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In a sport where every fight has the potential to be as enticing as the main event, characters routinely come into the limelight and wither away. On the outside, a card may look like it should be telecast free on TV, but it may very well turn out to be the card of the year.
In other words, there is much that can be said about the outcome going into a fight but not much about the myriad of factors at play that can turn the tables at any moment.
Most fights (or in the older days, experiments) are planned stylistically to give the fans an interesting match-up to look out for. Variables that align well with each other or are diametrically opposite, end up providing the most bang for the buck.
How about a knockout artist Vs. knockout artist? Technical striker against a brawler? Or the classic, striking specialist pitted against a grappling master? It is not just about doing what seems right but also doing it for the right reasons. And you can never go wrong with "Quality entertainment" as a viable reason.
Back in the old days when stylistic match ups were the crux of the reason the UFC existed in the first place, the contrast between various martial arts added a sense of curiosity to the fights.
The whole project was like a huge reality check for all traditional martial arts, who could no longer market themselves to be an end in themselves, in terms of practical applicability and self-defence.
There is something to be said about blood sport in general. The odds were always against the business of no holds barred fighting and the UFC tried its best to turn this into a legitimate sport and suffice to say, they have now succeeded with flying colours.
But apart from the business aspect of the situation that must have haunted the initial investors of the UFC and Dana White in the form of many sleepless nights, it also had a huge moral sticker attached to it that presented itself as an easy target for politicians and lobbyists to go against.
Therefore, it had to be morphed into a well regulated, fairly judged and evenly competitive sport.
Throughout this journey, the perception of the UFC and mixed martial arts went through many ups and downs. And like any source of entertainment, you could always change the channel if you didn't like what was being shown. The competition was against the likes of established sports such as the American football, Soccer and even its arch rival, Boxing.
No doubt, the road was lengthy and rough and it took UFC more than 20 years to establish itself as the instantly recognisable brand it is at present.
But along the way, there were many fights that gave the promotion and the sport a great push by creating organic buzz on social media and through word of mouth in the old days. These fights essentially catapulted the sport into the mainstream media's face, by presenting them a story they could not afford to ignore.
The narrative is the vehicle of attention. And as we know, in a world of competing narratives, attention is very hard to get and even harder to sustain. These fights compelled the spectators to turn their attention on the product UFC was selling and acted as a gateway drug for the frenzy of MMA to take over.
Here are 5 fights that changed the course of UFC history.
#1 Royce Gracie Winning UFC 1
When UFC 1 first aired as a tournament to determine the best martial artist on the planet, there was no shortage of humongous athletes willing to have a go at each other under no rules. Because of the controversial nature of the competition and the vagueness of the rules surrounding it, many believed it was more or less just a fight in which anything goes.
Not an unfair assumption to make when shots to the groin, knees to the head and soccer kicks on a downed opponent were not even discussed as causes for concern, let alone made illegal.
A time in which the rules forbidding utilising elbows from the 12-6 direction and hits to the back of the head would be a laughable addition to the rules and regulations.
The times were wild, Rules minimalistic and just enough to not let it happen in an actual bar. Weight categories were redundant and integration of various martial arts to form a universal MMA curriculum was not even in the talks.
In such conditions, who in their right mind would pick a 170 pound, scrawny, emaciated dude in his thirties to defeat every other fighter with monstrous physique to take home the crown?
In a brilliant display of techniques that his family borrowed from Japanese jujutsu, later progressing it into a new and refined system of ground fighting in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Gracie went on to submit every fighter that was matched up against him.
Gracie still holds the record for most consecutive submission victories in the UFC with 11 victories via varying submissions. Although the times have changed astronomically since the inauguration of UFC, the contribution that Royce Gracie made towards the betterment of the sport cannot be overstated.
While new generations of fighters continue to evolve and innovate, it cannot be ruled out that without a solid foundation that many old school fighters like Gracie provided, the sport would have been a lost cause.
#2 Forest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar
After having many old school personalities to take the sport's name forward such as Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock and many others, it was time for the sport to march on to a new and more sophisticated level.
This was a process that required new torch bearers, fighters that could take the brand and sport forward and serve as role models for the new batch of fans growing up in the early 2000s.
These fans wanted something fresh and engaging, a new product that could get them hooked and was still not a cliché (professional wrestling anyone?). It was not just enough to watch the fights anymore.
The fans wanted more personal content, scenes that highlighted the private struggles that many fighters went through to be on the highest level in the sport; how physically, mentally and emotionally draining the whole process was and incidentally, it made for great reality TV.
After the first season of the Ultimate Fighter, it was unclear whether the audience would be receptive to a follow-up season or be completely disinterested. The mediocre ratings did not help the company's case for a new contract either.
Until, the finale of the show. The grand finale of the ultimate fighter turned out to be a fight that was not expected to deliver but stole the show anyway.
This was coincidentally also the first time a UFC fight was to be aired on national TV at the prime time slot and so the stakes were high for Dana White and the Fertitta brothers. Up until that point, the future of not only the show but even the promotion itself was in jeopardy.
After a deeply gripping fight that saw both fighters exchange hard shots in a very even fashion for almost the majority of the fight, the audience were on their feet. In an extremely close contest, Forest Griffin ended up defeating Stephan Bonnar to win the Light Heavyweight tournament for the first season of the Ultimate Fighter.
