Mixed martial arts in the United Kingdom

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Mixed martial arts in the United Kingdom
Michael Bisping (left) and Denis Kang at the weigh-ins for UFC 105 (Manchester)
Country	United Kingdom
Governing body	English Mixed Martial Arts Association^[1]
National team(s)	United Kingdom

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

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]

References

^ Simon Head (September 10, 2020). "Cage Warriors makes history with first government-recognized MMA shows in U.K." MMAjunkie.com.
^ "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.
^ 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.
^ Sport, Express (January 23, 2018). "UFC London: Looking back at 10 years of MMA in the English capital". Express.co.uk.
^ Wertheim, Jon. "How a UFC fighter pulled off the biggest bank heist ever". Sports Illustrated.
^ Hardy, Dan (6 June 2016). "UFC: Michael Bisping's journey to become first British champion". Retrieved 15 March 2018.
^ "Michael Bisping becomes first British UFC champion". BBC Three. 5 June 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
^ "Bigger than ever: How MMA in the U.K. is healthy and thriving in 2019". ESPN. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
^ "Liam McGeary becomes first British world champion". ITV News.
^ "Britain's Edwards stuns Usman to win UFC title" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
^ "Briton Loughnane wins PFL world title and $1m" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
^ "Cage Warriors: Europe's proven path to the UFC". ESPN.com. June 30, 2019.
^ Writer, Sports. "Cage Warriors Returns To Revitalize UK MMA Scene". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
^ "MMA in the UK – Past, Present and Future". Sports Gazette. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
^ "UFC signs new television contract in UK, Ireland". Retrieved 2 January 2018.
^ 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)
^ "Bellator MMA Announces Exclusive TV Deal with Channel 5 in the UK | MMAWeekly.com". February 6, 2019.
^ Carroll, Peter (February 6, 2019). "Bellator's European series to broadcast live on Channel 5 in the U.K." MMA Fighting.
^ "How the BBC finally embraced MMA". The Independent. May 5, 2022.
^ "Sky Sports announces partnership with ONE, the world's largest martial arts organisation". Sky Sports. December 14, 2023.

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