Editing Ultimate Fighting Championship (section)

===Evolution of the rules===
*[[UFC 1]] – Although the advertising said ''There Are No Rules'', there were in fact some rules: no biting, no eye-gouging and no groin attacks. Fights ended only in the event of a knockout, submission or the corner throwing in the towel. Despite this, the first match in UFC 1 was won by referee stoppage, even though it was not officially recognized as such at the time.
*[[UFC 2]] – Groin attacks were unbanned. Time limits were dropped ending the need for judges. Modifications to the cage were added (the fence became 5 feet tall but would continually grow in height afterwards and the floor became the canvas that is still used today).
*[[UFC 3]] – The referee was officially given the authority to stop a fight in case of a fighter being unable to defend himself. A fighter could not kick if he was wearing shoes. This rule would later be discarded, then changed to 'no kicking with shoes while on the ground' and then reinstated, before finally being discarded.
*[[UFC 4]] – After tournament alternate [[Steve Jennum]] won UFC 3 by winning only one bout, alternates (replacements) were required to win a pre-tournament bout to qualify for the role of an alternate.
*[[UFC 5]] – The organizers introduced a 30-minute time limit. UFC 5 also saw the first Superfight, a one-off bout between two competitors selected by the organizers with the winner being crowned 'Superfight champion' and having the duty of defending his title at the next UFC.
*[[UFC 6]] – The referee was given the authority to restart the fight. If two fighters were entangled in a position where there was a ''lack of action'', the referee could stop the fight and restart the competitors on their feet, in their own corner. In UFC 6 they officially adopted the 5-minute extension to the 30-minute rule which had been used in UFC 5.
*[[Ultimate Ultimate 1995]] – This event was the first to introduce the no fish-hooking rule and to reinstate judges. Time limits were changed to 15 minutes in the quarter-finals, 18 minutes in the semi-finals and 27 minutes in the finals.
*[[UFC 8]] – Time limits changed to 10 minutes in the first two rounds of the tournament, 15 minutes in the tournament final and Superfight. Time limits would continually change in the later UFC events. Fights could now be decided by a judges decision if the fight reached the end of the time limit. The panel was made up of three judges who simply raised a card with the name of the fighter they considered to be the winner. In this fashion, a draw was not possible since the only two possible outcomes of a decision were 3 to 0 or 2 to 1 in favor of the winner.
*[[UFC 9]] – To appease local authorities, closed fisted strikes to the head were banned for this event only. The commentators were not aware of this last minute rule that was made to prevent the cancellation of the event due to local political pressures. Referee [[John McCarthy (referee)|"Big John" McCarthy]] made repeated warnings to the fighters to "open the hand" when this rule was violated. However, not one fighter was reprimanded. UFC 9 was also the last UFC event to feature the superfight.
*[[Ultimate Ultimate 1996]] – This event was the first to introduce the "no grabbing of the fence" rule.
*[[UFC 12]] – The main tournament split into a heavyweight (over 200 lb) and lightweight (200 lb and under) division; and the eight-man tournament ceased. Fighters now needed to win only two fights to win the competition. The Heavyweight Champion title (and title bouts) was introduced, replacing the Superfight title (albeit matches were still for a time branded as "Superfights").
*[[UFC 14]] – The lightweight division was re-branded middleweight. The wearing of padded gloves, weighing 110 to 170&nbsp;g (4 to 6&nbsp;ounces), becomes mandatory. Gloves were to be approved by the UFC. Hair-pulling, groin strikes and kicks to a downed opponent became illegal.
*[[UFC 15]] – Limits on permissible striking areas were introduced. Headbutts, elbow strikes to the back of neck and head, and small joint manipulation became illegal.
*[[UFC 21]] – Five-minute rounds were introduced, with preliminary bouts consisting of two rounds, regular non-title bouts at three rounds, and title bouts at five rounds. The "ten-point must system" was introduced for scoring fights (identical to the system widely used in boxing).
