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UFC might be young when compared to the other major sporting promotions, but it has a rich and interesting history. Ever since its inception, UFC has been on a roller coaster ride. It saw some major lows and at the same time, it scaled some big heights.
And this roller coaster ride is what shaped the UFC into what we see today. Currently, it is the biggest MMA promotion out there with a value of more than $4 Billion and boasts the biggest MMA stars on the planet.
Despite the global popularity, there are some interesting and weird facts about the UFC that most of the fans don’t know. In this list, we will be looking at five such facts. So here are five things about the UFC that you probably did not know.
#5 The Chuck Norris connection
The Octagon is a term that is now synonymous with the UFC. For the uninitiated, it is what the UFC’s cage is called. The name is trademarked by the promotion and it was video and film art director Jason Cusson that came up with the concept back in 1993.
Jason was brought on board by the UFC to design a suitable fighting surface for the sport. Interestingly, Jason had no background of Martial Arts. However, he came up with the iconic design which is still being used.
In an interview with ESPN, Jason revealed that it was a 1980s movie starring Chuck Norris that inspired him. The movie, which was named ‘The Octagon’, featured Chuck Norris as a retired Karate Champion who trains as a Ninja to take down terrorists.
Though there is no octagon shaped fighting surfaces in the film, it does have an octagon shaped building with a sand covered area where fights take place. Nevertheless, if it wasn’t for Chuck Norris and Jason Cusson, we wouldn’t have the Octagon now.
#4 The meaning of Zuffa
Zuffa, LLC has a special place in the history of Mixed Martial Arts. Founded by Frank Fertitta and Lorenzo Fertitta in 2001, it was created to be the parent entity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
While it was initially introduced to manage the UFC, Zuffa later went on to take over World Fighting Alliance, Pride Fighting Championships, World Extreme Cagefighting and Strikeforce. And in 2018, Zuffa was sold to WME-IMG for a whopping $4 Billion.
Although Zuffa is a term that gets thrown around quite often, most of the MMA fans don’t know what it actually means. Now, if you belong to this list, get ready to be enlightened.
Zuffa is an Italian word which means ‘fight’. For a sports promotion that has fighting as its major selling point, it was an apt choice by the Fertitta brothers. The Italian connection that Fertittas have would’ve also played a big part.
#3 The celebrities that hold a stake in the UFC
The WME-IMG takeover of the UFC was a big milestone in the history of Mixed Martial Arts. The $4 Billion valuation of the promotion not only showed that it was a bankable sport but that it also got some major mainstream attention as Disney had purchased the Star Wars franchise for almost the same amount.
Though the WME-IMG takeover has been bittersweet so far, it has brought in many celebrity owners to the UFC. Tennis stars Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, Hollywood actor Mark Wahlberg, TV host Jimmy Kimmel, and singer Calvin Harris are just some of the names that hold a stake in the UFC.
Although these celebrities might not be worried about how the UFC runs on a day-to-day basis or how the fighters work, the extra glamour and glitz do help the sport to get some mainstream attention.
#2 The Jiu-Jitsu Clause
Being on top of a fight promotion is no cake walk. And if there is more than one owner, then the chances of disputes are quite high. But what if these disputes were settled with fights?
Well, The Fertittas had a similar idea. In one of the interviews, the brothers revealed that they would conduct 5-minute rounds of Jiu-Jitsu to resolve issues when making decisions. They relied on a points system and whoever got the most points got the vote while Dana White served as the referee.
Interestingly, the Fertittas train together six mornings a week. They usually train at a 4000-square foot gym which is located underneath the Station Casinos corporate offices.
Frank Fertitta once revealed that his brother Lorenzo got the better of him during such fights but pointed out that age could be a major factor. As for Dana White, he is equally crazy and once challenged Tito Ortiz to a boxing match.
#1 Alligators and Sharks for UFC 1
UFC co-founder Rorion Gracie once revealed in an interview that they had considered having alligators and sharks around the cage for UFC 1. The idea was to make as many headlines as possible as they were in Hollywood and wanted to explore all the possibilities.
They even thought about having an electric fence for that matter. The wild idea of alligators, however, was dropped later as the UFC officials did not want one of the fighters to get chewed up.
Though this sounds funny at this point, it also exposes the desperation that people like Gracie had to get some mainstream attention to UFC. More than two decades later, UFC has this attention and thankfully, it didn’t require any alligator sacrifices to do so.
What do you think of the list and what are some of the other lesser-known facts about UFC? Let us know in the comments section below.
