Who is the ufc champion. UFC history. What is Ultimate Fighting Championship? UFC: participants and champions. What time will the football match between San Marino and Russia start?

Until recently, professional boxing had no competitors in terms of popularity in the martial arts world. However, relatively recently, a sports organization has appeared that conducts mixed-style fights and conquers all more fans - UFC. What is this abbreviation, what is the secret of the success of the promotional organization - this will be discussed below.

Decisive Fighting Championship

In the world there are several organizations involved in the conduct of mixed martial arts. Each of them has its own rules, famous fighters, an audience of fans. However, thanks to an aggressive and daring advertising campaign, the UFC is the most authoritative and significant among them. What this mysterious abbreviation means, follows from the translation - “Decisive Fighting Championship”, or “Absolute Fighting Championship”.

Originally created for a one-time TV show, in which representatives of different types martial arts, however, under the influence of success, it was reorganized into a permanent promotion company, holding tournaments on an ongoing basis.

After a series of reforms and a long evolution, the tournament system was reorganized. It was decided to abandon the circular competitions. Now the tournament or event (event) of the UFC is similar in its scheme to the evening of big boxing, when a number of individual fights are held, among which one central one stands out.

Today, each event gathers a huge audience of spectators, making fierce competition to professional boxing.

The number of orders from users of paid channels rolls over sometimes over a million. UFC fighters are in the tops of all MMA ratings. However, this was not always the case. Before Khabib Nurmagomedov and other characters appeared in the UFC, a lot of things happened.

What can come from one TV show

One Californian businessman, Art Davey, decided to arrange a tournament in which fighters from different types of martial arts could come together in duels to clear up the eternal dispute about which type of martial arts is the most effective. This fascinating spectacle was to bear the name - "War of the Worlds". For this purpose, the television company WOW Promotions was created, which would organize this tournament in the format of a TV show.

Most of the cable companies turned down such a surprise offer, only the SEG television network agreed to broadcast the event. She also came up with the original name for the action - Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The competition was held in Denver, Colorado in 1993. The tournament was attended by eight fighters representing kickboxing, boxing, savata, sumo, shootbox, karate, jiu-jitsu. The victory was won by jiu-jitsu fighter Royce Gracie - the younger brother of one of the organizers of the tournament, also a famous fighter in this style.

This show was supposed to be a one-off event, but after the success and huge interest from the audience, it was decided to continue organizing such fights.

First fights

Not at all what the first UFC fights looked like today. What are MMA tournaments of the early nineties? This already follows from the slogan of those years “No rules!” If today there are a number of restrictions on the actions of fighters, then in those years almost everything was allowed. Groin punches, headbutts, even hair pulling - these techniques were allowed in those fights. It was forbidden only to use teeth and gouge out the eyes of the enemy.

On the other hand, many UFC fighters, not wanting to use dirty tricks, agreed in advance among themselves on the inadmissibility of, for example, pulling the hair, hitting the groin. Such dastardly tricks were the exception rather than the rule.

There was no division into weight categories. In some cases, the difference between the fighters could be more than a hundred kilograms. Time was also not limited and not divided into rounds. The fight ended either with a knockout or the surrender of one of the opponents.

Pressure from the authorities

Not everything was foreseen by the founders of the UFC. What is pressure from the authorities - they had to find out for themselves. Due to the freshness of the idea and novelty, the first tournaments aroused massive interest and were widely covered in the media. However, this interest played a cruel joke. The duels of those years were very cruel, and many legislators took up arms against such spectacles.

The notorious Senator John McCain led the company against mixed-style fights. According to him, in terms of cruelty, UFC fights were superior to cockfights, and he demanded a total ban on fights from the legislatures of all states. This was done in 36 regions of the country out of 50. In addition, the show of fights was banned on public TV channels and most cable channels. So the UFC had to experience what a semi-underground state is.

reforms

To prove the right of the UFC to exist, the organizers decided to make reforms and cooperate with state sports organizations. We decided to start with changes in the rules. Many dirty tricks were banned - clinging to the cheek, blows to the back, blows to a lying opponent. In addition, athletes were required to perform in special lightweight gloves to reduce injury risk.

