For great pictures and to purchase MMA clothes of your own, please visit our website.
UFC and MMA fights are held in a cage, which is an eight sided, chain linked reinforced, heavily padded structure called the Octagon. As the sport has grown in popularity over the years, rules and regulations, according strict regulations concerning the type of fight gear that a cage fighter can wear during a match. The Octagons unique shape and structure have become associated with the UFC brand name and the UFCs parent company, Zuffa. The Octagon is featured regularly on television and mentioned in the national media, adding to its brand recognition, so closely associated with the MMA and UFC in fact that it has become an iconic symbol of the sport since it was first featured in UFC events in 1993.
The UFC, or Ultimate Fighting Championship, is currently recognized as the largest MMA promotion worldwide, is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada and owned by Zuffa LLC. The UFC began as a tournament to find the best fighters in the world, and was based on the Brazilian vale tudo fighting style.
Originally, it was known as a no holds barred fighting contest, which eventually led to accusations of human brutality. After criticism reduced the UFCs visibility was diminished by these accusations, the organization reformed itself and adapted strict, athletic commission sanctioned rules, remarketing itself as a legitimate sporting event.
This idea of a tournament geared towards finding the best world fighter was that of Art Davie, a Southern California based advertising executive who developed this concept while researching marital arts for a client. Davie went on to become the student of Rorion Gracie, a teacher of mixed martial arts. In 1992, Gracie, Davie, and John Milnus, a film director and screen writer, in addition to being a fellow Gracie student, developed a business plan to generate the initial capital required to start WOW Promotions in order to develop their tournament into a television franchise.
Fight gear for these events is restricted to regulation gloves and fight gear that includes only approved shorts, with no shoes or any type of foot covering allowed. Shirts, gis, and long pants, including gi pants, are also not allowed. The gloves are required because they enable fighters to increase the strength of their punches, while at the same time providing greater protection against injury and breakage.
In the early days, attire was unregulated, and many fighters opted for tight fitting athletic shorts or long, boxer trunks, and other wore tight wrestling suits and long pants. Royce Gracie, multi tournament champion, wore a jujitsu gi in all of his early UFC appearances. The regulations came after the move to take the UFC and the MMA fighting style into the mainstream.
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
- Mma Fight News - Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
- How to Look Good in MMA Fight Gear
- The Explosion of Mixed Martial Arts and Its Affects on Mma Fight Gear
- Choose the right MMA Fight Shorts, MMA Clothing and Fight wear for a winning performance
- How to Watch MMA Fights Online - Watch UFC Fights
- Miguel,(the Pikee), Devares Wins Debut Mma Fight
- MMA Fight Shorts: Should You Choose Closed Shorts Over Splits Shorts?
- MMA Is The Next Big Fighting Craze




A Career in the Martial Arts: From Student to Instructor
By: John Graden | 06/07/2009If you are a martial arts instructor today, odds are that you began teaching classes for your instructor shortly before or after you earned your black belt. You became a good teacher, but you were still under the control of your instructor, and you loyally taught and followed his syllabus.
The Golden Child of Martial Arts
By: John Graden | 05/07/2009In time, like me, many of you became the “golden child” of your martial arts school. You trained harder than anyone, and you were the best or one of the best students in the school.
The Rainbow of Rank
By: John Graden | 05/07/2009As a kid, you can’t choose your school, your parents, your city, your neighborhood, or much of anything else about your environment. You have no control and, when the situation is negative and intimidating, that debilitating feeling can stick with you for life. Martial arts changes all that. The rank system provides a direct path to respect that you control by training hard, following the rules, and enduring.
My Kung Fu is Better Than Yours
By: John Graden | 05/07/2009At some point while you were dutifully teaching classes for your instructor, I bet a few students and/or parents let you know that they preferred your classes to those of your instructor. At first, you thought they were just being polite, but then you began to notice things your instructor did that you would not do ‘if it were your school.’
Black Belt Scandals
By: John Graden | 05/07/2009Here in the Tampa Bay area – the 12th largest TV market in the U.S. – the local CBS TV affiliate did a three-part series called “Black Belt Scandals.” The series exposed a local instructor who had White-Out® on his rank certificate. You could see a 3 was replaced with a 7. He even had a fake chiropractor’s certificate on the wall.
The Core Dynamics of Starting a Martial Arts Business
By: John Graden | 05/07/2009When I created National Associations of Professional Martial Artists (NAPMA) in 1994, there was little useful information available to the industry as a whole. Owners were struggling because they simply didn’t know any way of running a martial arts business other than the system they had inherited from their instructor, which we know is usually a recipe for disaster.
What is a Martial Arts Professional?
By: John Graden | 05/07/2009When I created Martial Arts Professional magazine, I purposely put Martial Arts before Professional. In my view, the martial arts come first. Very few school owners are “professional” before they are martial artists.
Sparring
By: Al Dawson | 04/07/2009Article on Sparring in martial arts, boxing and wrestling
Tahiti Tours are the Best Ways to See this Beautiful Island
By: Phoenix Delray | 14/10/2008 | DestinationsThis article talks about the tons of things you can do and enjoy on you Tahiti vacation.
New Zealand Travel Will Revitalize Your Spirits
By: Phoenix Delray | 14/10/2008 | DestinationsThis article talks about how refreshing a trip to New Zealand is.
A New Zealand Vacation is Perfect for Everyone
By: Phoenix Delray | 14/10/2008 | DestinationsThis article talks about what you can expect in an adventure filled trip to New Zealand.
Experience Australia Travel for the Best View of Down Under
By: Phoenix Delray | 14/10/2008 | DestinationsThis article gives tips on the best ways to enjoy your trip to Australia.
Your Guide for an Australia Vacation
By: Phoenix Delray | 14/10/2008 | DestinationsThis article discusses about the things to remember while on a trip to Australia.
What You Should Know about Work from Home Opportunities
By: Phoenix Delray | 10/10/2008 | FinanceThis article tells about the opportunities and benefits one can get from working from home.
How to Get Rich and Enjoy the Rest of Your Life
By: Phoenix Delray | 10/10/2008 | FinanceThis article discusses about ways on how you can easily become rich.
Ways to Become Rich Working from Home
By: Phoenix Delray | 10/10/2008 | FinanceThis article discusses about some tips to get rich.