Mixed martial arts in the United Kingdom

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Mixed martial arts in the United Kingdom
Denis Kang.jpg
Michael Bisping (left) and Denis Kang at the weigh-ins for UFC 105 (Manchester)
Governing bodyEnglish Mixed Martial Arts Association [1]

Mixed martial arts in the United Kingdom is one of the fastest growing sports thanks to the promotion of the UFC. [2] [3]

Contents

History

UFC 38 was one the earliest entries of MMA in the United Kingdom on July 13, 2002, at Royal Albert Hall. [4] [5]

Michael Bisping became the first UK UFC champion. [6] [7] [8] In 2022 Brendan Loughnane become only the fourth Briton to win a World MMA title with a major organisation after Liam McGeary [9] and Leon Edwards. [10] [11]

Domestic Organizations

The major organizations for MMA are Cage Warriors, [12] [13] [14] UCMMA and Full Contact Contender

Television

The UFC is broadcast on BT Sport. [15] The PFL is broadcast on Channel 4 as of 2022. [16] Bellator MMA is broadcast on Channel 5. [17] [18] [19] ONE is broadcast on Sky Sports as of 2024. [20]

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References

  1. ↑ Simon Head (September 10, 2020). "Cage Warriors makes history with first government-recognized MMA shows in U.K." MMAjunkie.com .
  2. ↑ "How the UFC phenomenon turned the UK into a nation of MMA fans" . Independent.co.uk . 18 March 2017. Archived from the original on 2022-05-15. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  3. ↑ Johns, Craig (16 October 2016). "UFC 204 shows just how much MMA is growing in Britain - hopefully North East play their part" . Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  4. ↑ Sport, Express (January 23, 2018). "UFC London: Looking back at 10 years of MMA in the English capital". Express.co.uk.
  5. ↑ Wertheim, Jon. "How a UFC fighter pulled off the biggest bank heist ever". Sports Illustrated.
  6. ↑ Hardy, Dan (6 June 2016). "UFC: Michael Bisping's journey to become first British champion" . Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  7. ↑ "Michael Bisping becomes first British UFC champion". BBC Three. 5 June 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  8. ↑ "Bigger than ever: How MMA in the U.K. is healthy and thriving in 2019". ESPN . Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  9. ↑ "Liam McGeary becomes first British world champion". ITV News.
  10. ↑ "Britain's Edwards stuns Usman to win UFC title" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  11. ↑ "Briton Loughnane wins PFL world title and $1m" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  12. ↑ "Cage Warriors: Europe's proven path to the UFC". ESPN.com. June 30, 2019.
  13. ↑ Writer, Sports. "Cage Warriors Returns To Revitalize UK MMA Scene". Bleacher Report . Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  14. ↑ "MMA in the UK – Past, Present and Future". Sports Gazette . Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  15. ↑ "UFC signs new television contract in UK, Ireland" . Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  16. ↑ Miller2022-02-08T13:17:00+00:00, Max. "Channel 4 picks up Professional Fighters League". Broadcast.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ "Bellator MMA Announces Exclusive TV Deal with Channel 5 in the UK | MMAWeekly.com". February 6, 2019.
  18. ↑ Carroll, Peter (February 6, 2019). "Bellator's European series to broadcast live on Channel 5 in the U.K." MMA Fighting.
  19. ↑ "How the BBC finally embraced MMA". The Independent. May 5, 2022.
  20. ↑ https://www.skysports.com/mma/news/11061/13028788/sky-sports-announce-partnership-with-one-the-worlds-largest-martial-arts-organisation


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