The changes also affected the time limit of fights. Since UFC 21, fights have been split into five rounds. In order to avoid situations where athletes could meet in one fight, the difference in weight of which reached hundreds of kilograms, a division into weight categories was introduced. In addition, the organizers began to actively cooperate with the state sports committees to promote tournaments in all corners of the country.

rebirth

Yet key point, thanks to UFC rating grew significantly, was the purchase of this sports organization "Zuffa". This name hides the business union of the former boxer promoter Dana White and the leaders of a large casino chain, Frank and Lorenzo Fertit. Thanks to Lorenzo's connections with the Nevada Athletic Commission, permission was obtained to hold fights in this state. Soon the return of the UFC to pay-cable channels took place.

After that, the UFC began to gradually gain popularity. What aggressive advertising is, what it is capable of - it became clear after the fights began to be held in the large halls of the MGM Grand, Taj Mahal. An agreement with the FSN channel followed, releases of fights on DVD. The popularity of the project was also promoted by the reality show The Ultimate Fighter, which was shown on Spike TV. UFC champions are becoming popular, their images flash on the pages of magazines.

An important aspect of the activity of the owners of the UFC was the takeover of competitors. Organizations conducting mixed style fights were acquired - PFC, WEG. After that, they have no real rivals left, the UFC rating becomes the main one for determining the strongest fighter.

earnings

The UFC is the most successful mixed martial arts organization in the world today. Fighters usually do not receive a certain wages. UFC members make their own name and reputation. The amounts of remuneration are prescribed in individual contracts. Little-known and novice athletes can receive about $40,000 per fight. At the same time, coaches and team members are paid exclusively by the fighter himself.

UFC champions and top stars can earn up to a million in a single fight. The first athlete to cross the 1,000,000 mark was Conor McGregor. In the same year, he achieved an even more impressive result, earning 3,000,000 per fight.

Sponsorship contracts are another source of income for an athlete. Often they exceed the rewards for the fights themselves.

Rule optimization

For its time, the idea of ​​the UFC attracted viewers with its freshness and novelty. The absence of rules, time limits, division into weight categories - all this made it possible to visually compare the effectiveness of various types of martial arts. However, political pressure and public opinion forced the organizers to make changes to the rules in order to avoid excessive cruelty in fights. Many dirty tricks were banned - hitting the groin, grabbing the hair, twisting fingers, hitting the back and beating a recumbent athlete.

It became mandatory to have light gloves to reduce the likelihood of injury to the athlete. A time limit was introduced - fights began to be divided into segments of five-minute rounds. Changes also affected the format of the tournament. The tournament grid was canceled, separate individual fights began to be held as in professional boxing.

UFC fights have become more and more close to sports and ceased to be a mere spectacle.

Irish star

Conor McGregor is arguably the most popular fighter in the UFC today. He managed to step over the boundaries of his weight class and become a champion, both in lightweight and featherweight. His fights attract spectators with non-standard fighting techniques. He is equally good at both striking and wrestling techniques. In the martial arts of jiu-jitsu, he even achieved the right to a brown belt.

Especially spectacular are his "turntables" - roundhouse kicks. Conor McGregor, after a successful attempt to go beyond his weight, also tried to become a champion in the welterweight category. However, the fight against the American Nate Diaz turned out to be depressing for him. After that, the Irishman even announced his retirement. However, after the emotions subsided, McGregor changed his mind. Given that he is at the peak of his form, you can expect more than one spectacular fight from him.

Fighter from Dagestan

More than one McGregor is limited to the list of star participants in the UFC. Khabib Nurmagomedov is a Russian undefeated fighter today. He performs in the light weight category, and the whole world mixed martial arts looking forward to the fight between him and Conor McGregor for the title of the strongest.

Khabib is a specialist in combat sambo, grepling, who has become a multiple winner of various tournaments in these types of martial arts. He had his first MMA fight in 2008.

Since 2011, the athlete has been fighting under the auspices of the UFC. On this moment he spent 21 fights, in all of which he won victories. The Dagestanian is in the top 15 best UFC fighters of all categories and is the second in lightweight (after McGregor). Khabib was supposed to face Edie Alvarez for the world title, but this right was taken away from him by Conor McGregor, who decided to try his luck in a different weight category.

Heavyweight Champion

Stipe Miocic is an American UFC Heavyweight Champion. He trains at the Strong Style Fight Team club, for which the Russian fighter Maxim Grishin also plays. He started working with the UFC in 2011.

The first fight was against Joey Beltran, which lasted all the time and ended in favor of Stipe.

The most important fight that Stipe Miocic had in his life was the fight against Fabricio Werdum. It was in this fight in May 2016 that he won the world title. In the same year, he held his first defense against Alistair Overeem.

