98 Fun Facts About MMA

In what year did the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) hold its first event?

1993's UFC 1 in Denver was set up by Art Davie, Rorion Gracie and Bob Meyrowitz to settle which martial art worked best.

Which U.S. city hosted the inaugural UFC event?

UFC 1 was held at Denver's McNichols Sports Arena on November 12, 1993; Colorado was chosen partly because it had no athletic commission to approve the event.

Which women's weight class did the UFC add in 2014 as its lightest division?

Strawweight debuted in 2014 through The Ultimate Fighter 20, the first season whose winner was crowned a UFC champion outright, taking the new division's vacant belt.

What is the upper weight limit for the Heavyweight division in the UFC?

265 lbs caps heavyweight, the UFC's top class; there is no super heavyweight division, so bigger men must cut down to make it.

Which hold is a staple submission in mixed martial arts?

The rear-naked choke, applied from the opponent's back with the forearm across the throat, is the most common submission finish in UFC history, well ahead of the guillotine and armbar.

What is the widely recognized nickname of the Irish fighter Conor McGregor?

Conor McGregor fights as 'The Notorious'; under that name he won the UFC featherweight title by knocking out José Aldo at UFC 194 in December 2015.

Which promotion did UFC owner Zuffa buy in 2011, then shut down and absorb?

Zuffa bought Strikeforce in March 2011 and folded it in January 2013; Scott Coker's San Jose promotion began as a kickboxing outfit in 1985 and supplied the UFC's first women's roster.

What is the upper weight limit for the Lightweight division in the UFC?

155 lbs is the lightweight ceiling under the Unified Rules; non-title bouts allow a one-pound allowance, so a lightweight may weigh in at 156.

How much did the Fertitta brothers pay to buy the UFC in January 2001?

Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta paid about $2 million for the near-bankrupt UFC in January 2001, forming Zuffa, LLC as its new parent company.

Which fighter set the UFC record of 11 consecutive title defenses from 2013 to 2017?

Demetrious Johnson defended the flyweight title 11 straight times, from John Dodson in January 2013 to Ray Borg in October 2017, the longest defense streak by any UFC champion.

What ancient Greek combat sport, combining wrestling and boxing, is considered a precursor to modern MMA?

Pankration, an ancient Greek combat sport that blended striking and grappling with minimal rules, is widely regarded as an early form of mixed martial arts.

Who was the first fighter to win UFC titles in two different weight divisions?

Randy Couture won the UFC heavyweight title in December 1997 and added the light heavyweight title in 2003, becoming the first fighter to hold UFC belts in two divisions.

How many rounds are typically in a non-title, non-main event UFC fight?

Three five-minute rounds with one-minute breaks is the standard for UFC undercard bouts under the Unified Rules of MMA.

Which former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion is famously known by the nickname 'The Iceman'?

Chuck Liddell, a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, earned the nickname 'The Iceman' due to his calm and composed demeanor before and during fights.

What is the upper weight limit for the Flyweight division in the UFC?

The UFC Flyweight division has an upper weight limit of 125 pounds (56.7 kg) for both men and women.

Which martial art, which Royce Gracie used to win the first UFC in 1993, brought ground fighting and submissions to early MMA?

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu let the slight Royce Gracie submit bigger men at UFC 1, 2 and 4, proving ground fighting could beat striking.

Who was the inaugural UFC Women's Strawweight Champion?

Esparza won the belt in December 2014 at The Ultimate Fighter 20 finale and, unusually, won it a second time in 2022 after losing and regaining it years apart.

Who was appointed UFC president when Zuffa bought the promotion in 2001?

Dana White had been managing UFC fighters when he tipped off his friends the Fertitta brothers that the struggling promotion was for sale, for $2 million.

Which UFC Lightweight champion retired undefeated at 29-0?

Khabib Nurmagomedov retired 29-0 after submitting Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020, having held the lightweight title since beating Al Iaquinta in April 2018.

What is the name of the cage in which UFC fights take place?

UFC fights are famously held in an eight-sided enclosure known as 'The Octagon'.

Who is often referred to as 'The Last Emperor' in the sport of MMA?

Fedor Emelianenko, a legendary heavyweight fighter, is widely known by his nickname 'The Last Emperor' due to his prolonged dominance in the sport, particularly in Pride FC.

How many rounds are typically in a UFC championship fight?

