MMA / Combat Sports
UFC 1 in 1993 through Pride FC, weight classes, the Unified Rules era, Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey, ONE Championship and the modern global scene.
Part of Extreme Sports
10 moments in this segment.
- — UFC 1 — Royce Gracie wins. The Ultimate Fighting Championship launches in Denver with a no-rules, no-time-limit tournament. Royce Gracie wins three fights in a single night with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The discipline becomes mandatory for serious fighters overnight.
- — Pride Fighting Championships launch. Pride FC launches in Tokyo with Rickson Gracie vs Nobuhiko Takada. The Japanese ring-format, theatrical-entrance era of MMA begins.
- — Anderson Silva — UFC middleweight reign. Anderson Silva begins a record 16-fight UFC win streak as middleweight champion (2006-2013). The longest title reign in UFC history.
- — ONE Championship — global expansion. Singapore-based ONE Championship signs Demetrious Johnson, becomes the biggest MMA organisation outside the UFC, dominant in Asia.
- — Unified Rules of MMA. New Jersey adopts the Unified Rules of MMA — weight classes, rounds, judging criteria. The framework all major regulated MMA organizations now use.
- — Ronda Rousey — Strikeforce / UFC women's bantamweight. Ronda Rousey wins the Strikeforce bantamweight title, then becomes UFC's first women's champion in 2013. Her armbar finish becomes one of MMA's signature techniques.
- — Conor McGregor — 13 second KO of José Aldo. At UFC 194, Conor McGregor knocks out José Aldo in 13 seconds. The fastest title-fight finish in UFC history; McGregor becomes the sport's biggest pay-per-view star.
- — Amanda Nunes — destroys Ronda Rousey. Amanda Nunes finishes Ronda Rousey in 48 seconds at UFC 207. Begins her run as the GWOAT (greatest woman of all time) — two-division champion across the next decade.
- — Khabib vs McGregor — UFC 229. Khabib Nurmagomedov submits Conor McGregor at UFC 229. The post-fight brawl makes global news; the pay-per-view sells over 2.4 million buys.
- — Jon Jones — UFC heavyweight champion. After a decade as light-heavyweight champion, Jon Jones submits Ciryl Gane to win the vacant heavyweight title in 2:04. Two-weight UFC champion debate solidifies.
