10 things all UFC fans understand
Think all UFC fans wear Tapout and Affliction shirts and pretend to be bad asses? Think the UFC is barbaric human cockfighting? Not quite.
The UFC has come a long way since its inception in 1993. It has expanded globally and become a billion-dollar organization. That kind of thing does not happen by accident.
Still, the sport of MMA is not quite mainstream yet. There are many, many misconceptions. Not here, though.
Below, you'll find the 10 things that only a UFC fan would understand.
10. It takes years of training and preparation to make it into the UFC
Frauds like Kimbo Slice need not apply.
All of the best fighters in the UFC — and most of the lower-level combatants, as well — have spent years plying their trade. They are experts in martial arts and much of the time masters of a certain discipline, from Brazilian jiu-jitsu to Muay Thai to wrestling. UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, arguably the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, was a high-level wrestler in high school and college. Jose Aldo, who has not lost a bout in almost a decade, is a Muay Thai specialist.
UFC athletes are not brawlers. You can't just be a tough guy on the streets and beat anyone in the UFC — just ask Kimbo Slice. It takes an incredible amount of skill, discipline and preparation just to get a UFC contract, let alone become a UFC champion. So if you think you're a real bad ass in bar fights and want to fight the best guys in the world, that's cool. Get into the gym and maybe we'll see you in about five years.
9. UFC fighters are not dumb, uneducated meatheads
UFC legend Rich Franklin is a former high-school math teacher.
A large group can be boiled down to a small, visible minority rather easily, but those are just stereotypes. Most UFC fighters actually could succeed in many things other than fighting. A majority of them have college degrees from solid universities — a much greater percentage than the NBA and other sports. It is only a handful who draw negative headlines and have given the sport and the organization a bad rap.
Casual fans might be familiar with fighters only from their work inside the Octagon. But hearing them talk eloquently and intelligently can open up eyes. Not all of them are ignorant bullies who can make money only by punching other people in the face for a living. In fact, very few are. A vast number of UFC fighters are former college wrestling stars who found a way to continue to compete and make money after graduation.
8. Many WWE stars would have done MMA if it were popular when they were growing up
The Rock. The Undertaker. CM Punk. Steve Austin. We won't even get into Brock Lesnar, the former UFC heavyweight champion, and Batista, who also fought in MMA. There are many current and former professional wrestlers who have acknowleged that they would have tried their hand at MMA if the UFC were around when they were growing up. People forget that the UFC is only 20 years old and didn't really become popular until the mid-2000s. It is still an infant compared to other sports leagues.
"If UFC were as popular as it is today and I had the opportunity to make money in the UFC, if it was as popular as it is today, I would have easily done that and I would have gotten involved in MMA," The Rock told FOX Sports in July.
7. The UFC might be bigger internationally than it is in the U.S.
Georges St-Pierre, one of the biggest UFC stars ever, is Canadian.
The UFC is based in the United States and holds most of its shows here. But from a global standpoint, the organization might be bigger, and have more growth potential, overseas. The UFC runs seven or eight events each year in Brazil and four or five more in Canada. It doesn't end there, either. Western Europe has become a solid MMA hotbed and the UFC is making inroads in Asia, where three or four shows will be held in 2015.
Then there's international talent. Irish featherweight Conor McGregor is becoming one of the most popular fighters in the UFC. British middleweight Michael Bisping has been that for almost a decade. Canadian welterweight Georges St-Pierre is one of the biggest UFC stars ever and there are a ton of Brazilian fighters dotting the UFC roster. What's crazy about the global impact is that it's really just getting started. In five to 10 years, MMA will be huge in places like Mexico, which has a strong boxing culture.
6. There might not be a UFC today without 'The Ultimate Fighter'
Forrest Griffin (right) against Stephan Bonnar from the TUF 1 Finale is still the greatest fight in UFC history.
UFC president Dana White likes to call the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter" the UFC's Trojan horse. In a way, the UFC tricked cable television into airing MMA through the guise of a reality show. Reality TV was all the rage when TUF premiered in 2005 and the first season did solid ratings. It's a good thing, too, since the Fertitta brothers, the majority owners of the UFC, had lost more than $40 million on the organization after purchasing it in 2001.
