UFC Tickets

With a cable television deal and expansion into Canada, Europe and new markets within the United States, the UFC as of 2009 has gained in popularity, along with greater mainstream media coverage. The rise of the number of spectators, fans and athletes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship can be linked to the power of the media. Commentators often compare the international growth of the sport to the international growth of similar sports, such as boxing. An example of this emergence is the increasing number of viewers the sport is getting with its television coverage. In 2006, an MMA company broke the record of the pay per view industry’s all time single year revenue, surpassing the WWE and Boxing.

The UFC focuses on the heavier weight classes in MMA, whereas its associate promotion, the WEC, focuses on the lighter weights. Whether boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, karate, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or other techniques, the two fighters battle eachother for either three round (non title) or five rounds (title match), lasting five minutes each. Any match can stop short due to submission of one of the fighters, a knock out, or if the referee feels the fight is lopsided and one of the fighters is at risk to get seriously injured. If the match goes the full length, the judgest, similar to boxing, will determine the winner.

Dropping the no holds barred label and carrying the banner of mixed martial arts, the UFC has emerged from its political isolation to become more socially acceptable, regaining its position in pay-per-view television. The UFC stages bouts in an octagonal caged enclosure; “The Octagon.” The cage is an eight-sided structure with walls of metal chain-link fence coated with black vinyl and a diameter of 32 ft (9.8 m), allowing 30 ft (9.1 m) of space from point to point. The fence is 5’6” to 5’8” high. The cage sits atop a platform, raising it 4 ft (1.2 m) from the ground. It has foam padding around the top of the fence and between each of the eight sections. It also has two entry-exit gates opposite each other. Neither fighter can leave The Octagon until the match is over.