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As the years went on, the sport evolved to include judges’ decisions, weight classes, and the addition of gloves. Controversy would follow, though, with the marketing of the time drawing the ire of politicians and dumping the UFC off pay-per-view.
“We were losing money on every show,” Meyrowitz said. “We were banned on cable, and I was in court wherever we went.”
Behind the scenes, the sport – now being called mixed martial arts instead of no holds barred – had to go through an almost endless stream of on-the-fly changes to make the sport safer for its competitors, exciting for its fans, and on the same level as other combat sports. If MMA was ever going to break the chains holding it back, the change had to come from within. And but September of 2000, the biggest change arrived in the form of the long in the works Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts that were accepted by the prestigious New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, and UFC 28 in November of 2000 was the first event held under the rules that still govern the sport today.
Containing several weight classes, judging criteria, ways to win a fight, safety regulations and over 30 fouls, these rules are the bible by which MMA is run, focusing on fighter safety and fair play.
“Every show, something would happen, and we would make a rule about it, or I would learn something where I said don’t ever do this, don’t ever do that,” said referee John McCarthy, who, along with commentator and former Olympian Jeff Blatnick and matchmaker Joe Silva, helped come up with the initial draft of the rules. “It was a progression, and luckily, over time, things evolved.”
That was the good news. The bad news was that the UFC was in financial trouble and on the brink of extinction.