The ufc stands for ultimate fighting championship and is an organisation that pits mixed martial artists against each other.What started back in 1993 as a boxer vs wrestler or kickboxer vs jiu jitsu expert has quickly grown into the fastest growing sport in the world with the competitors now expertly versed in all aspects of mma which include boxing,wrestling,kickboxing,mauy thai kickboxing,brazilian jiu jitsu,karate and some competitors are stronger in one or two areas some are good at virtually all the skills.The fights are divided into weight classes of lightweight,welterwieght,middleweight,light heavyweight and heavyweight with lightheavyweight being the most popular division among fans.

The fights take place inside an octagon which is an eight sided ring with fencing to prevent the fighters falling into the crowd and two doors which are shut when the fighters enter,there are doctors and judges present and there are strict rules which werent in place when it all first started and led to the ufc being called barbaric.The rules are based on a ten point scoring system similar to boxing and rules such as no kicks to the groin or head of a downed apponant,no up kicks when on the floor no eye gouging or fingers in mouth,no knees to a downed apponants head no biting etc etc.Fights are stopped either by ko tko doctor stoppage or ref stoppage or submission.The fighters gloves are much smaller then boxing gloves and are fingerless to allow for wrestling and grappling.

The ufc events or shows are something to behold,With 13 main ufc events a year with 4 being held in the uk and a couple in other places most are held in the us and are loud bright and with plenty of huge video screens it doesnt matter where you are sitting your sure to see everything.The shows are numbered with at time of writing we have just had ufc 86.There are also slightly smaller events known as ufc fight nights to showcase some of the up and comers in the fight game.I had my first taste of a live event when i went to ufc 85 at the o2 arena in london, it was spectacular.

Here are some of the best fighters the ufc has to offer

Lightweight:current champ:Bj penn, with some other contenders being sean sherk,tyson griffin and roger huerta

Welterwieght:current champ:George st pierre, with some contenders being, thiago alves and jon fitch

Middleweight:current champ and pound for pound best in the world,Anderson silva, with some contendrs being Chris leben,Michael bisping,Dan henderson and Rich franklin

Light heavyweight:current champ:Forrest griffin, with some contenders being Rampage jackson,chuck liddell,Wanderlei silva,shogun rua,and anderson silva (Yes he is moving up a weight)

Heavyweight:Current champ:antonio noiguerra, contenders being,Frank mir,brock lesnar,mark coleman,Fabricio werdum

To catch any ufc events on tv then you need to tune into spike if your in the u.s.If your in the uk then setanta sports show every event and a few programs dedicated to exciting bouts from the past and on thursdays you can catch ufc news (The only dedicated ufc news program around)Thursdays at 720pm.

Some of the best fight ever in no particular order are.....

Chuck liddell vs Tito ortiz

Chuck liddell vs wanderlei silva

Rampage jackson vs Forrest griffin

Randy couture vs Chuck liddell 1,2 and 3

Forrest griffin vs stephan bonner

Tyson griffin vs clay guida

Anderson silva vs Rich franklin

George st pierre vs matt hughes 3

As a fan its important for some to wear the right clothing when attending ufc events.Some labels are more expensive then others.The most popular label in mma today is Affliction clothing,although that is somewhat changing with the fact that affliction clothing now has its own mma events.Cage fighter,sprawl,tap out and sinister are just some of the other mma brands that fans are wearing.