*[[UFC 28]] – The [[New Jersey State Athletic Control Board]] sanctions its first UFC event, using the newly developed ''[[Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts]]''. Major changes to the UFC's rules included barring knee strikes to the head of a downed opponent, elbow strikes to the spine and neck and punches to the back of the neck and head. Limits on permissible ring attire, stringent medical requirements, and regulatory oversight were also introduced. A new weight class system was also introduced.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ivansblog.com/2006/07/mixed-martial-arts-new-jersey.html|title=Ivan's Blog--- Ivan Trembow's Self-Important, Random Rants on Mixed Martial Arts, Video Games, Pro Wrestling, Television, Politics, Sports, and High-Quality Wool Socks|work=ivansblog.com}}</ref> This new set of rules is currently the ''de facto'' standard for MMA events held in the U.S. and is still in use by the UFC.
*[[UFC 31]] – Weight classes are re-aligned to the current standard. Bantamweight moves from 150 to 155 and becomes known as [[Lightweight (MMA)|lightweight]]. Lightweight becomes known as [[Welterweight (MMA)|welterweight]], middleweight becomes [[Light Heavyweight (MMA)|light heavyweight]], and a new [[Middleweight (MMA)|middleweight]] class is introduced at 185 pounds. Stools and seconds are first permitted in the Octagon between rounds.
*[[UFC 43]] – In the event of a stoppage, fights restart in the position the fight was stopped.
*[[UFC 94]] – After an incident where [[Georges St-Pierre]] was accused of putting [[vaseline]] on his back, corner men were disallowed from bringing vaseline into the Octagon. [[Petroleum jelly]] may now only be applied by UFC employed [[cutman|cutmen]].
*[[UFC 97]] – Foot-stomps are banned (for this event only).
*[[UFC 133]] – Speedo style trunks are banned.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/mma/post/2011/08/ebersole-nabs-bonus-for-beating-speedo-wearing-hallman/414124/1| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211018/https://www.usatoday.com/sports/mma/post/2011/08/ebersole-nabs-bonus-for-beating-speedo-wearing-hallman/414124/1| archive-date=2021-10-18 |title=Ebersole nabs bonus for beating speedo-wearing Hallman |date=August 7, 2011 |last=Non |first=Sergio |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |access-date=August 28, 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
*[[UFC 138]] – First 5-round non-title main event.<ref>{{cite web|last = Bishop |first = Matt |title = UFC 138: Chris Leben, Mark Munoz to Meet in First 5-Round Non-Title Fight |work = BloodyElbow.com |access-date = August 22, 2011|date = July 20, 2011|url  = http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/7/20/2284276/ufc-138-chris-leben-mark-munoz-to-meet-in-first-5-round-non-title |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110722181628/http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/7/20/2284276/ufc-138-chris-leben-mark-munoz-to-meet-in-first-5-round-non-title|archive-date = July 22, 2011|url-status   = live|df = mdy-all}}</ref>
*[[UFC 263]] – First 5-round non-title, non-main event bout.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-04 |title=Sources: Diaz-Edwards moved to UFC 263 card |url=https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/31386292/nate-diaz-battling-minor-injury-fight-vs-leon-edwards-moved-ufc-263-june |access-date=2022-04-14 |website=ESPN |language=en}}</ref>
*[[UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Albazi]]  - (1) Kneeing and/or Kicking the head of a grounded opponent:  A fighter shall be considered grounded and may not be legally kneed or kicked to the head when any part of their body other than their hands or feet is in contact with the canvas (ground).(2) Removal of the downward pointing elbow strike (12 to 6) as a foul.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2024/10/ufc-news-mma-unified-rule-changes-edmonton-espn-elbows-grounded-fighter|title=New unified rules to make UFC debut in Edmonton with now-legal 12-6 elbows, grounded opponent changes l|publisher=mmajunkie.usatoday.com|author=Nolan King|date=2024-10-29|access-date=2024-10-29}}</ref>