Mixed martial arts in the United States

Mixed martial arts in the United States

Mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport in the United States.[1]

History


The earliest example of MMA in America was introduced in Pittsburgh, Penn. in 1979. Fourteen years later the Gracie family introduced their form of Brazilian jiu-jitsu to the US.[2] Which led to the creation of the UFC and begun with the UFC 1 event, held in Denver Colorado in November of 1993.[3][4]

At one time the sport was banned in most parts of the United States which was spearheaded by John McCain who called MMA human cockfighting.[5][6][7]

West Virginia became the 44th state to regulate mixed martial arts on March 24, 2011. On March 8, 2012, Wyoming became the 45th state to regulate MMA. On May 4, 2012, it was announced that Vermont had become the 46th state to regulate MMA. Legislation allowing MMA in Connecticut came into effect on October 1, 2013, making it the 47th state to regulate the sport.

On March 22, 2016, the New York State Assembly voted to lift the State's 1997 ban on MMA and on April 14, 2016 Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill legalizing and regulating the sport into law. New York was the last state to legalize the sport in the United States.[8]

Current Promotions are the two major organiztions UFC and Bellator. Other promotions include: Professional Fighters League in Washington D.C., Cage Fury Fighting Championships in New Jersey, King of the Cage in Southern California, Resurrection Fighting Alliance in Kearney, Nebraska, Legacy Fighting Championships based out of Houston, Texas, Titan Fighting Championship based out of Kansas City, Kansas.

Women's MMA

The first recorded US female competition was at an IFC 4[9] on March 28, 1997. This was soon followed by an IFC four women tournament sanctioned by the Louisiana Boxing and Wrestling Commission on September 5, 1997 in Baton Rouge.[10]

All female Mixed Martial Arts Organization Invicta FC is based out of Enka, North Carolina.

Television

The UFC is the most popular MMA organization in the United States and is broadcast on Fox. Its major rival for viewers is Bellator which is broadcast on Paramount Network.[11]

Literature

  • No Holds Barred: The Complete History of MMA in America by Clyde Gentry ( ISBN 9781600785450)

References

  1. ↑ Bolender, Derek. "MMA: Get to Know the Fastest Growing Sport in America". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  2. ↑ "Rorion Gracie and the day he created the UFC". Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  3. ↑ Rosenberg, Howard (November 15, 1993). "Television: Pay-Per-View Battle, Instead of Being Merely Gory and Funny, Gets Interesting After the First Two Bouts". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  4. ↑ Inc, Active Interest Media (1 April 1994). "Black Belt". Active Interest Media, Inc. Retrieved 30 December 2017 – via Google Books.
  5. ↑ Plotz, David (17 November 1999). "Fight Clubbed". Retrieved 28 August 2018 – via Slate.
  6. ↑ "FIGHTING FOR REGULATION : MIXED MARTIAL ARTS LEGISLATION IN THE UNITED STATES" (PDF). Lawreviewdrake.files.wordpress.com. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  7. ↑ Greene, Nick. "How John McCain Grew to Tolerate MMA, the Sport he Likened to "Human Cockfighting"". Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  8. ↑ Graham, Bryan Armen (22 March 2016). "New York ends ban and becomes 50th state to legalize mixed martial arts". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  9. ↑ Sherdog.com. "International Fighting Championship Fights, Fight Cards, Videos, Pictures, Events and more". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  10. ↑ Sherdog.com. "IFC 5 - Battle in the Bayou". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2017-12-11.
  11. ↑ Szczerba, Robert J. "Mixed Martial Arts and the Evolution of John McCain". Forbes.com. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
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