Timeline

MMA Mixed Martial Arts Timeline

mma timeline

Timeline

2001
January 1

Zuffa

MMA submission
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..Read More
1997
October 11

Pride

pride fighting
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,..Read More
1993
November 12

UFC

UFC
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..Read More
1985
January 1

Shooto

shooto
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..Read More
1983
November 3

Tough Guy Law

tough guy law
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..Read More
1980
March 20

Tough Guy Contest

first mma fight
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..Read More
1976
June 26

Ali vs Inoki

ali vs inoki mma
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...Read More
1963
December 2

Lebell vs Savage

lebell vs savage
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..Read More
1920
January 1

Vale Tudo

vale tudo
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..Read More
1914
January 1

Mitsuyo Maeda

Mitsuyo Maeda
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..Read More