Fighting: MMA Organisations

Here are current leading, or previous leading MMA organisations of the world.

NORTH AMERICA

UFC

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world,^[3] which hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport^[4][5] and produces events worldwide.^[6] Based in the United States, the UFC has eight weight divisions and enforces the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.^[7] Dana White serves as the president of the UFC while Frank andLorenzo Fertitta control the UFC's parent company, Zuffa, LLC.

The biggest and most elite MMA organisation in the world and in North America right now, UFC is growing a ridiculous amount every year.

Founded - 1993 

Bellator

Bellator MMA (formerly known as "Bellator Fighting Championships") is the 2nd largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion in the USA^[2] and the largest tournament-based MMA organization in the world. Headquartered in Newport Beach, California, the company was formed in 2008 by Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. Bellator’s events are primarily structured around tournaments. The tournament winner is declared the number one contender in their respective weight class, and is awarded a check for $100,000 and a shot at the reigning Bellator champion. Bellator uses the motto “Where title shots are earned, not given...”

Bellator is the second biggest MMA organisation in North America after Strikeforce's demise.

Founded - 2008

Strikeforce

Strikeforce was a U.S.-based mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization based in San Jose, California. It was headed by CEOScott Coker and owned by Zuffa, LLC. Its live events and competitions have been shown on CBS (debut on November 7, 2009) andShowtime in the United States, Super Channel in Canada, Primetime in the United Kingdom, SKY PerfecTV! in Japan, HBO Plus in Brazil, Space TV in Latin America and the Caribbean, and on the American Forces Network.

Founded - 1985 (Kickboxing), 2006 (MMA)

Defunct - 2013

ASIA

Dream

Dream (styled DREAM in capitals) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) organization promoted by former PRIDE FC executives and K-1 promoter Fighting and Entertainment Group. DREAM replaced FEG's previous-run mixed martial arts fight series,Hero's. The series retained many of the stylistic flourishes and personnel from Pride FC broadcasts, including fight introducer Lenne Hardt. In America, the promotion is aired on HDNet. They promoted over 20 shows highlighting some of the best Japanese and international MMA talent, establishing or enhancing the careers of top ranked fighters such asShinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Eddie Alvarez, Joe Warren, Jason Miller, Kazushi Sakuraba, Gegard Mousasi and Alistair Overeem.

Founded - 2008





One FC

ONE Fighting Championship (ONE FC) is a Singapore-based mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion which was officially launched on 14 July 2011. It is widely recognized as the biggest MMA promotion in Asia.

Founded: 2011





Pride FC

PRIDE Fighting Championships (PRIDE or Pride FC, founded as KRS-PRIDE) was a Japanese mixed martial arts(MMA) organization. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixtymixed martial arts events, broadcast to about 40 countries worldwide.^[1] Pride held the largest live MMA event audience record of over 70,000 people at the Pride and K-1 co-production, Shockwave/Dynamite, held in August 2002,^[2] as well as the audience record of over 67,450 people at the PRIDE Final Conflict 2003.

In March 2007, Dream Stage Entertainment (DSE) sold Pride to Lorenzo Fertitta and Frank Fertitta III, co-owners of Zuffa, which owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).^[3] While remaining as legally separate entities with separate managements, the two promotions were set to cooperate in a manner akin to the AFL-NFL merger. However, such an arrangement did not materialize, and in October 2007, Pride Worldwide's Japanese staff was laid off, marking the end of the organization as an active fight promoter. As a result, many of the Pride staff left to form a new organization alongsideK-1 parent company Fighting and Entertainment Group. That new organization, founded in February 2008, was namedDream.

Pride FC is a legendary MMA organisation, going through it's boom period it houses the best fighters in the world in spectacle events. All this while UFC was struggling in North America.

Founded: 1997

Defunct: 2007

K-1

K-1 is a world-wide kickboxing promotion founded in Tokyo, Japan by Kazuyoshi Ishii, a former Kyokushin karatepractitioner. Its rules are similar to those of kickboxing but they have been simplified to promote exciting matches that may end in a knockout win. The main difference between K-1 rules and kickboxing is the use of knees, allowed in K-1 but not in international kickboxing.

Even though K-1 is strictly kickboxing it's still closely related to MMA and boxing, often fighters such as Alistair Overeem cross-over between the sports. If you're a MMA fighter, chances are you're a half-decent kickboxers and vice versa.

UK

CAGE RAGE

Cage Rage Championships, also known as Cage Rage, was a United Kingdom-based, mixed martial arts promotion that premiered on 7 September 2002 in London. Cage Rage went into liquidation and is now no longer trading. Cage Rage had been owned and managed by Elite XC until that company ceased operating, and the British promoters behind Cage Rage formed a new organization and withdrew all the old Cage Rage titles. Matchmaker and on-screen personality Dave O'Donnell was also a minority shareholder in the company. Fellow on-screen personality and co-promoter Andy Geer also owned a minority stake until he left the promotion in 2008. Cage Rage events were replayed on Nuts TV,along with their own weekday show on The Fight Network (UK & Ireland) until these channels closed down. Archived shows are currently shown on the Extreme Sports Channel.

Defunct.

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Almost all of these MMA organisations have really bad graphic design and pretty cheesychunky and metal style logos, apart from Pride FC and UFC the graphics are pretty shocking, especially Cage Rage, there's definitely an opportunity here in terms of visuals down the MMA organisation branding and editorial route.