The Ultimate
Fighting Championships (UFC) began life in America in the
early 1990 as the ultimate mixed martial arts, no holds barred
fighting event billed as having no rules.
In fact there are rules and these are
the ways a fighter can win.
A Knockout occurs as soon as a
fighter becomes unconscious and his opponent is declared the winner
but as UFC rules allow ground fighting the referee must play close
attention and can declare a Technical Knockout.
A Technical Knockout (TKO) occurs
if the fight is stopped in progress by either the referee, a doctor
summoned by the referee, the fighter's own corner or the fighter
himself. A stoppage is likely if a fighter becomes so dominant that
his opponent can no longer defend himself or a fighter appears to
have developed significant injuries such that the fight cannot
continue.
A fighter can concede defeat at
any time by way of a submission. This is usually indicated by a tap
on his opponent or the floor or given verbally.
A Technical Submission is called
by the referee if a fighter either appears unconscious during a hold
or to have a serious injury.
If the fight goes the distance and
no fighter is knocked out or submits then the outcome is determined
by judges decision. Three judges are usually called upon to decide
the winner. If all three judges are agreed then the decision is
unanimous. Otherwise there can be a split decision in favour of one
fighter or the judges can decide that a fight is a draw.
Fighters can also be disqualified
if he breaches the rules or fails to obey repeated warnings. A
fighter can also forfeit the contest prior to it taking place or id
both fighters are in breach a No Contest is declared.
The
presence of clearer defined rules has ensured that the Ultimate
Fighting Championships are a proper sporting contest and were
introduced following public opposition to the sport in the 1990s. UFC
is now very much a mainstream sport enjoyed by sports fans around the
world.