"The Ultimate Fighter" was Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta's last-gasp effort. If it didn’t work out, they were going to sell the UFC — and who knows what would have happened after that. Luckily for everyone, Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar put on perhaps the most iconic fight in MMA history in the TUF finals on live television. A deal for a second season of the show was made that very night, and the UFC has survived in its current state to this day because of the efforts of Griffin, Bonnar and the others on TUF 1.
5. Yes, the ground game can be just as exciting as guys exchanging punches and kicks
Joe Lauzon is one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC and his specialty is ground work.
To the untrained eye, the wrestling and grappling aspects of MMA are boring. And sometimes they are. Even White will admit that when one guy or girl is just pushing his or her opponent up against the cage or just laying there and not being active. But circumstances like that are few and far between.
Grappling is one of the most technical, nuanced part of MMA. There are so many different positions and submissions and the more you get to understand how things work in the ground game, the more interesting it is. Every movement means something — it's not just two people rolling around on the ground. When done correctly, grappling can be one of the most exciting parts of MMA. And who doesn't love when wrestlers produce massive slams?
4. Brock Lesnar got beaten up a lot in real fights
Brock Lesnar finished his MMA career with a 5-3 record.
OK, Lesnar looks like he should be the baddest man on the planet, but in reality he is not. Lesnar, the WWE world heavyweight champion, did win the UFC heavyweight title in just his fourth career fight, which is an incredible accomplishment. But his MMA skills never really evolved past being a huge, athletic, talented wrestler. Cain Velasquez destroyed him in the first round to win the title in 2010 and Alistair Overeem knocked him out a year later to possibly end his UFC career for good.
There are a few caveats here. Lesnar might not have been fully healthy during his UFC run. For years he struggled with diverticulitis, a debilitating disease of the digestive system, and missed significant time in between fights. No one really knows what Lesnar would have been in the Octagon if he were 100 percent, but don't let looks fool you. Lesnar isn't as much of a legitimate bad ass as he looks in scripted WWE matches.
3. The UFC in 2014 looks nothing like when it first started
This is how the UFC looked in the old days -- it's way different now.
The biggest criticism of the UFC: it's too barbaric. Most of the people saying that, though, are thinking of the old UFC — the UFC in which there were no weight classes, gloves or rounds, and punches to the groin were perfectly legal. Things are not like that anymore. Yes, there is blood and injuries happen. But if you watch enough events, instead of just isolated bouts, you'll quickly see that MMA isn't any more dangerous than boxing. Sometimes it just looks a whole lot worse than it actually is.
The UFC, along with other MMA and boxing promoters, is helping to fund a brain-trauma study being done by the Cleveland Clinic. Let's be realistic. Any sport in which two people punch, kick and choke each other is never going to be completely safe. There are inherent risks. Just not as many as some of those uneducated about MMA believe.
2. There might not be women in the UFC without Ronda Rousey
This is the reason there are women in the UFC.
White said for years that women never would compete in his organization. It wasn't coming from a place of sexism. He just didn't believe there were enough good female fighters to warrant an entire women's division in the UFC. Ronda Rousey was the one to change his mind. Her combination of incredible fighting skills, ability to sell a fight, good looks and intelligence endeared her to White. Now, she's one of the biggest stars in the UFC.
Rousey co-starred in her first feature film, "The Expendables 3," over the summer. Next year, she'll also be in "Entourage" and "Fast and Furious 7." Rousey is by far the biggest crossover, mainstream name in MMA. The former Olympic bronze medalist in judo is a serious role model for women and, oh, by the way, she's undefeated and has finished all 10 of her opponents, nine of them in the very first round. Rousey is the baddest woman on the planet.
1. The president doesn't give a @#$%
UFC president, Dana F**in' White.
White does not care what you think about him. He'll curse out trolls on Twitter, yell at media members and admit when fights are boring. White is brash and rough around the edges, which is why he fits the UFC so well. White is also the most accessible head of any sports league when it comes to fans and reporters alike. He has been known to stay for hours after events to sign autographs for fans and answer every press question.
White has his detractors. He has a foul mouth and doesn't get along with some managers and agents. He is not your typical corporate executive. White marches to the beat of his own drummer and isn’t afraid to tell you how he really feels. He's also arguably the most famous personality in the UFC. White is larger than life and one of the biggest reasons the UFC has reached the heights it has.
