Short answers, pulled from the story.
The first Ultimate Fighting Championship event was held on the 12th of November 1993. This event took place at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado, and featured a no-holds-barred format with no weight classes and minimal rules.
Royce Gracie won the first Ultimate Fighting Championship tournament by submitting three larger opponents. He was a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and the younger brother of co-founder Rorion Gracie.
Dana White became president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2001 when Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta purchased the organization. White transformed the UFC from a niche spectacle into a legitimate athletic enterprise by securing sanctioning in Nevada and returning to cable pay-per-view.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship merged with the WWE to form TKO Group Holdings in 2023 with a value of $12.1 billion. This merger was led by Endeavor Group Holdings and combined the worlds of mixed martial arts and professional wrestling.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship settled the fighter antitrust lawsuit for $335 million in 2024. The case involved over 1,200 former fighters seeking damages of up to $1.6 billion regarding their classification as independent contractors.