Daniel Cormier

In the light heavyweight category, a fighter who is in the top 5 best UFC participants, regardless of the category, terrifies opponents. Daniel Cormier began his sports career as a freestyle wrestler. As part of the US team, he took part in Olympic Games 2004, 2008 years.

After completing his career in amateur sports, he decided to try his hand at mixed martial arts. Initially, Cormier partnered with the promotional company Strikeforce. After its closure, he moved to the UFC. He fought his first fight in this division in 2013, defeating Frank Mir.

After some time, Daniel Cormier moved up to the light heavyweight category, where he was able to take the championship belt by defeating Anthony Johnson.

Despite his wrestling past, the athlete prefers to fight in a standing position, crushing his opponent with hard blows.

However, he is always ready to fight on the ground as well, where he has an advantage over almost all opponents. Favorably distinguishes Cormier and worthy, respectful behavior outside the ring. He is emphatically correct in his attitude to all opponents and does not show too much joy after victories.

UFC today is a spectacle, the best mixed-style fighters, intense and exciting fights. For every martial arts fan, there are reasons to linger at the screens.

In 2020, we will witness the third (in modern Russian history) census of the country's population.

The costs of the first population census (2002) amounted to about 5 billion rubles. The second census was carried out in 2010 and cost about 11 billion. Well, the cost of the 2020 population census is tentatively estimated at more than 30 billion rubles.

Why do we need a population census in 2020 in Russia:

Without data that can only be obtained through the 2020 census, it is difficult to accurately plan further development economy, correctly allocate budget expenditures. Very often it happens that a person is registered in one place, but actually lives in another. The census will show the real picture, and additional money for health care, education, etc. can be allocated to regions that need it.

When (in what dates) will the 2020 population census take place in the Russian Federation:

Well, in remote and hard-to-reach corners of our vast country, the census period will be extended: it will start on April 1, 2020, and end on December 20, 2020.

The Christmas post is quite long - it lasts 40 days.

Winter fast begins November 28 and its date is always constant. On November 27, the church celebrates St. Apostle Philip, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ mentioned in the Gospel. The next day, November 28, believers begin to fast. Therefore, the post was given another name - Filippov post. It ends 6th January, Christmas Eve.

The Advent fast was established in the ancient times of early Christianity, and until the XII century it lasted 7 days. Since 1166, at the behest of the Patriarch of Constantinople Luke, it became forty days.

In 2019, the Advent or Philippov fast will begin on Thursday 28 November 2019, but will end January 6, 2020 on Monday, on the eve of Christmas.

Diet during the winter fast 2019-2020:

The following days are highlighted when fasting becomes stricter and food should be taken without oil: this December 9, 25 and 27, 2019.

Last week before Christmas from 1 to 6 January 2020 you need to eat modestly and without frills, but vegetable oil is allowed.

Many are interested how to celebrate the New Year without violating the canons of fasting? Let's comfort December 31, 2019 a variety of fish is allowed, and the festive table, with a certain imagination and diligence of the hostess, will look worthy.

Let us once again recall the dates of the Christmas (Philippov) Lent in 2019:

• Beginning of the post - November 28, 2019;
• The end of the post is January 6, 2020 (Christmas Eve).
• Duration - 40 days.

Where will the San Marino vs Russia match take place on Tuesday 19 November 2019:

Recall that in the first meeting between Russia and San Marino, which took place in June in Saransk, the Russians won the biggest victory in the newest football history- 9:0. So in the upcoming game, the fans may well count on another major and “dry” victory of their favorite team. And our football players, if they install new record, will be able to rehabilitate themselves for the repeated defeat suffered by the Belgian team three days earlier.

The game will take place on Tuesday 19 November 2019 at the opponent's home arena - stadium "San Marino"(also called Serravalle Olympic Stadium) with a capacity of only about 7,000 people. Note that this is a very good capacity for the main arena of the state, if its population is 33 thousand people.

What time will the football match San Marino - Russia start:

That is:

• The match San Marino - Russia on November 16, 2019 will start at 22:45 Moscow time.

On which channel to watch the live broadcast of the meeting San Marino - Russia 11/19/2019:

Both on Channel One and Match Premier, a live broadcast from the stadium is scheduled for 22:35 Moscow time on November 19, 2019.

Where and when will the qualifying football match for the Euro 2020 between Russia and Belgium take place:

home stadium football club Zenit is also known as Krestovsky Stadium (because it is located in the western part of Krestovsky Island in St. Petersburg), Gazprom Arena (due to the sponsorship of the company of the same name), and has a retractable roof and retractable field.

