Mixed martial arts has surpassed traditional boxing in popularity across most of the country, and the Tampa Bay region is no exception.
Still, The best-kept secret in town, might be its active MMA community, which has produced high-caliber pro fighters like Matt Arroyo. Arroyo put MMA into the spotlight in Tampa when he competed on "The Ultimate Fighter" reality television show in 2007.
Even people not familiar with MMA likely have heard of the sport's most successful organization, the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The UFC is a cable TV phenomenon that celebrated its 15-year anniversary on July 11.
UFC events routinely sell out and dominate pay-per-view ratings. NBC even broadcast Strikeforce events on network television this spring, and fighters like Chuck Liddell and Brock Lesner suddenly are becoming household names.
There are four active MMA promoters in Tampa, more than any city in Florida.
It is a long way from the sport's troubled beginnings.
In 1993 the very first UFC event shocked the audience in Denver, Colo., with its no-holds-barred fighting style that allowed fighters to do just about anything knock out an opponent, or beat him into submission. Eye gouging and blows to the groin were common.
The only rule seemed to be that there were no rules. Traditional full-contact fighting sports like boxing, kickboxing and karate seemed almost gentle in comparison.
People quickly labeled MMA as street fighting and a blood sport, even though most of the fighters were trained athletes with various backgrounds including the martial arts of Brazilian jiu jitsu, judo, karate, kickboxing, tae kwon do, as well as Western style boxing and wrestling.
While the UFC enjoyed some growth in popularity from 1993 to 1995, it did not take long for most states, as well as American cable and pay-per-view providers to ban MMA. By 1995, UFC was nearly bankrupt and enjoyed only a cult following.
It wasn't until brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta bought the UFC from Sephamore Entertainment Group in 2001 that MMA emerged from this dark phase of fear, loathing, and underground fights.
When current UFC president Dana White joined their team and petitioned the athletic commission of Nevada to regulate MMA, the sport was finally on its path to become mainstream while the UFC morphed into an American household name.
"MMA has been the fastest-growing sport in the world. People enjoy watching the fights even if they don't train MMA," said promoter Joe Valdez, who founded the Real Fighting Championship in Tampa in October 2004.
The RFC was the first organization to promote MMA events in Tampa after the Florida Boxing Commission had started sanctioning MMA in the state on Feb.24, 2002. In accordance with the unified rules of the Association of Boxing Commissions, all professional MMA fighters now had to meet strict health and weight requirements prior to a bout, similar to professional boxers.
With these safety regulations in place, Tampa quickly became a Mecca for MMA fighters. Two more companies, World Fighting Championship and Xtreme Fighting Championship, obtained promoter licenses in 2007. A fourth promoter, Art of Fighting, launched a series of MMA events in Tampa and Sarasota in Jan. 2009 which ultimately doubled the number of annual MMA events held in the Tampa Bay area.
Thomas Molloy, Executive Director of the Florida Boxing Commission, confirmed that the attendance and gate revenue at MMA events in Florida have increased annually since 2002.
One thing is certain though: MMA events in Tampa have been on the rise since 2005, while the number of traditioal boxing events has steadily declined. This year marks a new record for MMA growth with twice as many MMA cards than boxing events in the Tampa Bay area scheduled on the Florida Boxing Commission's calendar. Boxing, meanwhile, has suffered a sharp decline from the 13 events held in Tampa in 2005 to only seven in 2009.
After 15 years of UFC events held all across America, MMA is now sanctioned in 41 states. According to the Florida Boxing Commission, Florida is the second-most active state, after California, for MMA events. Tampa is the only city in Florida with four MMA promoters.
"MMA would not be where it is today if it was not for the UFC and the exposure gained through the live events," said MMA fighter and trainer Raphael Garcia, who owns the MMA school World Class Martial Arts in Tampa. "There are so many MMA schools now and I think it's a good thing to have four MMA promoters in Tampa. It's a good opportunity for fighters to get on a fight card."
For more information on MMA in Florida visit the official Florida Boxing Commission website: http://www.myflorida.com/dbpr/pro/sbc/index.html.
Editor's note: Astrid is a graduate student in the multimedia journalism program at the University of South Florida. Working in conjunction with members of TBO.com and The Tampa Tribune, this collection of multimedia elements and articles represents the final project associated with her master's thesis.
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