UFC 100 Is Only The Beginning

The early roots of the UFC were pretty tenuous. There were questions about the rules, questions about the barbarity of the sport and questions about whether it would ever be sanctioned in Nevada. I recall a visit to my newsroom by Lorenzo Fertitta and (the now despised) Tito Ortiz to promote this new sport that the Fertittas had purchased and wanted to get approved in Nevada. Ultimate Fighting Championship. At that time, boxing was king of the hill, but you could quickly see the climate changing. We did the story that day, and many there after. It was easy for me to see that boxing had lost much of it's star power, and that there was a new kid on the block. Now, Las Vegas is preparing for UFC 100 this weekend and the sport could not be stronger. It is growing worldwide at a rapid pace.

A great story from Kevin Iole, who has also been there from the beginning, covering the UFC and boxing for years is linked here:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=ki-mmanowandthen070709&prov=yhoo&type=lgns