Note that both teams have already secured access to the final part of the European Football Championship 2020 ahead of schedule. Belgium is currently in first place in the group standings with 24 points, while Russia is in second place (points = 21).

The goal of the upcoming game for our team is to compete for the first place in the group. Recall that in the first meeting, Russia lost to Belgium with a score of 1:3.

What time will the football match Russia - Belgium start:

• Game start time - 20:00 local (and Moscow) time.

On which channel to watch the live broadcast of the match Russia - Belgium on November 16, 2019:

The game Russia - Belgium can be seen both in a live television broadcast and online on the TV channel's website. The beginning of the live connection from the stadium - November 16, 2019 at 19:45 Moscow time.

The meeting can be seen again in the recording on the First Channel website in the "Sports" section.

Does it make sense to make wishes, what are the limitations:

This is understandable. After all, having several wishes in reserve, in the future you can get (wish) anything: health, money, good luck ... And even one more wish.

The answer to the question of whether it is worth making wishes: yes, it is worth it. After all, it won't get any worse. You just need to remember that there are some restrictions on the fulfillment of desires.

What are the restrictions in the fulfillment of your wishes in 2020:
* It is necessary to formulate your wish as precisely as possible, otherwise it may come true, but not at all as you expected it.
* Almost certainly the first time the desire will not come true, which in the end will bring you harm, not benefit.
* It is difficult to fulfill desires related to the behavior, fates and feelings of other people, since they are "in opposition" to theirs. own desires which may not match yours.
* The fewer wishes you make at one time, the higher the probability of their fulfillment.

As they say, be afraid of your desires, because they can come true!

When to make a wish in 2020:

When to make a wish in 2020:

• For the New Year, on the night of December 31, 2019 to January 1, 2020, during the chiming clock.
• At Christmas, on the night of 6 to 7 January 2020.
• On Old New Year , on the night of January 13-14, 2020, during the chiming clock.
• For baptism, on the night of January 18-19, 2020.
• On, which in 2020 will come on January 25.
• On new moon dates. We have already written in detail
• On your own birthday when you blow out the candles on the cake. It is important "at once" to blow out all the candles. If the attempt fails, it is necessary to light all the candles again and repeat. "Age" birthdays are allowed to install and blow out one candle.
• On a falling star. You are most likely to see a shooting star while observing one of the 2020 meteor showers (Perseid, Draconid, Orionid, Leonid, Lyrid, etc.).
• To the double rainbow.
• While passing under the railway bridge when the train is running over it.

When do you make wishes?

The history of the emergence and transformation of UFC weight categories

If you look back at the history of the development of mixed martial arts, you can see that initially MMA fights had practically no rules, and the first UFC show was started by the organizers as a kind of tournament designed to determine best fighter and the best technology. That is, there were no established norms for fighting, no UFC weight categories, and the competitions themselves had little to do with sports and looked more like a bloodbath of gladiators destroying each other. In 1993, the debut UFC fight night in Denver took place, after which Nevada state officials urged the organizers to give such tournaments more sports content and, above all, limit violence.

This applies not only to the UFC, but also to mixed martial arts in general. Previously, this discipline of fighting sports was called fights without rules. As part of such competitions, a sumo wrestler weighing 120 kilograms could end up in a cage with a karate master who weighed 75 or even 70 kilograms. Gradually, this sport became more loyal to the human body, the first rules appeared, and with them the divisions. Some states of America opposed the legalization of mixed martial arts even when they gained modern form. The latest such example was the New York MMA ban, which only legalized MMA in 2016.

It is important to know! In the fall of 2016, the long-awaited UFC 205 tournament was held in New York, in which the promotion received the first champion of two weight categories - featherweight and lightweight. They were the phenomenal Irishman Conor McGregor, who knocked out Eddie Alvarez in the central fight of the show and took possession of his 155-pound championship belt.

True, later the featherweight title. In order not to derail the headless UFC 206 event, the organization's leaders announced that the 145-pound weight class belt, obtained by McGregor in a 13-second fight with Jose Aldo, returns to the Brazilian, who at that time owned the interim title in the same category. The remaining vacant interim title was played between Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis in the central fight of the UFC 206 tournament already mentioned above.

