What is the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)?

What you actually need to know about what is the ultimate fighting championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is the world’s premier mixed-martial-arts (MMA) organization, founded in 1993 by Art Davie and Rorion Gracie. The first event, UFC 1: The Beginning (November 12, 1993, McNichols Arena, Denver), was a single-elimination tournament featuring eight fighters from different martial-arts disciplines — Royce Gracie won, demonstrating Brazilian jiu-jitsu’s effectiveness. The org went through near-bankruptcy in 2000-2001, was bought by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta with Dana White as president for $2 million, then became one of the most valuable sports brands in the world. Endeavor (now TKO Group Holdings, NYSE: TKO) bought UFC in 2016 for $4 billion. TKO and WWE merged in 2023 to form the publicly-traded TKO Group. Current UFC structure: ~700 active fighters across 12 weight classes (men’s strawweight, flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, light-heavyweight, heavyweight; women’s strawweight, flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight). Champions hold belts in each. The org runs ~40 events per year — ~12 numbered PPVs (UFC 309, UFC 310, etc.) and ~28 Fight Nights (regional cards in different cities). Headquartered in Las Vegas with international offices in London, São Paulo, and Shanghai. Distribution: ESPN+ in the US (exclusive multi-year deal since 2018), BT/TNT Sports in UK, Globo in Brazil, Main Event in Australia.

How what is the ultimate fighting championship fits the broader UFC / boxing landscape in 2026

UFC’s parent TKO Group (NYSE: TKO) — same parent as WWE since the 2023 merger — runs the UFC business through its Las Vegas HQ with international offices in London, São Paulo, and Shanghai. PBC (Premier Boxing Champions) handles Tank Davis, Spence, Thurman; Top Rank handles Tyson Fury, Crawford, Stevenson; Matchroom handles Joshua, Canelo, Taylor.

Each promoter has different streaming distribution (UFC on ESPN+, PBC on Prime Video PPV, Top Rank on ESPN+, Matchroom on DAZN), so where you watch depends on which promoter is running the card.

How to watch every UFC and boxing event without paying $150 cable

UFC: ESPN+ ($11.99/mo) for prelims and Fight Nights, plus $79.99 per numbered PPV. Boxing: ESPN+ for Top Rank, DAZN ($24.99/mo) for Matchroom and Canelo, Prime Video Boxing PPV ($79.99) for Tank Davis and PBC main cards. Plus the cable channels around them — FS1, ESPN cable, broadcast networks for free cable PBC cards: SDZ at $39.95/mo replaces a $150 cable bundle without the contract.

The realistic 2026 combat-sports cord-cutter math, side-by-side: a cable subscription with the sports tier and PPV add-ons runs $150-$220/mo before any actual PPV purchase. The streamer-plus-SDZ stack runs $51.94/mo (ESPN+ $11.99 + SDZ $39.95) for UFC fans, or $76.93/mo (add DAZN $24.99) for fans who follow Canelo and Matchroom too. PPV fees are identical either way — $79.99 for UFC numbered cards, $79.99 for Tank Davis cards, no markup on the streamer route. The savings are pure on the cable bundle, which is the part you stop paying for.

What you don’t lose by cord-cutting: every UFC PPV is the same broadcast on ESPN+ as it is on cable PPV — same production, same commentators, same camera angles, same replay system. Every boxing PPV on DAZN or Prime Video is the same broadcast as the cable PPV version. The only thing cable gives you that streaming-plus-SDZ doesn’t is the bundled cable-PPV billing convenience — and that convenience costs $100+/mo for fans who already pay for streaming services.

How SDZ fits if you’re cord-cutting

Realistic combat-sports cord-cutter stack: ESPN+ $11.99 + DAZN $24.99 + SDZ $39.95 = $76.93/mo for the full UFC + boxing diet plus 5,000+ general channels. Compare to cable’s $150+/mo for the cable channels minus DAZN. PPVs cost the same either way.

No contract. Cancel anytime. Stream on up to 6 devices simultaneously. Fulfilled and supported 24/7 by AccuViewTV — the streaming portal that’s been running continuously since 2018.

What Is the Ultimate Fighting Championship — frequently asked questions

What does UFC stand for?

UFC stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship. It was founded in 1993 with UFC 1: The Beginning in Denver, Colorado.

Who owns the UFC?

TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) — same publicly-traded parent as WWE since the 2023 merger. Endeavor (formerly WME-IMG) bought UFC in 2016 for $4 billion.

How many UFC weight classes are there?

12 total: 8 men’s (strawweight through heavyweight) and 4 women’s (strawweight, flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight).

How many UFC events per year?

Roughly 40 — about 12 numbered PPVs (UFC 309, UFC 310, etc.) and 28 Fight Night cards in cities around the world.

How do I watch UFC?

ESPN+ at $11.99/mo for prelims and Fight Nights, plus $79.99 per numbered-card PPV. For surrounding cable: SDZ at $39.95/mo replaces the $150 cable bundle.