans will find this sort of competition entertaining.