So let’s start this off right. The UFC is not fake. It’s the biggest MMA promotion in the world, and people are wrong to say it’s not real. The fights are real and the athletes are serious competitors.
If you’ve ever seen a UFC match, you know the athleticism and skill it takes to be a successful fighter. All the punches, kicks, and submissions are real, and all the fighters are highly trained and motivated to win. So when people say the UFC is fake, it’s simply not true.
However, let’s get into it and answer the question: Is the UFC fake? A small number of fight fans might think so, but we’ll explain why they’re conspiracy theories are wrong.
Is The UFC Fake?
Short Answer, No, the UFC is definitely not fake. Long Answer, there are a number of rules and regulations that govern the sport of mixed martial arts to ensure equality and to stop match-fixing. Here are the reasons why.
Unpredictable Outcomes
The UFC isn’t fake like pro wrestling because MMA is a real sport. There’s no way to tell who will win before the fight starts, which makes it more exciting! The athletes work hard to come out on top and no matter how tough it gets, they don’t give up. This isn’t something that’s been written for us, it’s about real people competing to see who’s the best!
Serious Injury and Damage
If anyone thinks that the fights in the UFC are fake, they should try it themselves and see. The injuries that fighters get from UFC battles are authentic and can sometimes be dangerous or even deadly.
Claiming that the UFC is fake is ridiculous. If it was fake, we wouldn’t see fighters knocked out, cut or with broken bones. It’s obvious that the UFC is real and fighters are managing serious injuries.
Reasons Why People Would Think The UFC is Fake.
Some people might think that UFC fights are fake because of certain arguments. For example, people might say that certain outcomes are predetermined, that fighters are acting, or that there’s too much focus on entertainment instead of the skill of the fighters. However, there are some legitimate reasons as to why they think The UFC is scripted like WWE.
Known Fight Fixing in the UFC
Unfortunately, there have been UFC fights that were set up to end in a certain way. The UFC itself had nothing to do with this, but there have been times when certain fights were rigged.
Fight Fixing History in Combat Sport
Since combat sports like boxing became popular, there have been cases of fixed matches. All around the world, criminal groups have been involved in promoting MMA and other similar sports.
Many people believe that UFC fights are rigged since fixed matches have happened in other combat sports. This isn’t that crazy of an idea, since there have been fights in the UFC that weren’t fair. But, looking at the evidence, it appears that most UFC fights are actually not fixed.
This hasn’t happened often, but it’s been enough times that people think the whole thing isn’t real.
The Pro Wrestling and MMA Connection
MMA and pro wrestling have a close relationship. Many a WWE Superstar (World Wrestling Entertainment) has become UFC fighters, such as WWE Stars CM Punk & also Brock Lesnar who became UFC Heavyweight Champion, as well as some MMA fighters becoming pro wrestlers. This connection has made both sports more popular, as more people are fans of both.
Organizers of early MMA matches often predetermined who would win and lose, so many fights were not actually real. Some were even staged or rehearsed.
Many have speculated that fights in the UFC are staged, even though no fights throughout the UFC have been proven to be fixed. This has caused some people who watch UFC fights to wonder if they are actually real.
Now that lots of UFC stars are using pro wrestling tricks to make fights more exciting, such as Nate Diaz’s attitude and Israel Adesanya and his walkouts, the people who think this is all just an act feel stronger in their views.
Are There Elements of the UFC That Are Fake?
MMA is a legitimate sport but the UFC, or Ultimate Fighting Championship, adds a little bit of extra showmanship and theatrics to make it more exciting. The UFC puts on fights for entertainment, so it might appear like the fighters are more intense than they really are!
Fighter Personalities
Some fighters create an exciting persona to help them become more popular and make more money. They work to generate interest in their fights, so they can get better opportunities and higher payouts.
Some of the top names in fighting have made themselves into superstars by creating bold and exciting bad guy personalities. Guys like Chael Sonnen, Colby Covington, and Conor McGregor have done this to become more popular with the fans and make a lot of money.
Colby Covington wasn’t always a loud person in fancy clothes who supports Donald Trump. When he first started out in UFC, he was chill and never said mean things to his opponents.
