Top 10 Best MMA Promotions

MMA, or Mixed Martial Arts, happens to be a well-known sport worldwide that has become extremely popular among different kinds of people.

At the same time, there has always been a great organization, the aim of which is to promote MMA. That is why we are going to check the top MMA promotions further in this article.

Also, if perhaps you need to choose Cups for MMA, we have prepared for you a review of Best Cups for MMA, you can see it here

UFC

Founded: 1993

Headquarters: Las Vegas, Nevada, US

Top Fighters: Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Ronda Rousey

The organization was launched in 1993, and since then, it has managed to become one of the best around the globe. Ultimate Fighting Championship has events in different countries, and it includes twelve weight divisions. The organization has held more than 630 events, which is an impressive number. Since 2011, Dana White has been in charge of MMA, and the organization has become a multi-billion-dollar company under his charge. These days, the organization is number one worldwide, and it is the only one that hosts more than 40 events a year.

In July 2016, it was announced that the UFC had been sold to a group of investors led by the talent agency WME-IMG for a reported $4 billion, making it one of the largest sports deals in history at the time.
In April 2023 There have been rumors circulating that the parent company of the UFC, Endeavor, is interested in acquiring the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). If this were to happen, it would be a major level-up for the UFC and a significant shift in the landscape of combat sports and entertainment.

One Championship

Founded: 2011

Headquarters: Singapore

Top Fighters: Singya Aoki, Martin Nguyen, Demetrious Johnson

This one is considered to be the biggest MMA promotion in Asia. The organization is unique due to the fact that it promotes various combat sports events in one event, such as muay thai, submission grappling, MMA, and kickboxing. The fight arena is usually a cage or a ring for each kind of sport, depending on the majority even. One more interesting fact is that they removed weight cutting. This happened because one of the fighters died in 2015.

Bellator MMA

 

Founded: 2008

Headquarters: Santa Monica, California, USA

Top Fighters: Eddie Alvarez, Patricio Pitbull, Michael Chandler

This one is third on the list of the biggest MMA organizations. Since its foundation in 2008, there have been more than 280 events. The company, though, keeps growing at a fast pace. For example, the organization secured a deal with the BBC. As a result, there is live coverage of all the company events outside of the United States. In addition to that, there is a 24/7 channel dedicated to Bellator on Pluto TV. You can also watch it on Hulu.

Rizin Fighting Federation

 

Founded: 2015

Headquarters: Minato City, Tokyo, Japan

Top Fighters: Mirko Filipovic, Kyoji Horiguchi, Roberto de Souza

Being one of the best MMA promotions, this company is also the second-best in Asia. Being an MMA promotion, it is also known for its kickboxing bouts in the style of Grand Prix tournaments. The number of fans grew when the company allowed elbows from any angle. The thing is that all elbows were banned before. Also, both standing and grounded strikes on the head are not permitted now. This includes stomps, kicks, and knees. You can watch its events on FITE TV where most live events are free.

KSW

Founded: 2004

Headquarters: Warsaw, Poland

Top Fighters: Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Jan Blachowicz, Salahdine Parnasse

The company has held over 85 events, both in Poland and other European countries, such as Croatia, Ireland, and the UK. Their plan is to expand into the European MMA market in the nearest future. What makes the company`s events stand out from the crowd is that they are held once a month. It implies that there are only ten events a year, so many people seek after them. All events happen in a circular cage, while the organization allows fighters to get money through sponsorships.

Professional Fighters League

Founded: 2018

Headquarters: Washington, D.C, USA

Top Fighters: Andre Fialho, Kayla Harrison, Jake Shields

This organization appeared after the World Series of Fighting promotion was gained by MMAX Investment Partners. In 2018, it was rebranded to become what it is these days. The number of events makes up four seasons. In general, there are six weight classes – one women`s and five men`s. Each of the fighters takes part in two fights a season, while wins bring three points. It is also possible to get bonus points for submissions and knockouts depending on the round.

Invicta Fighting Championships

Founded: 2012

Headquarters: Kansas City, Missouri, USA

Top Fighters: Michaelle Waterson, Cris Cyborg, Rose Namajunas

It is women`s only promotion, which makes it both unique and one of the best MMA organizations. The company has held more than 55 events. Up to 2021, the events of this organization were broadcast live on UFC Fight Pass, and all of them were available on the platform. When Anthem Sports and Entertainment bought it, the events are only broadcast on the company`s YouTube channel and other media properties. The promotion follows the Official Unified Rules, and there are five fight classes.

Eagle Fighting Championship

 

Founded: 2020

Headquarters: Miami, Florida, USA

Top Fighters: Diego Sanchez, Junior Dos Santos, Renan Barao

The organization has held over 25 events, and it is owned by Khabib Nurmagomedov, who purchased it in 2020. Even though it is relatively new, the company has become one of the best MMA organizations, partially due to the owner`s influence in the industry. There are nine weight class divisions, and all of them are for men. One more fact is that there are no ring girls because Khabib believes that they are useless in the sport. Currently, you can watch these events on FLX Cast.

Pancrase

Founded: 1993

Headquarters: Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan

Top Fighters: Masakatsu Funaki, Minoru Suzuki, Ken Shamrock

One of the best MMA organizations got its name from pankration, which used to be the Ancient Olympic Games` fighting sport. The owners of the company based the rules on the style of professional wrestling. The organization made a unique and long-term deal with UFC Fight Pass in 2015 so that all fights are streamed online. Fans can also access old fights in a library.

Legacy Fighting Alliance

Founded: 2016

Headquarters: Houston, Texas, USA

Top Fighters: Leonard Garcia, Carlos Diego Ferreira, Holly Holm

The founder of this Mixed Martial Arts organization is Ed Soares. It has held more than 157 events that were broadcast on Esporte Interativo in Brazil and AXS TV in the United States. The company claims that there are more than 260 fighters, and eight of them are champions across all weight divisions. These days, the organization holds up to three events a month.

Sum Up

Here, you can see the 10 best MMA organizations that are highly likely to remain leaders for years and years to come. The most popular organizations are UFC, Bellator, and One Championship. Many people are sure that they will manage to be successful in the next decade. The rest seven might change their positions. It is also important to remember that rankings are not an absolute standard because they are based on statistics, such as losses and wins. That is why many promotions managed to make huge strides in a very short period of time.