8. Zuffa’s Acquisition Frenzy
While the moves may not be considered as monumental today as they were back when Zuffa made them, the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s parent company made a series of purchases that reinforced its stranglehold on MMA. The Las Vegas-based organization intelligently scooped up struggling rivals Strikeforce and World Fighting Alliance well before it partnered with Shooto, Titan Fighting Championship and Invicta Fighting Championships for its UFC Fight Pass platform. The company pulled off two other significant purchases during its acquisition frenzy: World Extreme Cagefighting and Pride Fighting Championships.
The WEC was ruling the circuit as arguably the best MMA promotion featuring mostly lighter-weight fighters, and when Zuffa swooped in, it eventually led to the UFC’s decision to expand its roster at 155 pounds and below. However, the coup de gras for the UFC came when Zuffa bought out its biggest rival, Pride, from Dream Stage Entertainment in 2007. Original plans were to have Zuffa operate both organizations simultaneously, and dreams of massive Pride-versus-UFC events danced in everyone’s heads. Unfortunately, it never happened and Pride was ultimately shuttered, removing the UFC’s primary competitor in the process.
Number 7 » UFC 100