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The Ultimate Fighting Champtionship was created in 1993 as a way of testing martial arts against each other
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This purchase lead to little change in the sport as the match makers remained the same and there was some degree of negative stigma still around the sport.
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In an effort to gain a sense of legitimacy among the public, the UFC and athletic commissions make kicks the the head of a grounded opponent illegal and mandate padded gloves.
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This is important for the efficacy of fighting as a real sport.
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Arguably the most important factor in the rise of mixed martial arts as a sport, the unified rules allowed promotions to follow a consistent rule set.
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As wealthy investors who were passionate about the sport, the Fertitta Brothers were what mixed martial arts needed to gain ground toward legitimacy
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An additional effort to promote the sport, TUF is responsible for producing some of the sports biggest stars
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This event is credited with saving the UFC as the sport was looking as though it's days were numbered.
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WWE wrestler brought his popularity into an MMA contest with Frank Mir to break the record for pay per view buys.
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A critical role in the popularity increase of the sport was the increase in exposure due to being on FOX.
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A monumental achievement for gender equality!
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Irish fighter Conor Mcgregor becomes the first UFC fighter to win a championship in 2 weight classes at the same time.
