Mark Kerr, star of UFC 14 and 15, perfected it. It’s a move that sneaks up on you, grabs you and leaves you panting for breath as you watch your hand tap the mat through blurry, unfocused eyes. Now, it’s time that you learn it: the gator roll choke.

Pretty intense, huh? The gator roll choke is really more like a dynamic arm triangle choke; you wait until your opponent makes a move to take you down, you avoid actually being taken down, and flip him over like you’re wrestling an alligator. Once his arm has been secured against his throat and your hands are clasped, you tighten your hold and cut off his blood flow. It takes an average person four seconds to pass out from having the blood flow to his or her brain cut off. Your opponent will be tapping out faster than the Pittsburgh Pirates getting eliminated from playoff contention (about 10 seconds after the season begins).

You might think that the gator roll cuts off air flow, but that is not the case. The average person can survive without air for 40 seconds. If this submission technique cut off air flow, it would be a long battle and the opponent would probably be able to escape. Cutting off blood flow, on the other hand, makes it so that the opponent loses key senses and thinking power, effectively putting your body into a ‘sleep mode.’  MMA fighters can withstand the gator roll choke for longer than four seconds of course, but if they don’t tap out soon after they WILL pass out.

This move is directly related to other arm triangle chokes such as the D’Arce choke, where your opponent is in a arm triangle choke from the front headlock position and the choking arm is thread under the near arm, in front of the opponent’s neck, and on top of the far arm; and my personal favorite, the Anaconda choke, which is essentially the same as a D’Arce but the choking arm is thread under the opponent’s neck and through the armpit as you grasp his biceps.

Don’t try this move on your dog or an unsuspecting friend, as you may cause some serious damage as well as get strange looks from pedestrians. If you want a sweet new submission move to end your fights and gain serious respect, try the gator roll.

Extreme Fight Club will host Downtown Beatdown in Erie, PA, on Saturday July 25, 2009.  This will be Erie’s first mixed martial arts event.  Tickets are available at Okey’s Automotive (814-455-1871) and the Avalon Hotel of Erie (814-459-2220).  The event kicks off at 6:30 PM.

Fight Card

Okey Lawrence (4-2-0) vs Adrian Yarboro (3-0-0)

Ty Perry (1-1-0) vs. Corey Nichols (1-2-0)

Doug Hodges (2-3-0) vs. Rodney Hurkman (0-1-0)

Mike Linza (5-0-1) vs. Phillip Estes (1-1-0)

Brock Menzil (2-0-0) vs. Sean Santella (0-1-1)

 Ron “Night Train” White Jr. (2-2-0) vs. Corey Frantz (2-1-0)

Jessica Wolbert (0-1-0) vs. Amanda Jones (0-1-0)

Adam Farrell (4-1-1) vs. James Moore (3-5-0)

James Rank (0-0-0) vs. TBD

Theodore Dobson (0-1-0) vs. Hazelton Elkins (1-1-0)

John Heynoski (0-0-0) vs. Cody Hinson (0-0-0)

Troy Musil (0-0-0) vs. Arthur Byrne (0-0-0)

Jason Galvin (0-2-0) vs. James Ingram (0-0-0)

Donnie Lennox (0-0-0) vs. Scott Rendos (0-0-0)

Noe Quintanilla (3-3-0) vs. Norman Alexander (4-9-0)

Jacob Spuck (0-1-0) vs. Thomas “Primetime” Ellsworth (0-0-0)

David Spinelli (0-0-0) vs. Randy “Rage” Owen (0-0-0)

Chris Jones (0-0-0) vs. Ian Knecht (0-0-0)

Valley Fight League will be hosting Broad Avenue Brawlers on July 24, 2009 at the Jaffa Shrine in Altoona, PA.  This will be the first MMA event to be held in Altoona and will feature 6x All-American NCAA Wrestling Champion and former NFL star Carlton Haselrig. Tickets range from $30-$100 and can be purchased online or over the phone at 304-283-3053.

Carlton Haselrig MMA Fighter from Johnstown PA

At UFC 100,  Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir are scheduled for an encore, hopefully giving fans another great fight. However, very much has changed since their first showdown. When Lesnar and Mir met each other for the first time at UFC 81, Lesnar was just breaking into the UFC. It was only Lesnar’s second fight in the UFC, and only his third MMA fight ever. Lesnar’s “pro wrestling,” career could have hardly gained him any legitimate fighting experience. Mir was a former UFC heavyweight champion and an 8 year UFC veteran.

