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What do you consider to be the golden era of the UFC?

payton

payton

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Anderson's title run made me a fan of his for life and we probably had 4 of the most dominant champs we've ever seen reigning at the same time with him, GSP, Jones and Aldo. With that being said, the 2015-2016 McGregor/Rousey era definitely was the most exciting time to be an MMA fan.
 
All month I would think about the upcoming fights... oh that last fight week in school... :rolleyes:

Coming home on Fridays... I got the weekend with the FIGHTS :) Those were the days!!
 
2006-2013 for sure.

In addition to the UFC's huge roster addition after the PRIDE buyout, you also had WEC, Strikeforce, Bellator, DREAM, Sengoku, IFL, EliteXC, and Affliction come up in that period of time. Best time to be an MMA fan IMO.

I think the GSP/Hendricks fight, Silva/Weidman fights, and Jon Jones running through the old guard (Rampage/Machida/Evans/Vitor/Shogun) signaled the end of that era.
 
2004-2011, though it was still really good until basically the reebok deal. turning the ufc into the same corporate bullshit as the nfl or nascar is what is killing it. 2006-2013 isn't the right timeline imo
 
Luthien said:
2009 - 2015 was peak LHW :)
Every title fight was must watch TV for me 😊

Starting somewhere with Shogun 🐈 and ending after the 2nd DC / Jon fight
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Well said.

Pride and TUF boom era is special to me because that is when I fell in love with the sport. Frank Trigg and Jay Glazer "Best of PrideFC" on cable, IFL, WEC and UFC fight nights were free on TV and had very good quality.

But waiting 3 weeks or a month sometimes between those UFC events was too long, very high quality, but a little shy on the quantity, total opposite of current state of things.

By 2009 I agree the sport was thriving, UFC had absorbed Pride so you undeniably had the best under one roof (even more so with the WEC and Strikeforce mergers)

And still the ZUFFA era, which made a big difference for me, after the merger they really lost sight of building for the future, seemed all about making a buck now to recoup that 4.2b investment.
 
The entire Zuffa era, between 2001 and 2016, is my initial answer, but those few years prior to incorporating female fights in 2013 were peak. GSP, Silva, Cain, MM, Edgar, and Cruz as champs, plus JJ becoming the youngest champ ever.... 2011 and 2012 were awesome, and we knew while it unfolded, not just in hindsight.
 
jeff7b9 said:
Well said.

Pride and TUF boom era is special to me because that is when I fell in love with the sport. Frank Trigg and Jay Glazer "Best of PrideFC" on cable, IFL, WEC and UFC fight nights were free on TV and had very good quality.

But waiting 3 weeks or a month sometimes between those UFC events was too long, very high quality, but a little shy on the quantity, total opposite of current state of things.

By 2009 I agree the sport was thriving, UFC had absorbed Pride so you undeniably had the best under one roof (even more so with the WEC and Strikeforce mergers)

And still the ZUFFA era, which made a big difference for me, after the merger they really lost sight of building for the future, seemed all about making a buck now to recoup that 4.2b investment.
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This!
 
jeff7b9 said:
Well said.

Pride and TUF boom era is special to me because that is when I fell in love with the sport. Frank Trigg and Jay Glazer "Best of PrideFC" on cable, IFL, WEC and UFC fight nights were free on TV and had very good quality.

But waiting 3 weeks or a month sometimes between those UFC events was too long, very high quality, but a little shy on the quantity, total opposite of current state of things.

By 2009 I agree the sport was thriving, UFC had absorbed Pride so you undeniably had the best under one roof (even more so with the WEC and Strikeforce mergers)

And still the ZUFFA era, which made a big difference for me, after the merger they really lost sight of building for the future, seemed all about making a buck now to recoup that 4.2b investment.
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I've been fortunate enough to watch every single numbered event ever (with every event from UFC 40 onwards viewed same day) and I fully agree. That mid portion of the Zuffa era (2006-2013ish) was something else.
 
payton said:
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Anderson's title run made me a fan of his for life and we probably had 4 of the most dominant champs we've ever seen reigning at the same time with him, GSP, Jones and Aldo. With that being said, the 2015-2016 McGregor/Rousey era definitely was the most exciting time to be an MMA fan.
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Right now.
 
Filter909 said:
The entire Zuffa era, between 2001 and 2016, is my initial answer, but those few years prior to incorporating female fights in 2013 were peak. GSP, Silva, Cain, MM, Edgar, and Cruz as champs, plus JJ becoming the youngest champ ever.... 2011 and 2012 were awesome, and we knew while it unfolded, not just in hindsight.
Click to expand...
ngl, her competition may have been garbage, but ronda in her prime mowing down every girl was very fun to watch.
 
2003-2013 (Both PrideFC and UFC together)
2007-2010 were unforgettable years because you also had EliteXC, StrikeForce, Affliction, K-1 MMA, etc
 
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