boohooMAN is an Official Sponsor for UFC Fight Island

Global online fashion retailer boohooMAN.com has become an official sponsor for UFC Fight Island^®, with the brand first featured at UFC^® 251: USMAN vs. MASVIDAL.

The partnership between boohooMAN and UFC^® will cover the four events taking place on Fight Island as the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization returns to host multiple events on an international scale.

Taking place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, fans will have the opportunity to see a series of highly anticipated bouts including Kamaru Usman who defended his welterweight title in dominating fashion against the No.3 contender and BMF titleholder, Jorge Masivdal, and Brit Darren Till who takes on former welterweight champion Robert Whittaker on July 25.

UFC Fight Island is such a unique concept and experience for UFC, its athletes and fans, and we’re thrilled to have boohooMAN join us for what will be an unforgettable journey. boohooMAN has worked with some incredible individuals across sports and entertainment and we look forward to adding this exciting and innovative brand to UFC’s portfolio.

Nicholas Smith, UFC Vice President, Global Partnerships

Contents

• What is UFC^®?
• What to wear to a UFC fight^®?
• What do UFC^® fighters wear?
• How UFC^® came about?
• Who is the most famous UFC^® fighter?
• Who is your favourite UFC^® champion?
• How to Watch UFC^® ?

What is UFC^®?

UFC^® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 318 million fans and 102 million social media followers.

The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to nearly one billion TV households across more than 175 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 65 countries.

The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS^®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC was acquired in 2016 by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, along with strategic investors Silver Lake Partners and KKR. UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.

If you’re a fan of the UFC, you might dream of front row seats, soaking up the atmosphere, smelling, tasting and hearing the action. Or perhaps you prefer to watch the numbered events or Fight Nights from the comfort of your own home?

However you like to enjoy this ultimate show of mixed martial arts, we’ve got a handy guide on what to wear to a UFC fight. Follow our tips to be sure you fit in and stay comfortable throughout an event, which can last around six hours.

What to Wear to a UFC Fight^®?

You will probably feel that the better your seats, the better you should dress. Certainly, if you have front row seats for any professional title fight, you won’t look out of place in a suit, tux or formal attire.

What you wear also depends on the venue and what you’ve got planned for after the fight. If you’re lucky enough to have tickets for the UFC APEX or the MGM Grand Garden Arena and you’re planning on trying your luck in the Las Vegas casinos, you’re going to want to look pretty sharp. If you’re headed to The O2 Arena followed by the Ministry of Sound, Egg London, or any other swish nightclub, you’re going to need to be ready to throw some serious shapes on the dancefloor. Remember, if you’re in one of the front few rows, you might even be on TV!

However, if you prefer, and the venue permits, you can be a bit – or a lot – more informal. UFC is a sporting event after all, and many spectators are likely to be wearing sports clothes, t-shirts, hoodies, and jeans. Chances are, there’ll be plenty of sweat, beer, and maybe even some blood flying around, so you might prefer to avoid wearing your best crisp, white designer-shirt

What Do UFC^® Fighters Wear?

Provided you’re on the right side of the barrier of the infamous octagon, the sweat and the blood will belong to the fighters, and the beer will belong to you or the spectators around you.

The fighters themselves will be wearing shorts, open-fingered gloves, a mouthguard and groin protection, and female fighters will also wear a shirt and protective chest gear. Fighters cannot wear shoes in the UFC Octagon.

How UFC^® Came About?

Before you nip off to find out the time and date of the next UFC event, perhaps you’d like to learn a bit about how it all started. Back in the early 1990s, Art Davie, a business executive and entrepreneur, came up with an idea for an eight-man single-elimination tournament called War of the Worlds. The idea stemmed from a video series called Gracies in Action whereby Gracie jiu-jitsu students fought against top martial-artists from various other disciplines.

At this time, most fighters were skilled in only one discipline, prompting many people to wonder, which is the best martial art? Could a wrestler beat a boxer?

The plan for War of the Worlds was that tournaments would feature no-holds-barred combat to decide which was the best martial art. And we mean no-holds-barred. At first, the sport had a violent reputation, and techniques such as hair pulling and head butting were allowed.

With the backing of 28 business investors, Davie founded WOW Promotions, partnered with pay-per-view pioneers, SEG, and trademarked the ‘Octagon’. The Ultimate Fighting Championship was born! The first-ever UFC event was held on 12 November 1993, and the winner was….Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Royce Gracie.

Although jiu-jitsu dominated the first UFC events, other fighting styles became equally as successful, and eventually, several different styles melded into what we call mixed martial arts (MMA). In the late 1990s, the rules for UFC were redesigned, certain moves and techniques were banned, weight classes were introduced, and gloves became mandatory. Over the past nearly three decades, UFC has evolved to become the edge-of-the-seat, premier MMA sports organisation we enjoy today.

Who is the Most Famous UFC^® Fighter?

Good question. The chances are, you’ve heard of the slightly eccentric Irishman Conor McGregor who made a knockout impact in the Octagon back in 2013? Retired Canadian UFC champion Georges St-Pierre is regarded as one of the top MMA competitors in history. Perhaps your favourite is the legend Frank Shamrock, Tito Ortiz, Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Brock Lesnar or Royce Gracie?

Royce Gracie is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and the winner of the first-ever UFC event. Gracie famously defeated a boxer, a shootfighter, and a French kickboxing expert, proving that size does not always determine the outcome of a fight and that technique can overcome a size disadvantage.

Who is Your Favourite UFC^® Champion?

There are, of course, too many UFC greats to list here. Current champions include Stipe Miocic, the Heavyweight Champion, Israel Adesanya the Middleweight Champion, Kamaru Usman the Welterweight Champion, and Alexander Volkanovski the Featherweight Champion.

Russian professional mixed martial artist Khabib Nurmagomedov is the current Lightweight Champion, with American professional mixed martial artist Justin Gaethje being the Interim Champion since May 9, 2020. Also known as The Eagle, Nurmagomedov holds the record for the most takedowns in a single bout in his fight against American Abel Trujillo. 31-year-old Nurmagomedov holds the longest active undefeated streak in MMA, is number two in UFC’s men’s pound-for-pound rankings, and one of the most dominant athletes in the history of MMA.

How to Watch UFC^® ?

BT Sport is the only place to watch every numbered and Fight Night event live or on-demand in the UK. You can get the BT Sports Pack if you have BT TV, on the Sky Digital Satellite Platform, on a BT mobile, or on the BT Sport app and online player if you have BT broadband.

Viewers worldwide can watch UFC numbered events, which take place roughly once a month, as a pay-per-view service. You will need to download a UFC Fight Pass from the UFC website and then stream the fights via a supported device such as a Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, iPhone or iPad, Android device, Xbox One, or a Smart TV. Other UFC events air on American channels such as ESPN, Spike, Fuel TV, Versus and FOX.