All UFC championship bouts, as well as main event fights, are scheduled for five rounds. Each round lasts five minutes.

What is the MMA term for taking an opponent down and striking them from a dominant top position?

Ground and pound is a wrestler's tactic: take the opponent down, then rain punches and elbows from top position.

Who is known as 'The Spider' in MMA?

Anderson Silva, a former long-reigning UFC Middleweight Champion, is famously known by his nickname 'The Spider' due to his unique striking style and agility.

What is the upper weight limit for the Welterweight division in the UFC?

The UFC Welterweight division has an upper weight limit of 170 pounds (77.1 kg).

Which Olympic wrestling gold medalist went on to hold UFC titles in two weight classes at the same time?

Cejudo won freestyle wrestling gold at Beijing 2008 at age 21, then held the UFC flyweight and bantamweight belts simultaneously in 2019.

Which featherweight is known as 'The Korean Zombie'?

Jung earned the nickname for his relentless forward pressure and ability to absorb punishment; he was the first fighter to land a twister submission in the UFC.

In the UFC, what is the weight limit for the Women's Strawweight division?

The UFC Women's Strawweight division has an upper weight limit of 115 pounds (52.2 kg).

Who knocked out Ben Askren with a flying knee five seconds into their UFC 239 bout?

Jorge Masvidal's flying knee finished Ben Askren five seconds into their UFC 239 fight in July 2019, the fastest knockout in UFC history at the time.

What does a cutman do in MMA?

Working between rounds, the cutman handles swelling, nosebleeds and lacerations so a fighter can keep going.

Which martial art of fists, feet, elbows and knees anchors many MMA fighters' stand-up game?

Muay Thai is 'The Art of Eight Limbs', counting two fists, two feet, two elbows and two knees, and underpins most MMA strikers' stand-up.

Who is known as 'The Prodigy' in MMA?

BJ Penn earned the nickname before his MMA career, after becoming the first non-Brazilian to win the black-belt world jiu-jitsu championship only a few years after starting the sport.

What is the weight limit for the UFC Bantamweight division?

The UFC Bantamweight division has an upper weight limit of 135 pounds (61.2 kg) for both men and women.

Which fighter, known for intense staredowns and striking, is nicknamed 'The Last Stylebender'?

Israel Adesanya, a former UFC Middleweight Champion, is known for his unique striking style and intense personality, earning him the nickname 'The Last Stylebender'.

Which pioneer of women's MMA was the first female fighter signed by the UFC?

Ronda Rousey is widely recognized as a pioneer of women's MMA and was the first female fighter to be signed by the UFC, where she became the inaugural Women's Bantamweight Champion.

What is the upper weight limit for the Featherweight division in the UFC?

The UFC Featherweight division has an upper weight limit of 145 pounds (65.8 kg) for both men and women.

Which wrestling-based UFC Welterweight Champion is known as 'GSP'?

Georges St-Pierre, commonly known as GSP, is a Canadian mixed martial artist widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time, known for his wrestling and dominant reign as UFC Welterweight Champion.

What is it called when a referee stops a fight because a fighter can no longer defend intelligently, though conscious?

A Technical Knockout (TKO) is the referee's call that a fighter cannot safely continue, even while conscious; a KO means they are out.

Whose 2022 win at UFC 276 gave him the record for most UFC victories outright?

Jim Miller entered UFC 276 tied with Donald Cerrone at 23 UFC wins; his second-round knockout of Cerrone in July 2022 gave him sole possession of the record with 24.

What does 'MMA' stand for?

MMA is an acronym for Mixed Martial Arts, a full-contact combat sport that incorporates techniques from various combat sports and martial arts from around the world.

Which fighter is known as 'The Assassin Baby'?

Brandon Moreno, a former UFC Flyweight Champion from Mexico, is famously nicknamed 'The Assassin Baby'.

What is the weight limit for the UFC Light Heavyweight division?

The UFC Light Heavyweight division has an upper weight limit of 205 pounds (93.0 kg).

Who became the UFC's octagon announcer in the 1990s, the voice behind its fighter introductions?

Billed on broadcasts as the 'Veteran Voice of the Octagon', Buffer first announced at UFC 8 in 1996 and became the regular announcer the following year.

Which fighter is known for his unique boxing style and 'The Diamond' nickname?

Dustin Poirier, 'The Diamond', is a Lafayette, Louisiana boxer-puncher who won the interim UFC lightweight title in 2019 and beat Conor McGregor twice in 2021.