The only "one-time" UFC Featherweight and Lightweight Champion in UFC history, Conor McGregor

A lot has changed in the UFC's 20+ year history. It should be noted right away that it was this organization that became the locomotive that pulled all other promotions involved in organizing fights according to mixed rules. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that the divisions that were introduced into the UFC are currently used by less status organizations. In this case, we are talking about Bellator, WSOF, regional American and Asian promotions.

At the moment, eight men's weight categories and three women's are represented in the leading promotion of the planet.

UFC men's weight classes

1. Heavy weight
2. light heavyweight
3. Average weight
4. Semi average weight
5. A light weight
6. Feather-weight
7. Bantamweight
8. Flyweight

UFC weight classes for women

1. Feather-weight
2. Bantamweight
3. Minimum weight

Below you can find a table detailing each UFC weight class.

Prerequisites for the development of UFC weight categories?

The need to divide fighters into weight categories was due to the global process of universalization of athletes, when each of them began to improve himself in all styles. Weight categories in the UFC initially had a completely different look than today. Back in 1997, the UFC 12 tournament was held, where only two weight echelons were presented - heavy and light. The first included all athletes whose weight exceeded 200 pounds, the second - those athletes who weighed less than 199 pounds.

The most dominant champion in UFC history Anderson Silva

Before the UFC 14 show, it was decided to call the lightweight middleweight, and the new lightweight division was already introduced as part of UFC 16. At that time, any fighter whose body weight did not exceed 170 pounds could call himself a lightweight, that is, today he would be a welterweight. A couple more years passed, and the bantamweight division appeared in the UFC, which included athletes with a body weight of up to 155 pounds.

By the time of the UFC 31 tournament, the promotion has changed its weight classes in accordance with the requirements of the New Jersey Athletic Commission. At the indicated tournament, the fighters already competed in five echelons: light, welterweight, medium, light heavy and heavy.

The next stage of expansion had to wait about ten years. In 2010, the promotion announced the creation of the UFC featherweight and bantamweight divisions. Two years later, the lightest weight class appeared, and a little later, women's divisions were also introduced - first the lightest, and then the minimum. The weight categories have acquired their final form, which you can accurately and in detail see in the table below.

Table of modern men's and women's UFC categories

IN Lately champions of weight categories change regularly. So, in 2016, TJ Dillashaw, Fabricio Werdum, Holly Holm, Misha Tate, Luke Rockhold, Robbie Lawler, Rafael dos Anjos, Eddie Alvarez, Dominic Cruz resigned royal powers. The most interesting and long-awaited confrontation of the end of the year was the bantamweight clash, where former division queen Ronda Ruosi acted as a contender. Unfortunately, there was no intrigue in this clash: Rhodey limply lost to the Brazilian Lioness at the very beginning of the first round. This year, two division champions have changed in the UFC. So, the featherweight title was again given to Jose Aldo, but as part of the show, the Brazilian lost it to Max Holloway. In addition, the promotion bosses took away the belt from the women's featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie, citing the fact that the Dutch athlete refuses to sign a contract to fight Christiana Justino.

List of current UFC champions and champions by category

• heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic;
• light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier;
• middleweight champion Michael Bisping;
• welterweight champion Tyron Woodley;
• lightweight champion Conor McGregor;
• featherweight champion Max Holloway;
• bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt;
• flyweight champion Demetrius Johnson;
• the champion of the women's featherweight category will be determined by the result of the meeting between Christiane Justino and Megan Anderson at UFC 214 (07/29/2017).
• women's bantamweight champion Amanda Nunez;
• champion of the women's minimum category Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

UFC women's featherweight division. Cyborg name category

UFC leaders can't create divisions just like that: in order for a weight class to exist, you need stars who can compete in it and bring good money on PPV sales. The latest experience of the company has shown that fighters filling the division are not even needed to make money.

The success of Ronda Rousey inspired the owners of the promotion to search for new celebrities in women's mixed martial arts. After all, in fact, we can say that due to its popularity, Rowdy kept many other fighters not only of the female, but also of the male roster.

In 2016, his famous Brazilian Cristiana Justino, nicknamed Cyborg. She is still considered the featherweight queen of the all-female fighting organization Invicta FC, where the 145-pound class is available. However, due to the too large dimensions of Christian, she never competed in the largest UFC 135-pound echelon at that time. On the contrary, athletes who wanted to fight her gained weight and fought in the intermediate 140 pounds, and invariably lost.