As many expected, Mir won the fight, but hardly dominated against the rookie. Mir also showed much vulnerability as he was unable to avoid Lesnar’s takedowns. Many felt Mir captured the victory only through capitalizing on some of Lesnar’s rookie mistakes; such as leaving himself vulnerable on the “ground and pound.”

Most UFC fans see their fight at UFC 100 as having a very different outcome. Let’s compare these two athletes on three different important points in an effort to better analyze how their next showdown might play out.

Brock Lesnar

Who did he fight last, what was the outcome?

Lesnar last fought at UFC 91 against MMA legend Randy Couture for the heavy weight title. Couture is a MMA veteran with 25 fights under his belt and over 12 years of experience. It was only Lesnar’s fourth fight in the UFC, and the biggest challenge of his young career. Lesnar pulled out the TKO win for the heavy weight championship against a very formidable opponent — though some question if Couture was too old and washed up — and is now considered one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC.

What has he done to improve as a fighter since their last meeting?

Many UFC fans believe that Lesnar lost their first match up because of over-eagerness and mistakes due to inexperience. However, since their first meeting, Lesnar has shown a vast improvement in his ability to stay calm and less anxious. Take Lesnar vs. Herring for example. In that fight, Lesnar was flying all across the cage, clearly over-anxious. However, in his fight with Couture, he was calm and much less wild. This vast improvement took place in only a one-fight period. Considering Lesnar is a fast learner, heralded NCAA wrestling champ, and a beast with natural power, this rematch should prove to be very interesting; especially now that Lesnar has “found himself” in the cage.

What are his advantages when fighting Mir?

Lesnar’s biggest advantages are his size and power. He is 6’3 and 265 pounds, making him almost 30 pounds heavier than Mir as well as one of the largest and most powerful men in the UFC. But unlike most big men that tire more quickly and are limited in their agility, Lesnar is not plagued by these problems.

He showed no signs of fatigue during a hard fought three rounds against Heath Herring. He is also very agile, which he clearly demonstrated in his first fight with Mir, taking him down almost immediately, and then dominating, for the most part, on the ground with his superior agility and strength (until Mir’s leg lock, which I don’t think he’ll be lucky enough to pull off this time around).

Frank Mir

Who did he fight last, what was the outcome?

Mir last fought at UFC 92 against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the interim heavyweight title. Nogueira was a huge MMA veteran with 37 total fights. Mir won the fight with a strong TKO victory in the first round.

What has he done to improve as a fighter since their last meeting?

Mir was already very well-rounded when they first met. His superior experience became clear when he turned a ferocious beating, and potentially devastating loss, into a leg lock which ended the fight and earned him the victory. There is always room for improvement, but I don’t know how much Mir has improved other than in his experience. I think he will mostly be the same fighter.

What are his advantages when fighting Lesnar?

His biggest strength in fighting Lesnar for the second time, is his experience from their first fight. He knows about Lesnar’s strong ground game, but also knows what to look for when exploiting Lesnar. Mir knows he is not as good a wrestler as Lesnar, but his upright game is much better. Mir’s clearest advantage will be to force Lesnar to stay on his feet, where he is less experienced. He got lucky on the ground against Lesnar in their first fight. Lesnar will not likely make the same mistakes in their second.

Most people consider Mir to be a big underdog this time around. However, Mir is no stranger to being the underdog and has been for most of his big fights. Fans should be advised not to sleep on Mir during this fight. Mir still has much to offer the UFC, and while Lesnar’s star is rising, Mir’s star has far from gone out.

One of the most anticipated fights of UFC 100 is Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping. Most expect the fight to be won or lost on the ground. This being so, the biggest question is, who will have the overall advantage? Can Bisping out-wrestle a former Olympic wrestler? And does Henderson, who now primarily relies on his fists, still have the wrestling skills to overcome Michael Bisping?

MMA veteran Dan Henderson, is a former olympic wrestler and PRIDE middleweight, and light heavyweight champion. He is also, as of more recently, a largely one -dimensional fighter. One would think that Henderson relies mostly on his strengths in wrestling; in fact, he is criticized for not fighting to his wrestling strengths. He has found most of his success in his cannon right hand.

Michael Bisping is a former kick boxer. He is 18 and 1 in the UFC, his one loss being a close split decision. Bisping is the former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship light heavyweight champ, and former Cage Rage light heavyweight champ. He was also winner of The Ultimate Fighter television series during the show’s third season.

