Even if they claim to be a sporting nut, ask people who Jon Jones, Chris Weidman, Jose Aldo, or Robbie Lawler are, and unless you are talking to a small minority, you will probably be met by blank responses.
That however could be about to change.
The sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is the fastest growing sport not just in the UK, but worldwide, with gyms, academy’s, and organisations opening up at a rapid rate.
No longer do people have to decide whether they would like to take up boxing, karate, judo, wrestling, etc – instead they can practice a variety of disciplines across the board, but under the same banner.
The rise of the sport can be seen in no greater example than the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which is widely regarded as the pinnacle of the sport. In 2006 just over 600 fans turned out to see an event in Las Vegas, Nevada……fast forward 5 years and 55’000 people packed out the Bell Centre in Toronto, Canada to watch UFC 129.
Currently there have been 314 UFC events held in 110 cities, within 16 countries and 35 U.S. states or territories.
And don’t be fooled by the title. This is not a no-holds-barred barbaric sport. In fact it is one of the most heavily regulated sports out there, with a very safe track record, although as with any contact sport injuries can and do happen.
And don’t think this is just solely for guys who have muscles in places people don’t even have places. Men’s weight divisions go down to as light as just over 8 stone. And don’t think this is solely for the guys; the current undefeated UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion ‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey is just about the most popular fighter there is, not to mention the most marketable.
Check out the video's below for the UFC's Top 20 Knockouts & Top 20 Submissions in its history.