2008 was a banner year for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. At UFC 81 in February, the MMA organization successfully launched one of it's biggest stars in former NCAA Champion and WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar. Though Lesnar would lose the fight, he wasn't embarrassed by any means. The PPV was a huge success with around six-hundred thousand buys, and a new star in Lesnar was born.
At UFC 83 in Canada the UFC set new records, selling out the venue in record time, and setting a new record both at the gates and with the number of people in the crowd. The event was the UFC's first foray into Canada, and it was a smashing success as Canadians flocked to see their countryman Georges St. Pierre win his welterweight title back So it comes as no surprise that the UFC is making a return to Canada at UFC 97.
UFC 84 in Vegas was another huge event for the company. With fighters like BJ Penn, Sean Sherk, Tito Ortiz, Lyoto Machida, Wanderlei Silva, Kieth Jardine, and others, the card was completely stacked. And even better, all the fights were great and they all lived up to the hype. Out of all the events last year, UFC 84 is definitely near the top of the list for best event of the year.
UFC 86 saw the UFC's original Ultimate Fighter winner Forrest Griffin win the light heavy-weight title from Rampage Jackson, another milestone for the company. Griffin was proof that the UFC's reality show "The Ultimate Fighter" truly does bring in some of the best fighters in the game. The event also drew around five-hundred thousand pay-per-view buys, which says quite a bit considering Griffin vs Jackson was really the only big fight on the card.
UFC 87 was important because it not only saw the first successful title defense of Georges St. Pierre, it also saw Brock Lesnar establish himself as a legitimate threat to the heavyweight division with his destruction of Heath Herring. The event, which was the company's first foray into Minnesota, sold out, and according to estimates did around six-hundred thousand ppv buys.
UFC 88 saw the UFC make it's debut in Atlanta, Georgia, and also saw Rashad Evans, winner of the Ultimate Fighter 2, skyrocket to the top of the LHW division after a brutal KO over fan-favorite Chuck Liddell.
UFC 91 saw Brock Lesnar beat UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture in a fight for the ages, and did from eight-hundred thousand buys to over one million according to who you hear it from.
UFC 92 was probably the best card of the year. With great marquee match ups like Forrest Griffin vs Rasad Evans, Big Nog vs Frank Mir, and Rampage Jackson vs Wanderlei Silva, the event more than lived up to it's potential. PPV numbers are not in yet, but I'd be willing to bet they are at least around 600K.
All in all there is no denying that the UFC is the most dominant MMA organization on the planet. If 2008 was any indication of where the company is going, 2009 is going to be a huge year. It's nice to be a fan.
