The art of brutality in its purest, rawest form. That is what UFC offers, or at least it did at one time. Gone are the days of the blood-lust, the modern UFC looks more like a ballet. In its primitive beginnings UFC was the anything goes, bare knuckle blood fest that pulled from underground foreign fighting circuits and targeted the violence nurtured American populace. It was for people who liked to watch men destroy each other, plain and simple. Now, UFC has adapted itself to the mainstream. Instead “Oh, my god, how much more can he take?” commentators are more likely to be heard saying “My god, the ref called that on in a hurry.” What prompted this radical change in style?

When The Ultimate Fighter started on UFC, the producers knew some changes had to be made. Even under the protections of late night cable, a weekly UFC was not going to get away with the dangers of the no holds barred style. What if, for example, someone was seriously injured, or even killed? The adjustments were made, and thus UFC crept into the mainstream.

Once heralded as the ultimate underground fighting promotion, UFC is now regarded as the contender to take over for Boxing as the century rolls on. Pundits argue that the diverse styles that UFC attracts place their fighters above boxers in terms of intelligence and dynamics. UFC fighters can be anything from Ninja’s to street brawlers, it is hard to say, unless you are a seasoned fan, what direction a UFC fight is going to go in. Is it going to be a submission showdown? Or a knockout? This is part of the glamour of the fight.

As UFC moves further and further from its underground roots with charismatic fighters replacing the scarred warriors of past days, it seems nothing can stop it from becoming the sporting event of the future.