Let’s take a look at both fighters’ wrestling backgrounds.

In high school, Henderson wrestled at both the 1987 and 1988 California State Wrestling Championships, and received medals there for his accomplishments.

The first part of Henderson’s collegiate career took place at Cal Stat Fullerton, and then at Arizona State, where he wrestled at the 1993 NCAA championships.

A year earlier he represented the country in the 1992 Olympics, and then again three years later at the 1996 Olympics.

Since his recent reentry into the UFC in 2007(Henderson participated in the late 90’s, when the UFC was still a single tournament, rather than a “league”) he has fought some of the best strikers and wrestlers. Among the ones he has beaten are Rousimar Palharis at UFC 88 and Rich Franklin at UFC 93.

Henderson made it very difficult for Palharis to get him on the ground, and when he did, Henderson showed superior wrestling skills. In the win against Rich Franklin, Henderson showcased his wrestling abilities by dominating Franklin on the ground for most of round 2, which was the decider in his split decision victory.

Bisping’s background in wrestling is not nearly as heralded as Henderson’s. Originally, he was a kick boxer who had some success and won a British light heavyweight kickboxing title. It was not until 2004 that Bisping entered the sport of MMA.

Bisping relied heavily on his kick boxing experience to carry him to 10 and 0 record in the Cage Warriors league, and made the transition into the UFC in 2006.

He was featured on The Ultimate Fighter, and received training under legendary fighter Tito Ortiz. Although he went on to win the show, he realized that expanding his ground game was crucial to his success in the UFC.

Bisping faced a three time NCAA D III wrestling champ in Matt Hamill at UFC 75, and came out with the split decision win. He showed good resilience to Hamill’s take downs, and a strong ability to get back to his feet. The Hamill fight proved to be one of his best ground-oriented fights.

Since then he has much improved. Bisping faced Rashad Evans at UFC. He took his only loss in the Evans fight, but demonstrated much-improved ability on the ground, only allowing 5 of 15 attempted takedowns as recorded by MMA Madness.

Bisping is also currently training with renowned wrestling coach Zach Lite of the famed, Wolfslair gym. Lite also trained UFC light heavyweight sensation, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Lite is also going to be a coach on The Ultimate Fighter season 10. He is very confident in Bisping’s refined wrestling skills. “He will take Dan Henderson down more than one time in the fight. He will, that’s how he is going to win the fight. That is how I see it. When they start trading I think Mike will win the scrambles,” Lite said in an interview with Fighters Only Magazine.

We will have to settle for making Comparisons and educated predictions while we wait for them to meet in the octagon on July 11th, at UFC 100. The fight is largely up in the air though, and it is anyone’s guess who will come out on top. This is part of the reason it is such a fan favorite. Will the former wrestling star, get the better of the ground action? Can the kick boxer come out on top with the win? Well, we will just have to wait to find out.

Steroid use is a hot topic in sports today. Is he “juicing” or isn’t he? Are his muscles all-natural? Recently, it’s an issue most associated with baseball and the recent Congress hearings on steroids.  Those hearings connected nearly 90 players to steroid use. If you’re successful in a professional sport, expect to answer accusations of steroid use.

Generally, steroids are banned because of negative side effects and health risks they can cause, the effect that professional athletes’ steroid use will have on younger and impressionable athletes and to make play fair for all participants.
 

With the rigorous training that MMA fighters go through, it’s to be expected that they will be muscular; it’s their jobs. While accusations are flying around in all sports that an athlete is on steroids, UFC and MMA are no exception.

In June 2007, a report from California State Athletic Commission said that Royce Gracie tested positive for anabolic steroids. Gracie has reportedly denied the claims that he’s used steroids. Gracie was suspended until May 2008 and was fined $2,500, which was the maximum penalty for the state of California.

Around the same time, fighter Johnnie Morton failed his pre-fight drug test, which came back positive for high testosterone levels. EliteXC fighter Tim Persey’s drug test found amphetamines in his system. Persey was charged $1,000 and was suspended for six months. In March 2009, Ken Shamrock was suspended for a year after he tested positive.

California enacted a new steroid policy in December 2008 which complies with the standards of the Olympics and the World Anti-Doping Agency, who will perform the tests. The new policy for MMA and steroid use tests fighters for every match.

With the policy, all fighters will be tested for steroid use that are participating in major matches. For fights of less importance, random fighters will be tested for recreational drug use.

New bylaws are in early stages of passing and propose that fighters be tested all year, allowing fighters who use steroids in the off-season or pre-season to be caught.

