The past decade has proven incredibly intriguing for the sport of mixed martial arts.
While organizations continue to come and go across the global scene, the UFC remains the dominant brand, but the changes even the sport’s leading promotion has undergone over the 10-year span stand testament to how much the landscape continues to evolve.
In 2011, the UFC was still partnered with Spike TV for its U.S. broadcast deal, and prelim broadcasts bounced around between the likes of Facebook, Ion Television and UFC.com – if they aired at all.
The entirety of the UFC’s next broadcast deal, which saw the promotion move to network television courtesy of FOX, ran its course during the decade. And as the 10-year span closed, the UFC signed on with ESPN, one of the most recognized brands in sports and a leading digital distributor in the space.
And that’s without even speaking of what happened in the cage.
[lawrence-related id=475134,475128]
The decade started with the UFC hosting fights in five different weight classes. Ten years later, that number has grown to 12. Promotional stalwarts such as [autotag]Anderson Silva[/autotag] and [autotag]Georges St-Pierre[/autotag] gave way to names like [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]. Women stepped into the octagon for the first time, and new markets around the globe were visited.
We could probably list 20 of the biggest moments from each year along the way, but you don’t have time for that, so here’s a sampling of 20 defining moments from 2010 through 2019.
Without further ado …
****
July 3, 2010: Brock Lesnar defeats Shane Carwin at UFC 116
Whether it’s boxing or MMA, there’s just something special about a heavyweight title fight. In MMA, you don’t get much heavier than [autotag]Brock Lesnar[/autotag] and Shane Carwin. Say what you will about the WWE star’s skills as a martial artist, the man moves the needle, and this was the absolute peak of his popularity, with Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena absolutely buzzing for this battle of behemoths.
After a tense opening minute, Carwin hurt Lesnar and sent him toppling to the canvas, seemingly destined to wrap the belt around his waist. But Lesnar was able to stay just busy enough for referee Josh Rosenthal, somehow lasting until the bell. Carwin was clearly gassed, and Lesnar capitalized on it in the second, taking his opponent to the floor and cinching in an arm-triangle choke, scoring the submission win and adding to his legend – though it would be the last time he ever proved victorious in the octagon.
Aug. 7, 2010: Anderson Silva defeats Chael Sonnen at UFC 117
Every great fighter needs a rival to be pushed to the limit, and for longtime UFC middleweight champion and future Hall of Famer Anderson Silva, that man was very clearly [autotag]Chael Sonnen[/autotag], who in just four UFC appearances – and some 13 years into his professional career – went from relative journeyman to absolute star through an incredible ability to promote fights through his quick with and sharp tongue. Sure, it was his wrestling that helped propel him to victories in the cage, but it was his mouth that made him a star.
Sonnen went hard on Silva, bordering, at times, on a line of indecency, as he helped first to book the fight, then to promote it. Still, few thought he had a real chance to unseat the reigning pound-for-pound great. Then the unthinkable happened: Sonnen’s aggression saw him walk forward and take Silva down, time after time for four-and-a-half rounds. Then the really unthinkable happened, and Silva pulled off one of the most miraculous comebacks in UFC history with a fifth-round triangle armbar. The fight was one of the biggest of the year and made stars of both men.
Oct. 28, 2010: Dana White announces UFC-WEC merger
Old school fans will tell you all about the fantastic fights that took place on the blue canvas of the WEC, both before and after the promotion was purchased by the UFC’s parent company in December 2006. But running a secondary MMA brand proved to be only so effective. The real value of the company came when UFC president Dana White announced the brands would be merged, adding both the featherweight and bantamweight divisions to the UFC ranks.
Of course, this would later open the door to the addition of flyweights, as well. But the initial run saw [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] crowned the UFC’s first featherweight champion, while [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] earned the first UFC bantamweight belt. Both remain marketable commodities to this day. So do names like [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag], [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag], [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag], Chan Sung Jung, Ricardo Lamas, Anthony Pettis, Dustin Poirier, and Cub Swanson, who all came over as part of a massive talent migration to the UFC.
Feb. 5, 2011: Anderson Silva defeats Vitor Belfort at UFC 126
It’s a highlight that is still played ad nauseam, and it isn’t likely to disappear anytime soon. Anderson Silva’s front-kick-to-the-face knockout of [autotag]Vitor Belfort[/autotag] was one of the most stunning finishes in UFC history, and it had lasting ramifications. First, while front kicks had largely been used as pushing strikes and range setters, Silva showed what an effective concussive blow it could be. But the impact on the global MMA scene was massive as well.
This bout is largely recognized as the moment MMA gained modern mainstream notoriety in Brazil, one of the UFC’s biggest markets in terms of financial revenue, as well as talent creation. Consider this: Prior to this fight, the UFC had held one event in Brazil, a 1998 card that marked the organization’s only visit to South America until the octagon returned to Brazil six months after UFC 126. In the time since Silva’s iconic KO, Brazil has hosted 35 UFC cards, with the promotion also visiting Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.
March 12, 2011: UFC purchases Strikeforce
While the UFC has been the dominant name in MMA since the promotion’s launch in 1993, Strikeforce had acquired an impressive amount of talent despite operating on a much tighter budget. As the UFC looked to ramp up the number of events it was producing for prospective TV partners, the organization needed as many marketable stars as it could find, and the promotion’s parent company, Zuffa, made a major play.
Buying Strikeforce, which was shuttered less than two years later, gave the UFC access to a stunning number of athletes, including future UFC champions such as [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] and [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag]. It also shut down the company’s chief rival at the time.