What is the upper weight limit for the Middleweight division in the UFC?

The UFC Middleweight division has an upper weight limit of 185 pounds (83.9 kg).

Which promotion was famous for Grand Prix tournaments where a fighter could compete twice in one night?

Pride FC ran its Grand Prix finals with two bouts a night; on those nights each fight was cut to two rounds, a ten-minute opener and a five-minute second round.

Who is known as 'The Lioness' in women's MMA?

Amanda Nunes fights as 'The Lioness' ('Leoa' in Portuguese); from December 2018 she held the UFC bantamweight and featherweight belts at the same time, the first woman to do so.

Which martial art of throws, joint locks and chokeholds heavily influenced MMA grappling?

Judo is a Japanese martial art and Olympic sport focusing on throws, takedowns, and grappling, which has significantly influenced the ground game in MMA.

Who was the first fighter to simultaneously hold two UFC championship belts?

Conor McGregor made history at UFC 205 by becoming the first fighter to simultaneously hold two UFC championship belts (Featherweight and Lightweight).

Which UFC-produced reality series, in which aspiring fighters live together and compete for a contract, helped make MMA mainstream after 2005?

The Ultimate Fighter debuted on Spike TV in January 2005; its first-season finale that April, a three-round light heavyweight slugfest, is often credited with saving the UFC.

Who won the UFC 1 tournament in 1993?

Royce Gracie, the slight Brazilian, submitted three men in one night at UFC 1 and went on to win the UFC 2 and UFC 4 tournaments as well.

Which US senator led a campaign to ban the early UFC as 'human cockfighting'?

Senator John McCain wrote to the governors of all 50 states in 1996 urging them to ban the UFC; 36 states went on to outlaw no-holds-barred fighting.

A last-minute New York ban forced UFC 12 to relocate to Dothan, in which state?

UFC 12 moved to Dothan, Alabama, in February 1997 after New York blocked the event at the last minute; New York did not legalize MMA again until 2016, the last state to do so.

Which state's athletic board sanctioned UFC 28, the first event under the Unified Rules?

New Jersey's State Athletic Control Board sanctioned UFC 28 in Atlantic City in November 2000; the rules it drafted became the Unified Rules adopted across North America, with Nevada following in 2001.

In 2023 the UFC merged with which company to form TKO Group Holdings?

Endeavor's UFC and WWE combined in September 2023 as TKO Group Holdings; Vince McMahon became executive chairman while Dana White stayed on as UFC president.

Which Lion's Den founder was one of the first two UFC Hall of Fame inductees in 2003?

Ken Shamrock, founder of the Lion's Den gym, entered the Hall of Fame alongside Royce Gracie at UFC 45 in November 2003; the two had met in the UFC 1 semifinal.

Who beat Stephan Bonnar in the famous 2005 Ultimate Fighter season one finale?

Forrest Griffin beat Stephan Bonnar by unanimous decision on April 9, 2005; Dana White gave the loser a UFC contract too, and both men later entered the UFC Hall of Fame.

Which 2018 event drew a then-record 2.4 million UFC pay-per-view buys?

UFC 229 in October 2018, headlined by Khabib Nurmagomedov against Conor McGregor, sold about 2.4 million pay-per-views, a UFC record at the time; a brawl spilled out of the cage afterwards.

Which former boxing world champion won the UFC bantamweight title in Melbourne in 2015?

Holly Holm, a former multi-division boxing world champion, knocked out the unbeaten Ronda Rousey with a second-round head kick at UFC 193 in November 2015 as a huge underdog.

Pride was created in 1997 to match pro wrestler Nobuhiko Takada against which BJJ star?

Rickson had become a star in Japan by winning the 1994 and 1995 Vale Tudo Japan tournaments; he beat Takada at the first Pride show.

Which nickname did Japanese fans give Pride star Kazushi Sakuraba in 2000?

Sakuraba became 'The Gracie Hunter' by beating Royler, Royce, Renzo and Ryan Gracie between November 1999 and December 2000, including a 90-minute win over Royce at the 2000 Pride Grand Prix.

Who founded Bellator in 2008?

Bjorn Rebney launched Bellator in 2008 around a tournament format; Viacom bought majority control in 2011 and replaced him with Scott Coker in 2014.

Shooto was founded in 1985 by Satoru Sayama, better known as which masked wrestler?

