The Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC is the premier MMA organization globally. The company is headquartered in Las Vegas, is led by WME-IMG, and was founded by Art Davie, Rorion Gracie, Robert Meyrowitz and Ayoub.

The UFC began operating on the occasion of a tournament organized to identify the best fighter in the world, of any fighting style, following the rules of Brazilian vale tudo. With an extremely limited number of rules, the UFC initially became known for its no-holds-barred fights and the brutality of punches, kicks, knees, head butts that fighters inflict on each other.

Very strong pressures from various circles pushed the UFC into the undergrowth of combat sports, also decreeing the end of the broadcasting of pay-per-view events and consequently reducing its visibility.

The UFC was able to recreate itself by adopting stricter rules, binding itself to athletic commissions and self-indicating itself as a legitimate promoter of combat sports. Leaving behind the label of a no-holds-barred organization and carrying the banner of mixed martial arts, it has re-emerged from isolation to become more socially acceptable, regaining pay-per-view slots and promoting shows on free-to-air television.

In the United States it is possible to follow the UFC on the Fox Sport network; UFC shows are also broadcast in over 150 countries around the world and have been held not only on US soil but also in more than 10 different countries.

The UFC uses the rules in force in the state hosting the event, the most widespread being the unified MMA rules, created by the Nevada commission in 2017. Fights take place in an octagonal cage.