The popularity of Justino and her financial potential prompted the bosses of the organization to establish a new weight category. As part of the UFC 208 tournament in February this year ( full results tournament, see) the corresponding belt was played by the Dutch striker Germaine de Randamie and the former champion of the 135-pound division Holly Holm. Ironically, Cristina Justino did not fight in the first title fight in the category that was actually created specifically for her. The reasons are called different. Representatives of the promotion claim that they offered such a fight to the Brazilian, and the latter says that her body could not recover from weight loss in preparation for the previous fight. If we add to the above the fact that Justino, then this whole story becomes even more confusing.

One way or another, the result of the main fight of UFC 208 was the victory of Germaine de Randamie by unanimous decision. It was the Dutch athlete who became the first title holder in the women's 145-pound weight class. However, there are no women's featherweights in the official rankings, because, with the exception of two or three girls, there are no fighters in it.

Later, the promotion bosses took away the belt from Randami due to the latter's unwillingness to defend in the battle with Christiana Justino. The new champion of the category will be determined in the fight between Justino and Megan Anderson on July 29, 2017 at the UFC 214 tournament.

Fabricio Werdum is one of the many representatives of the Brazilian MMA school. His nickname is Vai Cavalo Portuguese translates as "forward, horse." He was born on July 30, 1977 in Porto Allegri, Brazil, but currently lives in San Jose, USA, where he trains in Kings MMA. The fighting basis of Fabricio is Brazilian jiu-jitsu and muay thai.

Werdum earned the championship belt in the summer of 2015. On June 13, as part of the UFC 188 tournament, he met with Cain Velasquez, who at that time owned the title. The Brazilian dominated throughout the fight and eventually caught his opponent in a guillotine in the third round. In February 2016, he was supposed to meet with Velasquez in a rematch, but the opponent withdrew from the fight due to injury. Werdum's next entry into the octagon is scheduled for May 14, 2016 as part of the UFC 198 show. During the first defense, Fabriciou's opponent will be top contender Stipe Miocic.

UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier was born on March 20, 1979 in American city Lafayette. He currently resides in San Jose and trains at the American Kickboxing Academy. His background is freestyle wrestling and kickboxing. In addition, Daniel boasts a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Cormier's main problem at the moment is that many do not consider him a true champion. The best UFC fighter, regardless of weight categories, Jon Jones, in the rank of title holder, met with Daniel and got the victory. Jones later got into trouble with the law, causing the promotion to take the belt from him. The latter was soon played by Cormier and Anthony Johnson. On May 23, 2015, at UFC 187, Cormier defeated Johnson and sat on the light heavyweight throne, after which he made his first title defense in a battle with Alexander Gustafsson. The long-awaited rematch with Jon Jones will take place on April 23, 2016 as part of the UFC 197 tournament.

UFC Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold

Luke Rockhold was born October 17, 1984 in the California city of Santa Cruz, is a citizen of the United States of America and trains with Daniel Cormier at the American Kickboxing Academy. He has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but besides this type of martial arts, he is well acquainted with kickboxing and freestyle wrestling.

Rockhold won the UFC belt relatively recently, when he won a victory over the previously undefeated Chris Weidman in a dominant style. Initially, the battle, which took place as part of the co-main event of the UFC 194 show, proceeded to the accompaniment of attacks by the current champion, but later Rockhold managed to seize the initiative due to the fact that he saved more strength. He pinned Weidman to the ground and began beating the helpless opponent until the match was stopped by the referee. Despite the fact that Rochkold had a serious advantage during the fight, the promotion bosses appointed an immediate rematch, which will take place on June 4, 2016 at UFC 199.

UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler

Robbie Lawler is one of the most daring UFC champions. This guy was born in San Diego on March 20, 1982, and currently lives in Coconut Creek and trains at the American Top Team fight club. The fighter came to mixed martial arts from karate, and often his fights are held in a stance and are nominated for the title of the best fights of the year.

He earned the UFC welterweight title on December 6, 2014 in a confrontation with Johny Hendrix. Ruthless (Lawler's nickname) got the victory in it according to the results of a separate decision of the judges. Robbie has since made two defenses of his title. First, at UFC 189, he defeated Rory McDonald by technical knockout, after which he will meet with Carlos Condit as part of UFC 195, held on January 2, 2016. Who will be Lawler's next opponent is still unknown.

UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos

Rafael Dos Anjos was born on October 26, 1984 in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Here he currently resides, training under the guidance of Rafael Cordeiro in Kings MMA. The basis of the fighter's fighting is Thai boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Rafael dos Anjos became the champion after the title battle with Anthony Pettis. On March 15, 2015, as part of UFC 185, Rafael won the victory thanks to a unanimous decision of the judges. In December 2015, he made his first belt defense against Donald Cerrone. While many expected a competitive battle from this meeting, dos Anjos already in the first seconds of the debut round showed that he would not give Cowboy a chance, destroying him by technical knockout. The next outing of the fighter in the cage was scheduled for March 5, 2016. Rafal had to defend his belt from the encroachments of UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor. However, the Brazilian broke his leg and withdrew from the fight.

UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor is one of the most popular figures in the world of mixed martial arts. In addition, he brings the UFC the greatest income, and therefore enjoys the indulgence of the promotion management. The fighter was born on July 14, 1988 in Dublin, Ireland, where he lives at the moment. His background is diverse: karate, taekwondo, boxing and even capoeira. In addition, Conor has a brown belt in jiu-jitsu, but has not yet proven that he can be called successful in this type of martial arts.

McGregor has long attracted the attention of the whole world to his person, although he has taken possession of the championship belt relatively recently. It took only 13 seconds for him to overthrow the former title holder, the Brazilian Jose Aldo, from the throne. The exact gift of the jaw lifted the glory of the Irishman to even high altitudes, and dishonored the former champion. In his next fight, McGregor was scheduled to fight for the second belt against lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, but the latter was injured and pulled out of the fight. His replacement, Nate Diaz, caught Dana White's golden boy in the second round with a submission. With whom Notorius will now fight is still unknown, but it says a lot that Jose Aldo will be his opponent again.

UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominic Cruz

Dominic Cruz is another representative of the American school of mixed martial arts. Dominator was born on September 3, 1985 in Tucson, Orizona. Currently, his place of residence is the California city of Chula Vista. This guy trains with the Alliance MMA team, and his basic MMA techniques are boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestling.

Dominick Cruz has lost only once in his long career and is one of the two men who defeated reigning flyweight title holder Demetrius Johnson. However, injuries prevented Dominka from fully revealing his talents. On July 7, 2012, Cruz was supposed to fight Juraj Faber, but this fight did not take place, because Dominik suffered a cruciate ligament injury. A series of injuries kept him out of the octagon until the fall of 2014, when he met with Takeya Mizugaki and got the victory, and then again went into idle time due to yet another health problem. On January 7, 2016, the fighter made a triumphant return to the UFC, taking the belt from then-champion TJ Dillashaw. Cruise's next fight will be against Juraj Faber again at UFC 199 on June 4, 2016.

UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrius Johnson

In this article, we will discuss weight classes in the UFC, talk about people who have distinguished themselves in this area. This championship attracts the attention of many martial arts fans, but not everyone knows the details of the formation or organization of fights. We will introduce you to information about which male and female weight categories in the UFC currently exist. Also pay special attention to the heroes of this championship.

Let's start from the very beginning and remember that when the UFC organization appeared in 1993, it did not have such divisions by weight that exist today. It was a simple sports organization that organized championships for fighters. The rules of the duel were mixed, and they still remain so. But there were only two categories:

• heavy weight - for fighters whose weight was more than 91 kilograms;
• light weight - for those whose weight was less than 90 kilograms.

A few years later, the division into subgroups changed, and an average weight had already appeared. At the same time, weight categories in the UFC have not stopped changing. There was also a super light subgroup, and by 2001, the weight categories of fighters were already distributed into five different types:

• heavy;
• light heavy;
• average;
• welterweight;
• easy.

Weight classes in the UFC went through all these changes, primarily in order to be able to optimally distribute participants and achieve maximum performance in fights. After all, it is much more interesting to watch a duel of approximately equal rivals, and not to see how a heavyweight fights with a miniature and lightweight athlete. Many years passed before the subgroups were again revised and lighter weights were added, as well as separate weight categories in the UFC for women.

Weight categories

So, since 2012, the organization has been holding fights in ten categories, two of which are women's. Participants are distributed according to the following weight groups:

• heavy;
• light heavy;
• average;
• welterweight;
• easy;
• featherweight;
• the easiest;
• easiest,
• lightest for women;
• the easiest for women.

heavyweights

Speaking about this subgroup, it is worth noting that these weight categories in the UFC are divided into two types:

• heavy;
• light heavy.

The heavy category includes fighters weighing from ninety-three to one hundred and twenty kilograms. The English name is heavyweight. If a fighter weighs from eighty-four to ninety-three kilograms, then he is already referred to the light heavy category. The English name is light heavyweight.