“If this testing forces people to deal with issues ahead of time, it may allow their families to have more time with them, save them from health problems in later life or even premature death,” Bill Douglas, assistant executive officer of the California State Athletic Commission and in charge of operations said.

WADA’s testing lab, located at UCLA, also performs tests on athletes from leagues such as the NFL.

The NFL’s steroid policy states that a player may be tested as many times as 24 every year. Players that test positive for the first time are suspended without pay for four games. If the player continues to test positive in the future he may be released from the NFL.

While these two policies are different, they are both effective in cutting back steroid use– for now.  Until the negative side effects overtake the positive ones, expect athletes to continue to use despite the risks it could give their sports career.

Although most people associate steroids with substances like Human Growth Hormone or Anabolic Steroids, other substances, such as caffeine, are classified as steroids and are banned in some sporting events. Amphetamines and alcohol are also often prohibited substances.

Most use HGH and Anabolic Steroids to increase their strength and muscle mass, reduce the recovery time needed between workouts and reduce body fat.

When using steroids, other negative effects often occur that one might not have bargained for.

Anabolic steroids are said to cause heart problems, liver disease, blood clots, tumors, certain types of cancer and aggressive behavior. HGH brings joint swelling and pain, and a risk of carpal tunnel syndrome and diabetes to its users.

However, these side effects are often disputed and few studies have been done to show the long-term effects of steroids.

Because nearly all fighters are extremely health conscience, they’re aware that using steroids brings the possibility of decreasing their health, including the numerous lasting side effects.

So, why are athletes still using steroids? Of course, they’re by no means capable of miracles. They won’t turn athletes into mega-super athletes. Regardless, they’re effective in building muscle quickly; in a few days you can notice a difference at the gym—in strength, endurance and motivation. But is it really worth it?

Every once in awhile, a new athlete bursts onto the sports scene that takes everyone by surprise.  There have been unexpected stories of overcoming adversities and achieving success that can’t help but make you smile and think, “Well, maybe if he could do it, then so can I!”

Plenty of fighters make their professional Mixed Martial Arts debut every year.  Not many of them do it with just one arm.

Fighter Nic Newell has had to overcome a physical disability that he was born with in order to achieve his dreams of fighting for the UFC.  Although his left arm ends after his elbow, he chooses not to wear a prosthetic.

Newell’s disability hasn’t deterred his will and determination to fight.

Newell, 23, faced his first professional lightweight fight on June 20 and defeated Dan Ford in a Cagefighting Xtreme event in Plymouth, Mass.   Newell won by a technical knockout (TKO), three minutes into the first round.  Before going professional, Newell had a 2-1 amateur record and has been turning heads ever since.

Previously, Ford’s professional record was 1-2, according to mixedmartialarts.com.

Former National Amateur Fight League 155lb championship winner Newell may have a disadvantage when it comes to fighting, but he doesn’t think of it in that way.

“Regardless of whether I have a disability or not, I always want to win and be the best,” Newell said in an interview with Fanhouse.  He attributes his success to determination, ability to adapt to adversity and perseverance to achieve his dreams.   

He also stated that throughout his career, he hopes to show that people with disabilities can be successful, and to not give up on your goals.

Before fighting in MMA events, Newell was an all-state high school wrestler and won over 150 matches.  Newell also captioned the team.  After high school, he went on to wrestle in college at Western New England College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in communication. 

He became interested in MMA after he saw the sport on television and then went to witness it live.

With the world of Mixed Martial Arts growing more popular by the day, there are many misconceptions about the sport.  Here’s setting the record straight.

10.  MMA has been around since the time of the ancient Greeks.

Around 600 BC, the Greeks started a new sport in their ancient Olympic Games.  This new sport, Pankration (meaning “all powers”) combined the elements of wrestling and boxing into one sport.  Similar to today, matches were fought in rings and were won by knocking your opponent unconscious or through submission by the opponent raising his hand.

9.  Many believe that fighters fast to lose weight in days before an event, but most chose to lose it in a healthy way.   Fighters often lose the weight  through different ways.  Some use diet and exercise, while others go sweat it out in the sauna.  Seemingly, most fighters are dedicated to a healthy and natural diet all year, as to avoid the last minute weight loss.

8.  Some fighters say the biggest mistake you can make is not being humble.  In an interview with MMA frenzy, Cole Miller said that not being humble often leads to a humiliating loss, making a fighter want to rethink his career choice.