After being told he might be fired in 2017, Colby decided to make himself stand out more. This decision has helped him a title shot to become a champion with and made him much richer.
Fake Rivalries
The people who fight each other often aren’t really mad at each other – they just act like it. They create drama to make people more interested in the fight they are about to have. It’s all for show!
Fighters will sometimes say outrageous things to their opponents to draw attention to their battle. Most of the fighters don’t actually mean what they say, it’s just for show.
Many times after a fight, you’ll see competitors hug and act like they’re friends. But this is just done to make money; it’s not real.
Biased Matchmaking
The organization does not get involved in arranging fixed fights, but will give up-and-coming fighters a chance to show their talent against inexperienced fighters. When bosses think a younger fighter has the potential to be great, they look for ways to give them an opportunity to shine.
The UFC has been arranging fights in a way that puts competitors up against each other where they have a better chance of winning and getting higher ratings. This has been happening more and more over the past few years.
Recently, Khazmat Chimaev and Sean O’Malley have been making waves in the world of fight sports. People have complained about how both fighters got to fight opponents who were not as advanced as them in skill. This sort of thing has been happening more and more lately.
Poor Judges Decisions
Many people think that the UFC is fake because of questionable decisions made by judges that don’t seem to make sense. It’s an unfortunate reality that bad judging is still part of the UFC and Mixed Martial Arts.
The MMA community was pretty mad about the decision in the fight between Sean O’Malley and Petyr Yan. A lot of people thought the judge should have given the win to Petyr, but instead it went to Sean.
Suga was shocked when he won the decision and even he wasn’t as sure of himself. People were saying that the fight was fixed, but it was just another situation where people disagreed with the MMA judging.
This has been a major issue in sports for a while now and it needs to be taken care of. UFC Commentator Joe Rogan has often criticised the judging decisions in the UFC, along with UFC President Dana White.
Actual Fixed Fights in UFC
The UFC has nothing to do with fixed fights, but unfortunately, they have happened. Here are some examples of such fights.
Mark Hall vs Don Frye
Martial Artist Don Frye and Mark Hall faced off in the semi-finals of the UFC Ultimate Fighter event in 1996. These two had already fought twice before, with Frye coming out on top both times.
Hall and Frye have the same manager. Their manager got Hall to agree to lose a fight, so Frye would be more energized for the championship match.
Hall gave Frye the advantage in the beginning of their fight by applying an Achilles lock. Frye then managed to win the entire tournament and beat Tank Abbott, ending their rivalry in the UFC for good.
Oleg Taktarov vs. Anthony Macias
At UFC 6, Anthony Macias and Oleg Taktarov had a fight. Taktarov ended up winning the tournament and beating Macias in just 9 seconds. It felt kind of strange how fast it was over.
Macias said years later that something wasn’t right when talking about the fight. He stated that he was being forced by his and Taktarov’s manager to lose the battle.
If Macias didn’t lose on purpose, the manager warned he would never have another chance to fight. Anthony could continue his fighting career after the match and would go on to have 26 wins and 18 losses.
Leo Kuntz vs. Tae Hyun Bang
Tae Hyun Bang was supposed to intentionally lose the fight, despite trying to win. He was given a $100k bribe by members of the Yakuza mafia, who were betting on Kuntz.
The judge ruled that Bang won the fight, so he had to give back the $100k bribe he got. Even though he gave the money back, Bang still went to prison for 10 months in 2017 as punishment for taking it.
Darrick Minner vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke
Recently, an allegation of a fixed fight occurred in UFC Vegas 64. Darrick Minner was knocked out by Shayilan Nuerdanbieke in the first round.
It looked like a real competition, but U.S. Integrity, a business that checks out suspicious betting, spotted something weird with the wagering on the fight.
Before the fight, there was an unexpected increase in bets placed on Nuerdanbieke. As soon as the match started and Minner lost quickly in the first round, US Integrity noticed this strange activity and told the UFC.
Currently, the authorities are still looking into the fight, and no one has been formally accused of anything.
Conclusion
The UFC is not a phony entity – there’s no faking what goes on in the cage. The fights are totally real and the competitors put their lives at risk for recognition and honor. It’s as authentic as it gets!