MMA Lineage History
During the early 20th century, various mixed-style contests and challenges took place throughout the Pacific rim, Japan, Taiwan and in the countries of the Four Asian Tigers. In 1980 CV Productions, Inc. created the first regulated MMA league in the United States, named Tough Guy Contest, later renamed Battle of the Superfighters. CV (Caliguri and Viola) sanctioned ten tournaments in Pennsylvania. However, in 1983 the Pennsylvania State Senate passed a bill prohibiting the sport with the passage of the Tough Guy Law.
| 2,000+ years ago | – Leitai | |
| – Pankration | ||
| Late 19th century | – Hybrid martial arts | |
| – Catch wrestling | ||
| Late 1880s | – Early NHB and Mixed Style contests | |
| 1899 | – Barton-Wright and Bartitsu | |
| Early 1900s | – Merikan contests | |
| 1920s | – Early vale tudo and Gracie Challenge | |
| 1951 | – Masahiko Kimura vs. Hélio Gracie | |
| 1950s–1960s | – Hong Kong rooftop street fights | |
| 1960s–1970s | – Bruce Lee and Jeet Kune Do | |
| 1976 | – Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki | |
| 1970s | – Antonio Inoki and Ishu Kakutōgi Sen | |
| 1979 | – First Mixed Martial Arts Company in America CV Productions Inc. | |
| 1980 | – First MMA League in America Tough Guys | |
| 1983 | – First Bill to Outlaw MMA Tough Guy Law | |
| 1985 | – Shooto forms | |
| 1989 | – First professional Shooto event | |
| 1991 | – First Desafio (BJJ vs. Luta Livre) event | |
| 1993 | – Pancrase forms | |
| 1993 | – UFC forms | |
| Mid/Late 1990s | – International Vale Tudo | |
| 1997–2007 | – PRIDE FC and UFC era | |
| 1999 | – International Sport Combat Federation founded as first sanctioning body of MMA | |
| 2000 | – New Jersey SACB develops Unified Rules | |
| 2001 | – Zuffa buys UFC | |
| 2005 | – The Ultimate Fighter debuts | |
| 2005 | – US Army begins sanctioning MMA | |
| 2006 | – UFC dominance and international growth | |
| 2006 | – Zuffa buys WFA and WEC | |
| 2006 | – UFC 66 generates over a million PPV buys | |
| 2007 | – Zuffa buys PRIDE FC | |
| 2008 | – EliteXC: Primetime gains 6.5 million peak viewers on CBS | |
| 2009 | – Strikeforce holds 1st major card with female main event | |
| 2011 | – WEC merged with UFC | |
| 2011 | – Zuffa buys Strikeforce | |
| 2011 | – UFC on Fox gains 8.8 million peak viewers on Fox | |
| 2012 | – International Mixed Martial Arts Federation was founded with support from UFC | |
| 2016 | – WMG/WME-IMG buys UFC for US$4 billion | |
| 2017 | – WMG/WME-IMG changed its holding name to Endeavor | |
| 2021 | – WMG/WME-IMG listed its shares on the New York Stock Exchange under symbol EDR |