7.  MMA is a team sport– a fighter’s team, staff and trainers are the force behind the fighters.  They’re the people closest to the fighter; after spending hours a day in training, they’re often thought of as family.  Fighters and coaches often give their all to each other, which has been a winning combination in the world of MMA.

6.  UFC champs gets to keep the belt.  UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez supposedly tried to sell his belt on Ebay in 2008 to raise money for a local school.

5.  The first publicized “MMA” event was in China in 1909 between British boxer Hercules O’Brien and Chinese martial artist Huo Yuan Jia.  The fighters had a hard time agreeing to the rules of the match, but they decided that whoever could knock down the other would win. 

The 2006 movie Fearless, is loosely based off of this fight and focuses on Yuan Jia’s life, who is arguably one of the most famous Chinese martial artists of all times.

4.  Thought Cub Swanson got knocked out quickly in June 2009 by Jose Aldo?  His eight seconds before knockout is a century compared to the knockout of Lautaro Tucas by Chris Clements in three seconds back in 2006.

3.  UFC continued to grow in popularity in the mid 90s, when they promoted their fights as “the bloodiest fighting you’ll ever see.”  Critics referred to it as “human cockfighting.”  Interestingly, the sport’s death rate is extremely low; its death count is currently being debated.  Some reports, for example associatedcontent.com,  state there are no deaths in the sport’s history, others, such as Grapplearts.com, say one death has occurred. 

2.  MMA is one of the most regulated sports in the world.  With numerous rules and judges, in addition to set time limits and amount of rounds, the league’s concern for the fighters’ safety is most important.  The regulation system is under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts and includes over 30 rules.  Many of these rules are similar to those used in Olympic events.

More precautions are taken with fighters than with many athletes from other sports.  Medical teams are present at every fight, and fighters often receive MRIs both before and after fights.

1.  MMA fighters have been successful collegiate athletes and Olympic athletes; the first ever being Mark Schultz, who received a gold medal in wrestling during the 1984 Olympic Games.  Schultz fought one MMA fight before returning to coach wrestling at the collegiate level.

Other Olympic athletes and MMA fighters include Rulon Gardner, Kevin Jackson and Kenny Monday.  Most have only fought in several matches.

To learn about the misconceptions of the dangers of UFC, click here.

To read more about the quickest knockouts, click here.

Everyone knows that professional wrestling is highly entertaining, the athletes are extremely skilled, and very real injuries do occur – but all the action, fake! When athletes make the transition from “professional wrestling,” into other sports, there is justifiably a large amount of skepticism about the ability of that athlete to successfully perform. Last year, Brock Lesnar, of WWE/WWF fame, made the bold transition from performer and entertainer, to prize fighter. Lesnar however, does have legitimacy for his transition.

Lesnar had a stellar amateur wrestling career. He went 33-0 his senior year of high school, and moved on to wrestle at Bismarck State College, in Bismarck, North Dakota. At Bismarck, Lesnar excelled, gaining NJCAA All American status and became the 1998 NJCAA heavy weight champion. After two years at Bismarck, he was granted a wrestling scholarship to the University of Minnesota for his junior and senior years. At Minnesota he gained NCAA All American status, and was crowned the 2000 NCAA heavy weight champion. A star was born, but his career after college was uncertain. Lesnar turned to “professional wrestling” as an outlet through which he could continue his success.

Lesnar signed with the World Wrestling Federation, later the World Wrestling Entertainment in 2000, and began his training in what is essentially the “professional wrestling” minor leagues. He was called up in 2002 to join the roster, and his star quickly began to rise. Lesnar was set to defeat The Rock, the WWE’s biggest star at the time, and was crowned the heavy weight champion. After having reached the pinnacle of what he could accomplish in “professional wrestling,” Lesnar stayed in the wrestling game for two more years, until calling quits with hopes of going to the NFL. Lesnar was good enough to get looks from the Vikings, and was allowed to play with them in the preseason. How ever, he was cut late in the 2004 preseason, but given an invitation to be their representative in NFL Europa, which he declined.

Lesnar, with not much else to do, shifted his attention to MMA. After wrestling one year in Japan, and being defeated there, he decided to shift his sights to the UFC, which had gained much popularity since his WWE days. on February of 2008, Lesnar made his debut appearance on UFC 81 against former heavy weight champion Frank Mir. He was defeated but not deterred, and has been creating waves in the sport since. With the UFC having high expectations for his career after the Mir fight, at UFC 82 he fought Heath Herring, a veteran of MMA, and won by UD after three rounds. This was a big step for Lesnar. MMA icon, and heavy weight champion Randy Couture was to be Lesnar’s next opponent at UFC 91. To the surprise of many, Lesnar won via a technical knockout in the second round, and was crowned the new champion. The sport had its newest star, and Lesnar had achieved the success he could not find in “pro wrestling,” or football.

