MMA organizations offering the most interesting fights in the world 

MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighting is one of the most fast paced, exciting, and violent professional sports out there. 

The sport draws from multiple forms of martial arts, boxing, and Greco-roman wrestling to create a sport that relies on skills and tactics as much as it does strength. 

Unlike Football or Baseball fans, fans of MMA have some choice when it comes to which league they watch the sport with. 

However, as the years have gone on, Zuffa and the UFC have started to buy up a large number of their rivals.   

Today, we will be talking about the biggest MMA organization that exist and some that have been bought out in the last 10 years. 

UFC – Ultimate Fighting Championship 

The UFC (ultimate fighting championship) is by far the biggest MMA organization out there. They offer weekly fight nights as well as pay per view events that draw in millions of viewers and dollars. They have run over 500 events in the last 30 years. 

Many of the most famous MMA fighters work or have worked for the UFC including Ronda Russey, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Connor McGregor – (thanks to his career with the UFC McGregor was named the highest paid athlete of 2020).  

The UFC began in 1992 and is therefore not the oldest MMA organization out there. But as of 2015, it has been the biggest. THE UFC is currently run by Dana White, an outspoken former MMA agent. The UFC makes the majority of its money from its streaming deal with ESPN and its pay per view events – some of which have been in the top 10 most paid-for events in history.  

There has been a small amount of controversy in the way the UFC goes about creating its contracts and locking in its fighters. So much so, that many people have started comparing the organization to the WWE. 

Zuffa (parent company of the UFC) 

Zuffa itself started in 2001. They own the UFC and have a history of buying out multiple rival companies. Zuffa takes its name from the Italian word for “fighting”. 

They own or have brought out the following companies :

Invicta Fighting Championships

Invicta Fighting Championship was a women’s only mixed martial arts fighting company that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knap. The company was based in Canada and was the biggest women’s only fighting company in the world. 

The company takes its name from the Latin words for ‘invincible and incomparable’ but in the feminine form. 

The first Invicta fight took place between Marloes Coenen and French fighter Romy Ruyssen – both of whom had left a rival company after it had been bought by the UFC. 

Pride Fighting Championship

The Pride Fighting Championship was started in 1997 and was based in Japan. The company broadcasted to over 40 countries from their studios. Their most watched in-person fight had an audience of 67,450 people. They were bought out by Zuffa in 2007.  

Strikeforce

Strikeforce was another smaller MMA company that the UFC and Zuffa bought out. After the buying of the company, many of the fighters moved to independent organizations like Invicta – a lot of which have since been bought by the UFC. 

Caged Steel 

Caged Steel is an MMA fighting organization that is based in the UK. The company puts on very small fights but they have a more underground feel than fights put together by many other organizations. 

So far they have held 25 events that can be watched again online. Their live events are held in person and streamed live online and in pay per view form. 

Bellator MMA 

Bellator is the second biggest MMA organization in the United States, they are only second to the UFC. Like the UFC Bellator is incredibly popular with gamblers – if you are interested in getting the best MMA fight odds see here. 

The company was started in early 2008 in California and is still based out of the state. They took their name from the Latin word “bellator” which means warrior. 

Until 2015, Bellator ran knockout tournaments and the winner was awarded $100,000. Now they run in a very similar way to Boxing and the UFC – with championships, titles, and belts. 

One Championship 

One Championship is the biggest MMA organization that is based outside of the United States. One Championship is based in Singapore and is one of the biggest companies in the world. 

Some of their most notable fighters include Demetrious Johnson, Anglea Lee, and Eddie Alvarez. 

The company was founded in 2011 and since then they have held over 100 events across the Asian Continent. It was founded in Singapore by a group of material arts lovers that believed the sport belonged to Asia as much as it did to America. At first, the company was called War of the Lions but changed its name to make itself more accessible.