The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) (mixed martial arts) promotion company (Promoter (entertainment)) based in the United States that hosts numerous events worldwide. It is the most successful MMA promotion in the world with many of the sports top fighters under contract. The UFC has five weight-divisions and enforces the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts (Mixed martial arts rules#Unified Rules of MMA). Dana White serves as the president of the UFC; Frank (Frank Fertitta) and Lorenzo Fertitta control its parent company, Zuffa, LLC (Zuffa).

Inspired by vale tudo tournaments in Brazil, the UFC and the sport of MMA have roots in the ancient Olympic (Ancient Olympic Games) combat sport of Pankration in 648 B.C. The UFC held its first competition in Denver, Colorado in 1993. Showcasing fighters of different disciplines?including boxing, Brazilian jiu jitsu, wrestling and Muay Thai, among others?the UFC sought to identify the most effective martial art in a real fight. After a period of political backlash, the UFC gradually underwent reform by embracing stricter rules (Mixed martial arts rules#Unified Rules of MMA) and achieving sanctioning with State Athletic Commissions.

With a cable-television (cable television) deal and expansion into Canada, Europe, Australia, the Middle East and new markets within the United States, the UFC as of 2010 alt = as of 2010 has gained in popularity, along with greater mainstream-media (mainstream media) coverage. As of 2010 viewers can access UFC programming on pay-per-view television, in the United States on Spike (Spike (TV network)) and Versus (Versus (TV channel)), in the United Kingdom and Ireland (Republic of Ireland) on ESPN (ESPN (UK)), as well as in over 130 countries and 20 different languages worldwide.