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20 years in 20 days
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November 16, 2013
1993: And in the beginning, the written word
The train of Gracie's that headed towards the cage at UFC 1 stretched back 50 years to Brazil. But the origins of the UFC can be traced back to a single article in which the author never saw a residual check.
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November 15, 2013
1994: The Decline of Western Civilization
In 1994, the UFC was happily embracing its "banned" substance. Keith Hackney was involved in two of the most talked about "spectacle" fights of the day, and the Gracie's still ruled the roost.
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November 14, 2013
1995: Tank's pirate booty and "The Beast"
In 1995, while the UFC was happily embracing the lawless landscape of No Hold's Barred fighting, Dan Severn was cracking jokes and skulls (often at the same time).
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November 13, 2013
1997-96: 'The Godfather of Ground & Pound'
Between 1996 and 1997, the UFC was starting to feel some blowback for its ominous marketing campaign. But before the rules began to change, there was Mark Coleman, the original heavyweight champion, and the "Godfather of ground-and-pound."
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November 12, 2013
1998: Southbound (into the heart of darkness)
In 1998, the UFC was in its Dark Ages. Only a couple of states sanctioned the sport, and those were down South. Otherwise, it was a small flickering flame that stayed alive on Internet forums.
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November 11, 2013
1999: Rules and the scale of evolution
In 1999, the 10-point must system from boxing was adopted by the UFC. It was also when Frank Shamrock and Tito Ortiz came together at UFC 22 and put "well-roundedness" into motion.
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November 10, 2013
2000: The Monster slips & UFC 29 closes a chapter
The year 2000 was the last of the SEG Era in the UFC. Former UFC owner Bob Meyrowitz remembers some of the kookiness of that last year, including UFC 24, when one fighter took the liberty of knocking himself out.
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November 9, 2013
2001: The Italian word for fighting
2001 was the changing of the guard in the UFC. That's when Zuffa took over the company and had its first show at UFC 30 in Atlantic City. After that? Global dominance.
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November 8, 2013
2002: Chandeliers and the first historical half
In 2002, the UFC's first and only half show went down at the Bellagio. And looking back on it, what a night UFC 37.5 was.
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November 7, 2013
2003: When Bettendorf was the fight capital
Long before Brock Lesnar's brute force and Cain Velasquez's relentless pace, there was 6-foot-8 Tim Sylvia -- a Bettendorf oddity that crashed out of the Miletich Fighting Systems and into history.
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November 6, 2013
2004: When 50 was just a number
The year before TUF put the UFC on the map, 2004 was still like the Old West. But have so many strange elements ever come together like they did at UFC 46?
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November 5, 2013
2005: Griffin-Bonnar go from reality to dream
In the spring of 2005, the original TUF had its Finale at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. When Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin went to war, little did they know that much more than a six-figure contract was at stake.
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November 4, 2013
2006: Spider and Ice
In 2006, Anderson Silva was served up a plate of Chris Leben...and Chuck Liddell lived as the greatest rock star the fight game had ever known.
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November 3, 2013
2007: UFC gets Pride FC and pride of Long Island
2007 was when Zuffa purchased Pride FC and MMA's first big "superfights" got real. It was also when the UFC visited Houston, where strange things happened.
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November 2, 2013
2008: The man who first crossed Mr. Jones
Between UFC 87 and UFC 88, the UFC's light heavyweight division shifted. The Chuck Liddell era came to a close just as Jon Jones snuck onto the scene at UFC 87. The man he fought was Andre Gusmao, who to this day wonders about the buzzsaw he met...
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November 1, 2013
2009: UFC comes full circle
UFC 100 was monumental for a lot of reasons. But the work of Bruce Buffer that night, who unveiled the single greatest stunt on the single biggest stage, was particularly exquisite.
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October 31, 2013
2010: WEC, Sheikhs and a visit to 'Ferrari World'
In the 20 articles in 20 days countdown to the UFC's 20th anniversary, a look back at 2010 -- when the WEC was being merged with the UFC, and Anderson Silva was going berserk in Abu Dhabi.
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October 30, 2013
2011: Business as usual
As we countdown to the UFC's 20th anniversary, we revisit each year from 2013 back to 1993. Here is 2011, in which Zuffa purchases Strikeforce and Clay Guida is relegated to Facebook.
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October 29, 2013
2012: FOX, docs and two cards in peril
In 2012, the UFC's year of mainstream infiltration and global takeover was hindered by injuries, bad math and a card that vanished right before our eyes.
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October 28, 2013
UFC in 2013: Countdown to 1993 in reverse
The year 2013: The improbable anniversary, moats, and the fountain of Swoosh...