But to the delight of the fans and Bonnar, Dana White offered both the fighters a contract that night, making it one of the most memorable moments of competitiveness and sportsmanship in MMA.
This also secured the future of UFC and projected their presence into the mainstream media, a move that was paramount to the promotion's long-term success.
#3 Ronda Rousey vs. Holly Holm
From its initiation in the early days as an experiment to reaching at least a point of intermediate maturity, as a sport, MMA evolved at warp speed and almost incessantly. But still, if there was one stone left unturned, it was the addition of female MMA fighters in the UFC.
Before Ronda Rousey, Dana White had made it very clear publicly that there would be no women fighting in the UFC anytime soon. However, after the meteoric rise of Ronda Rousey on her rise to title contention and then being a dominant Champion, White was forced to reconsider his plans regarding that move.
Soon the Women's Bantamweight division became a staple in the UFC and Ronda the imminent star of the division. As she saw herself rising to the top, she started buying into her own hype a little bit. And as every new day passed with ideas of invincibility hammered onto her by the media, her coaches and fans alike, it was certainly the beginning of the end for Rousey.
Rousey had acted as the linchpin for the drastic move that UFC had made tapping into a new market, the mainstream arena of regular people and young girls. She had inadvertently become a role model for many of them and continued to garner scrutinising media attention throughout the wave.
But the UFC shared a lot of demographics with the WWE fans and wanted a sizeable chunk of them to come their way, hence the catchphrase "As real as it gets." Although they were trying to play that card, they always knew that it could backfire on them and their narrative.
The invincible Ronda Rousey had her Achilles heel in striking exposed a few times but not so much as to cost her a fight. At the height of her fame, she faced the 18-time world boxing champion Holly Holm at UFC 193.
In front of a crowd of tens of thousands of people, Holly Holm shocked the world by knocking Ronda Rousey out with a well-timed head kick and following up with brutal but unnecessary hammer fists.
The world was simultaneously in shock and awe, an outpour of emotions followed and Ronda Rousey had to build herself from scratch, for the first time in her career.
Covering such an untapped demographic and then getting them through this emotional roller coaster through the journey of Ronda Rousey's rise and decline, was surely a pivotal moment in the history of UFC and one that really set the company on a different course.
#4 Aldo vs Mcgregor
This one is a no-brainer but not for the reasons that many people think. Sure, it put MMA into the mainstream again and the UFC had a new megastar on their hands after a long time, but this fight did more than just rake in PPV buys.
Coming into the fight, McGregor had the classic struggled-but-hustled-his-way-to-the-top story. The fact that he was also a knockout artist with extremely entertaining stints on the microphone as well, made his persona larger than life.
Jose Aldo, on the other hand, was no slouch either and was practically undefeated for more than a decade before the fight. A year of trash talk, world tours, media appearances and back and forth rambling, culminated into huge anticipation for the fight around the world.
Before this fight, the lighter weight divisions really lacked a Superstar to get more people watching. In the aftermath, however, there was more spotlight than ever on the lighter weight divisions.
Although the fight had a somewhat anti-climactic end with such a dominating Champion being knocked out in mere 13 seconds, it was a master class in technique, psychological warfare and comfort being the centre of attention.
After UFC 189, UFC still wasn't sure if McGregor would be able to seal the deal by defeating a legend in Jose Aldo but in UFC 194, it was obvious that they had a star on their hands and unlike many other stars (Brock Lesnar, Ronda Rousey), McGregor was here to stay through thick and thin.
#5 Matt Hughes vs Frank Trigg 2
A lot of people would not consider this a pivotal fight in the history of the UFC. But, there are the fights that get you interested in the sport and then there are the fights that transform you into a lifelong fan. Hughes vs. Trigg 2 checks all the boxes on that scale.
Set in a stage where UFC was popular but not nearly on a level it is now, this was a time when the game plans were still being rounded out, techniques being polished and a new generation of MMA fighters was upon us. But as these baby boomers were about to let the millennials know, it was not going to be an easy stride by any measure.
When UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes got the call to fight Frank Trigg, a man he had faced and defeated before, he was not amused. Hughes despised Trigg and did not respect his presence inside and outside the Octagon.
As the fight took place, Trigg came in aggressively, catching Hughes early and then dominating him in the clinch with knees to the head and body but as Hughes sought to reverse the position, Trigg "accidently" hit him with a knee in the groin area.
Hughes tried to point the incident to the referee but the situation eluded completely. Unable to even stand up, Hughes continued to take the onslaught of Trigg and found himself mounted.
Quickly switching positions and taking Hughes’ back, Trigg locked in a rear naked choke that had Hughes’ face extremely red with a possible neck crank. Hughes somehow miraculously survived the choke and by being conservative with his energy, got into a more dominant position.
Then out of nowhere, Hughes, even after getting knocked down and being battered with punches, managed to find enough strength to literally pick up Trigg and carry him across the length of the Octagon, ending with a vicious slam. A move that has found its way on many highlight reels through the years.
Hughes then went on to choke Trigg out in what could be called one of the best comeback stories in all of MMA.
Much like the Griffin and Bonnar fight, this fight converted a lot of casual spectators into hardcore fans and established the sport's entertainment value on not only in standup but also on the ground.
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