2016+ ENDEAVOR ERA
WME-IMG buys UFC for $4 Billion
McGregor vs Mayweather spectacle
1997 – Pride
1995-UFC-SEG ERA
Bob Meyrowitz takes the reigns
Criticized by Senator John McCain
Refined the sport by working with State
Athletic Commissions.
2001-ZUFFA ERA
Monetized MMA
Monopolizes market
(buys Pride, Strikeforce
merge WEC)
Fox Partnership (2010).
1993 UFC-WOW ERA
Global introduction of MMA: PPV
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu explosion
Key Players Art Davie, John Milius,
and Rorion Gracie
1979 – TOUGH GUYS
Bill Viola writes the first codified set of rules
Birth of American MMA sport/league-1980
Introduction of organized/regulated MMA
1986-SHOOTO SAYAMA SATORU
Shoot wrestling hybrid
EARLY 1970’S BRUCE LEE
Enter The Dragon boom
1976-ALI VS INOKI
Boxer vs Wrestler contest
1920’S-VALE TUDO
NHB Mixed-fights “sideshows” popular
contests around the world including
catch wrestling.
1963-GENE LEBELL VS MILO SAVAGE
First televised mixed-fight contest
648 BC
PANKRATION
1914-MITSUYO MAEDA
Prize-fighting Judoka settles in Brazil.
Teaches the Gracies Judo who in turn
morph the art into “BrazilianJiu-Jitsu.
1992 Pancrase
Hybrid of pro wrestling and MMA
2016+ ENDEAVOR ERA
WME-IMG buys UFC for $4 Billion
McGregor vs Mayweather spectacle
1983 – MMA OUTLAWED
Tough Guy Law” PA Senate Bill 632
bans the sport. Major setback.
First legal precedent in history.
TURN OF THE CENTURY KARATE JUDO SPREADS
Influenced by ancient Chinese and Indian
martial arts.
MMA Mixed Martial Arts Timeline
Timeline
2001
January 1
Zuffa, LLC (/ˈzuːfə/) is an American sports promotion company specializing in mixed martial arts. It was founded in January 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Station Casinos executives Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta to be the parent entity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after they purchased it from the Semaphore Entertainment Group. The word “Zuffa” is an Italian word (pronounced [ˈdzuffa, ˈts-]), meaning…Read More
1997
October 11
PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts events, broadcast to about 40 countries worldwide.[1] PRIDE was owned by the holding company Dream Stage Entertainment (DSE).
1993
November 12
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (later renamed UFC 1: The Beginning) was the first mixed martial arts event by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), held at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado, United States, on November 12, 1993. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view Gerard Gordeau (Savate) TKO Teila Tuli (Sumo) 0:26 Gerard Gordeau TKO Kevin Rosier 0:59 Kevin Rosier…Read More
1985
January 1
Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the Shooto Association and the International Shooto Commission. Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 1989 as a mixed martial arts promotion. It is considered one of the first true mixed martial arts competitions, with its Vale Tudo Japan events being essential…Read More
1983
November 3
Pennsylvania Senate Bill 632, often referred to as the Tough Guy Law, became a legislative act (Act 1983-62) that outlawed the sport of mixed martial arts.[1][2][3] The Tough Guy Law was the first legal precedent for MMA in the United States, approved November 3, 1983
1980
March 20
The Tough Guy Contest, founded in 1979 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by CV Productions, Inc., introduced regulated mixed martial arts competition in the United States and established the first MMA league.The Tough Guy contest was also promoted as “Battle of the Tough Guys” and “Battle of the Brawlers” before rebranding to “Super Fighters
1976
June 26
Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki, billed as The War of the Worlds,[1] was a fight between American professional boxer Muhammad Ali and Japanese professional wrestler Antonio Inoki, held at the Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo, Japan, on June 26, 1976. At the time, Ali had come off a knockout victory over Richard Dunn in May and was the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion. Inoki, who had been…Read More
1963
December 2
In 1963, LeBell became involved with a challenge by boxer and writer Jim Beck to the practitioners of Japanese martial arts. Beck claimed that a boxer could defeat any martial artist in a straight fight and offered $1000 to anyone who could prove otherwise. Beck engaged in abundant trash-talk, but revealed a…Read More
1920
January 1
Vale Tudo (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvali ˈtudu]; English: Everything Goes/Everything Allowed), also known No Holds Barred (NHB) in the United States, is an unarmed, full-contact combat sport with relatively few rules. It became popular in Brazil during the 20th century and would eventually evolve into modern Mixed martial arts (MMA).[1] For years “Vale Tudo” was used as a synonym for MMA in…Read More
1914
January 1
Mitsuyo Maeda (前田 光世, Maeda Mitsuyo, born November 18, 1878 – November 28, 1941),[1] a Brazilian naturalized as Otávio Maeda (Portuguese pronunciation: [oˈtavju mɐˈedɐ]),[2] was a Japanese judōka (judo practitioner) and prizefighter in no holds barred competitions, also being one of the first documented mixed martial artists of the modern era for he frequently challenged practitioners of other martial arts and combat sports. He was…Read More