UFC 100, is scheduled to happen on July 11th. It is a milestone for the UFC, marking their 100th event and how far the UFC has come in only 16 years since their start in 1993. A rematch between Lesnar and Mir is scheduled to take place, and is one of the headlining fights on the card.

Lesnar’s successful transition is a rarity in sports. He is a testament to the incredible athleticism and perseverance of mixed martial artists. His star is on the rise, and he will surely find his greatest success in the UFC.

To see athletes of different or similar fighting practices challenge each other – that has always been the goal behind the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

That goal has come a long way since the UFC’s conceptual development in 1991. The original concept was a single event tournament to discover the world’s best fighting style. The tournament aired in 1993, and was a mini-success, with nearly 90,000 Pay Per View buys. At the time the tournament aired, the entire concept of “mixed martial arts,” as we know it today, did not really exist. The tournament placed athletes of only one fighting art against each another, pitting boxers against Karate, and wrestlers against jiu jitsu and everything in between. Most times, fighters did not know what to do to handle the other opponent as they had never faced someone of that particular art, and the matches were often lacking in entertainment value. Another problem also existed. There were no weight classes, usually setting opponents together with huge size differentials. While this proved to be entertaining at times, this was not practical, especially if the UFC had any desire to be a legitimate organization.

Due to its success, the UFC became a recurring tournament, but many aspects of the tournament needed to be addressed. With a tag-line that read “there are no rules!” and “fighting techniques” such as hair pulling, groin strikes and head butting allowed; the UFC had to revamp it’s entire concept if there was any hope in becoming a permanent fixture in the sporting community.

The tournament had aired five times but in 1995, it started to gain negative popularity, attracting wide press coverage from all over the nation, most of it very unfavorable. Political action was quickly taken against the UFC, and Senator John McCain led the campaign, calling the UFC “human cock fighting.” It was dropped shortly after by major cable and pay per view providers, and in 1997, 36 states had banned no-holds-barred fighting. The UFC was launched into the abyss of sports, thought by many to never be seen again.

However, in response to all the criticism, and much to the surprise of many, the UFC began to cooperate with state athletic commissions. The transformation of the UFC into a legitimate sporting event began to take place. The rules were revamped, eliminating the “dirty” aspects of the tournament like hair pulling, groin shots, and head butting, as well as putting an emphasis on the core elements of the UFC as we know it today; striking, grappling, and punching. With UFC 12 came the introduction of weight classes, UFC 14 mandatory gloves, UFC 15 the banning of strikes to the back of the head and neck, and UFC 21 the introduction of 5 minute rounds. By 1999, the UFC had evolved into a full-fledged sport, almost ready to be accepted by both politicians, and the sporting community. With UFC 28 in 2000, the final step was taken in legitimizing the UFC as an athletic organization, and the New Jersey State Athletic Commission sanctioned the event.

In 2001 the UFC was sold to Zuffa LLC and Dana White. With UFC 33 in September of that year, came it’s returned to main stream cable television and PPV. With effective advertisement and a partnership with the Spike TV network in 2005 for the development of the currently running show, The Ultimate Fighter, now in season 9, the UFC quickly gained mainstream popularity.

On July 11th, UFC 100 is scheduled to take place, and will mark a very important milestone for the UFC. Sixteen years and 100 events since its creation in 1993; from a no-holds-barred tournament with sumo wrestlers and kick boxers to what it is known as today. The card will be headlined by Frank Mir vs. Brock Lesnar. Ten other fights are on both combined main, and undercard, for an event that is sure to out do the last; something the UFC seems to accomplish with all their recent events.

Despite much adversity, the UFC is the quickest growing sport in American and a far cry from its early no-holds-barred days. It is no longer just a tournament but a multimillion dollar organization and mainstream sporting event. The fighters that participate in the UFC are no longer athletes of two very different fighting arts. This current generation of fighters has a very mixed array of skills, and study everything from wrestling to Jiu Jitsu. The UFC is beginning to reach global audiences, and recently held its first event, UFC 99 early this month, in mainland Europe. With good fights, smart advertising, and entertaining television, the UFC’s future is very bright.