The original Tiger Mask wanted a realistic fighting system; Shooto became a promotion in 1989, years before the UFC existed.

What does the Brazilian term 'vale tudo' mean in English?

'Vale tudo' is Portuguese for 'anything goes'; in the United States the same near-ruleless format was marketed as 'no holds barred' fighting.

Which former Pride president founded Japan's Rizin Fighting Federation in 2015?

Nobuyuki Sakakibara, Pride's former president, launched Rizin in 2015; his first signing was Fedor Emelianenko for the New Year's Eve show at Saitama Super Arena, reviving the Pride holiday tradition.

Which promotion, founded in 2012, is dedicated entirely to women's MMA?

Invicta FC, founded by Shannon Knapp in 2012, gave women a home after Zuffa's purchase of Strikeforce; future UFC champions including Carla Esparza and Rose Namajunas passed through it.

Who became the first UFC Heavyweight Champion by submitting Dan Severn at UFC 12?

Mark Coleman, an Ohio State wrestler, won the inaugural heavyweight belt with a neck crank on Dan Severn at UFC 12 in 1997 and is called the godfather of ground and pound.

Who did Jon Jones beat at UFC 128 to win the light heavyweight title aged 23?

Jon Jones stopped Maurício 'Shogun' Rua in the third round at UFC 128 in March 2011, hours after chasing down a purse-snatcher in a Paterson, New Jersey park that morning.

Jon Jones's 2009 disqualification loss to Matt Hamill was for which illegal technique?

12-to-6 elbows, straight down like a clock hand, were illegal under the unified rules at the time; Jones was dominating Matt Hamill in 2009 when the referee stopped it.

Who knocked out Anderson Silva to take the middleweight title at UFC 162 in 2013?

Chris Weidman knocked out a showboating Anderson Silva with a left hook at UFC 162 in July 2013; in the December rematch Silva's leg broke on a checked kick.

Who became the first British UFC champion by knocking out Luke Rockhold at UFC 199?

Michael Bisping took the UFC 199 fight on about two weeks' notice in June 2016 and knocked out Luke Rockhold in the first round, a decade after winning The Ultimate Fighter 3.

Who won the welterweight title at UFC 69 as a huge underdog, one of MMA's biggest upsets?

Matt Serra, a Long Island jiu-jitsu black belt, stopped Georges St-Pierre with punches in the first round at UFC 69 in April 2007, having earned the shot by winning The Ultimate Fighter 4.

Which future UFC heavyweight champion was cut by the NFL's Minnesota Vikings in 2004?

Brock Lesnar had just quit WWE and had never played college football when the Vikings cut him in 2004; in November 2008 he beat Randy Couture for the UFC belt in only his fourth MMA fight.

Who lost the UFC women's featherweight title in just 51 seconds at UFC 232?

Cris Cyborg was knocked out by Amanda Nunes in 51 seconds at UFC 232 in December 2018, her first defeat since her 2005 debut; Nunes became the first woman to hold two UFC belts at once.

Who headlined the first MMA card on prime-time network TV, EliteXC: Primetime, in 2008?

Kimbo Slice, the Miami street fighter turned YouTube sensation, beat James Thompson in the main event on May 31, 2008; CBS aired the card as EliteXC Saturday Night Fights.

Whose left high kick was famously summed up as 'right leg, hospital; left leg, cemetery'?

Mirko Cro Cop took his ring name from his day job in Croatia's Lučko anti-terrorist police unit; his left high kick carried him to the 2006 Pride Open-Weight Grand Prix title.

Which Pride star nicknamed 'The Axe Murderer' came out of Chute Boxe Academy in Curitiba?

Wanderlei Silva, Chute Boxe's most famous product, held the Pride middleweight title from 2001 to 2007 and won the 2003 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix with his swarming Muay Thai.

Dwayne Johnson played which MMA pioneer in the 2025 film The Smashing Machine?

Mark Kerr, a two-time UFC tournament winner and Pride heavyweight, was the subject of a 2002 HBO documentary of the same name; Benny Safdie's 2025 film cast Dwayne Johnson as him.

Ex-UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou, who boxed Tyson Fury, was born in which country?

Francis Ngannou was born in Batié, Cameroon, in 1986 and worked in a sand quarry as a child before crossing to France in 2013 to pursue boxing.

Who was the first Chinese fighter to win a UFC championship?