Average weight

This group includes:

• middle category;

The first subgroup English name which middle weight, includes participants weighing from seventy-seven to eighty-four kilograms. Lighter fighters belong to the welter weight category and must weigh a minimum of seventy kilograms, and a maximum of seventy-seven.

A light weight

This group of participants is formed for participants whose weight is from 53 to 70 kilograms. Divided into categories:

• featherweight;
• the easiest;
• the easiest.

The light category includes athletes with a weight of sixty-six to seventy kilograms. In the world it is known as light weight. The UFC featherweight division is comprised of fighters who weigh a minimum of sixty-one and a maximum of sixty-six kilograms. The English equivalent of the name is feather weight. Already by the name it is clear that the lightest group includes fighters with even less weight, from fifty-seven to sixty-one kilograms. The name of the category is known as bantam weight. And the last division of this weight group is the lightest category (or fly weight) with participants weighing from fifty-three to fifty-seven kilograms.

Women in the UFC

A great achievement for the beautiful half of the world's population was the selection of two categories that apply specifically to them. It was a kind of recognition of women as real participants and worthy opponents in this sport. Two groups were formed:

• the easiest;
• the easiest.

The lightest category called women's bantam weight unites women with a mass of fifty-seven to sixty-one kilograms. And the category women's straw weight, or the lightest, refers to athletes who weigh from forty-eight to fifty-two kilograms.

Current Champions

UFC champions in all weight divisions won their titles at different times and defended their right to hold this title a different number of times. We provide you with a list of the most relevant leaders that are currently.

• Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum of Brazil. He won the title in the summer of 2015 and has never defended it yet.
• Light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormet of the USA. He became it in the spring of 2015 and has already managed to defend the right to be the first in this category once.
• The middleweight champion is Luke Rockhold of the United States. He won the title in the winter of 2015 and has not had time to confirm it yet.
• The welterweight champion is Robbie Lawlier of the USA. In the winter of 2014, he received this title and has already justified the title of the best fighter in this category twice.
• The lightweight champion is Rafael DosAngus of Brazil. In the spring of 2015, he became the best in his weight category and once defended the right to be called that.
• Featherweight champion - Irishman Connor Became it in the winter of 2015, while he has never defended his title in battle.
• The bantamweight champion is Dominic Cruz of the United States. The most recent of the titles won in the winter of 2016, so he has never fought to defend the title.
• Flyweight champion Dimitrius Johnson of the United States. This fighter managed to fight for this title seven times and won every time, remaining the best in his category. He won the title for the first time in the fall of 2012.
• Concerning women's categories, then the American Holly Holm became the champion in the bantamweight division in the fall of 2015. She has never fought to confirm the title.
• The women's flyweight champion was Johana Enzeczyk from Poland. It happened in the spring of 2015, and she has already fought twice for the right to be the best.

It is worth noting that the fighter who wins the "title" fight becomes the champion in any category. This fight lasts five rounds, each of which lasts five minutes. To defend his title, the champion fights the next contender. If the reigning champion loses, then the title passes to the winner. Otherwise, the title remains with the former favorite. There is also the concept of an interim champion. It is given to a fighter if the current champion for a long time cannot fight to defend the title (e.g. due to health reasons).

Outstanding fighters

There are people who are not among the list of champions at the moment, but they left a bright mark in the history of the UFC. We want to recall some of them.

• Ronda Jean Rousey. First Women's Lightweight Champion. It is considered the highest paid female athlete in the world with an income of more than six and a half million dollars a year.
• was the light heavyweight champion. Eight times he confirmed the right to be a champion. Unfortunately, problems with the law did not allow the athlete to fully realize himself.
• Andersen Silva is rightfully considered the king of middleweight. He made ten fights to defend the title.
• Slightly fewer fights spent to defend the title in the welterweight category, Georges Saintpierre. Many experts believe this in the world.
• Such famous names like Chuck Lidel, Dan Henderson, BJ Peng, Tito Artis, Randy Couture, Met Hughes and others have left an indelible mark on UFC history. And this is not the whole list of significant people in this field.

In the end, I would like to add that the championships organized by the UFC are distinguished by excellent organization, are considered prestigious, and all fighters strive to get to this championship at least once in their lives. Watching competitions on TV, even at a distance and through the screen, you can feel the special atmosphere of the events. Victory in such a competition is a real achievement that fighters have been striving for since childhood, and everyone who is interested in martial arts knows the names of the champions.