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In the movie Say Anything, Lloyd Dobler proclaims that kickboxing is "the sport of the future." If Dobler had packaged kickboxing with wrestling, jiujitsu, boxing and judo, he would have been more accurate. The combination of these fighting disciplines has evolved into the sport of mixed martial arts, or MMA.
Most people recognize MMA by its brand name: Ultimate Fighting Championship. In addition to pay-per-view events, the UFC hosts live fights and a reality show on Spike TV. Over the past year alone, UFC shows on Spike regularly outdrew NBA games on network TV--and even bested a Major League Baseball playoff game.
In 2006, Wrestling Observer reported that the UFC raked in over $200 million in pay-per-view revenue--the most any promotion, including boxing, has ever grossed in a single year.
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