Zhang Weili took the strawweight belt from Jéssica Andrade in 42 seconds in Shenzhen in August 2019 and regained it in November 2022 by submitting Carla Esparza.

Who knocked out Justin Gaethje in the final second of UFC 300 to win the 'BMF' belt?

Max Holloway pointed to the canvas with ten seconds left and knocked Justin Gaethje out at 4:59 of the fifth round at UFC 300 in April 2024, collecting $600,000 in bonuses.

Stipe Miocic kept which day job throughout his UFC heavyweight title reigns?

Stipe Miocic worked as a part-time firefighter and paramedic for the Valley View and Oakwood fire departments outside Cleveland throughout his two heavyweight title reigns.

Joanna Jędrzejczyk was the first UFC champion from which country?

Joanna Jędrzejczyk, from Olsztyn, Poland, took the strawweight belt from Carla Esparza in March 2015 and was also the first European woman to hold a UFC title.

Ex-champion Tito Ortiz won a 2020 city council seat in which California city?

Tito Ortiz, the 'Huntington Beach Bad Boy', topped the November 2020 council vote in his hometown and became mayor pro tempore, but resigned in June 2021.

Which country banned MMA as a sport in 2016, then legalized it in 2020?

France formally banned MMA in 2016 and legalized it in January 2020 under the French Boxing Federation; the UFC held its first Paris card in September 2022.

Who replaced injured Rafael dos Anjos on 11 days' notice at UFC 196 and won by submission?

Nate Diaz, the Stockton brawler, took the bout at welterweight with no time to cut weight and choked out featherweight champion Conor McGregor in the second round of UFC 196 in March 2016.

Floyd Mayweather's 2017 boxing match against a UFC champion was stopped in which round?

Referee Robert Byrd stopped Mayweather's fight with Conor McGregor in the 10th round on August 26, 2017, taking him to 50-0, one past Rocky Marciano's 49-0.

Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton play estranged brothers in which 2011 MMA film?

Warrior, directed by Gavin O'Connor, pits Hardy's Tommy against Edgerton's Brendan Conlon in the Sparta tournament; Nick Nolte earned an Oscar nomination as their father.

Which NFL star gave Kamaru Usman his blessing to use the 'Nigerian Nightmare' nickname?

Christian Okoye, the Kansas City Chiefs running back who was the 'Nigerian Nightmare' in the late 1980s, trademarked the name and gave Usman his blessing to use it.

Leon Edwards, the former welterweight champion raised in Birmingham, was born in which country?

Leon Edwards was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and lived in a one-room house there before his family moved to Birmingham, England, when he was nine.

Before MMA, Alexander Volkanovski played which sport semi-professionally?

Volkanovski played rugby league as a front rower for the Warilla Gorillas at around 97 kg, far above the 66 kg featherweight limit he later made as champion.

Which bantamweight passed Georges St-Pierre for the most takedowns landed in UFC history?

Merab Dvalishvili, 'The Machine', overtook Georges St-Pierre's long-standing mark of 90 UFC takedowns; against Petr Yan in March 2023 he attempted 49 takedowns in one fight, a single-bout record.

Islam Makhachev, UFC lightweight champion from 2022 to 2025, hails from which Russian republic?

Islam Makhachev was born in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, and came up through the same Dagestani wrestling system as his childhood friend Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The UFC 264 main event ended in round one when one fighter broke which bone?

Conor McGregor's left tibia snapped as he stepped back just before the first-round horn against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021; the ringside doctor waved off the trilogy fight.

How many seconds did José Aldo's first UFC title defeat at UFC 194 last?

Conor McGregor's left hand dropped José Aldo 13 seconds into UFC 194 in December 2015, Aldo's first loss in over ten years, snapping an 18-fight winning streak.

Bas Rutten was a three-time 'King' of which Japanese promotion?

Pancrase, founded in 1993 by pro wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki, staged its first real-fight card in September 1993, weeks before UFC 1; Rutten won the King of Pancrase title three times.

Alex Pereira held two titles at once in which kickboxing promotion before joining the UFC?

Alex Pereira was the first fighter to hold two Glory belts at once, middleweight and light heavyweight, in 2021, and later became a two-division UFC champion at middleweight and light heavyweight.

Which promotion acquired Bellator in November 2023?

PFL bought Bellator from Paramount in November 2023, shortly after Showtime shut its sports division; the buyer was known for its regular-season format with $1 million prizes.