A Brief Comparison of UFC, MMA, and WWE

The UFC, WWE, and MMA in general are all types of fighting sports that are hugely popular in the US, yet there is still a surprising number of people who get confused between them.

They are similar in some ways but there are a few key differences that set them apart. There are fans divided into camps, each one believing that their chosen form of fighting is the best. If you’re not sure which camp you land in, we’re here to help. This article is going to outline a brief comparison of the UFC, MMA, and WWE so that you can understand their differences.

UFC

UFC stands for the Ultimate Fighting Championships and the institution was created in November 1993 to organize and host MMA fights. It is currently one of the most successful industries after Dana White bought it in 2001 and transformed it into what it is today.

The UFC has pushed boundaries since its inception with just three rules when it first started out. This included the following basic rules for UFC conduct:

No biting
No eye-gouging
No ground strikes

One huge difference between the UFC and other fighting organizations was that they didn’t even have rounds in the early days, but instead it was more of a fight-to-the-knockout kind of deal. This led to some pretty ruthless fights, however, so White revamped its reputation.

These days, the UFC can be compared to the WWE’s WrestleMania competition which is the cornerstone of the entire sport. These pay-per-view shows might not be beating records in the same way that UFC shows have done, but they still bring in a much wider audience.

With that being said, the UFC is undoubtedly more respected of the three as one of the ultimate fighting contests, hence the name! Some even argue that it has reached a level of respect that even beats boxing in terms of which sport is the most popular in the US.

MMA

An easy way to understand the difference between UFC and MMA is to think about one of America’s other beloved sports: Football. Football is the sport, whereas the NFL is the league that hosts a world famous series of matches with some of the greatest teams.

UFC to MMA is therefore the NFL to American football. This stands for mixed martial arts and it is a full combat sport that combines fighting techniques from a range of different disciplines, including boxing, wrestling, jiu jitsu, judo, Muay Thai (Thai boxing), and karate.

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Thanks to the unpredictable nature of MMA and the frequency with which the underdog can steal the win with one good swing, there are some pretty good odds available out there. This is also what makes forms of MMA more exciting to audiences than the scripted WWE fights.

WWE

Out of all three, WWE is the least organic and is the furthest removed from a competitive sport. It is comparatively scripted when you think about the twists and turns we witness watching the UFC every time there is a new fight, rendering it a form of entertainment.

Even when it was at the peak of its career, unfortunately for some, WWE was still only really considered as “sports entertainment” rather than qualifying as an official or a true sport. In fact, there is a level of stigma attached to WWE due to the scripted nature of the fights.

With that being said, WWE still puts on one hell of an entertaining show that fans love to watch. The fighters have characters that they play when they enter the ring, although some people complain about the lack of new WWE stars and its reliance on older performers.

It does not get the same coverage as UFC events which are hosted on ESPN with fairly regular coverage. Similarly, although WWE characters were once popular in their heyday, you wouldn’t see them gracing the covers of sports magazines like certain UFC fighters.

One area WWE does win over the UFC, however, is fair pay. In fact, this has seen UFC stars like Ronda Rousey trade in the octagon for the WWE ring just to earn some much-needed money. Unless you are a prominent fighter, the average pay in UFC is just $10,744 a year.

Compared to the cool half a million dollars that is up for grabs in the WWE, plus the fact that sponsorship deals and merch is more lucrative (whereas wearing sponsorship brands is banned in the UFC) , it is no surprise that some MMA fighters have chosen to switch sides!