I was watching The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 165 this weekend on pay per view. The UFC has been around for over 20 years. It is pretty mainstream now. However, that was not always the case. Take a look at this poster for UFC 2. In bold capital letters the poster stresses that "THERE ARE NO RULES !" The poster markets UFC 2 as "THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL EVENT OF THE DECADE." The capital letters reinforce the sensationalism of the UFC. The poster even contains a warning that the PPV event is not rated and contains violent material. The poster is pandering to the prurient and graphic appetite of potential viewers. Much of the poster is black representing something dark, deviant and foreboding about the UFC event.
The ad in many ways is quite deceptive. There were plenty of rules in UFC 2, including no eye gouging, biting or strikes and kick to the groin area. There was also a time limit on matches. It is also hyperbolic to call UFC the most controversial event of the decade. The UFC became a victim of its own outrageous marketing. Senator John McCain was almost able to shut down the UFC calling it the equivalent human cockfighting. The UFC was banned in a number of cities. It was actually posters such as this one that raised the ire of politicians. Posters such as these kick simultaneously kick started the UFC and set it back almost a decade.
I notice that at the bottom of the poster there is different types of fighting styles. This shows that it is a diverse sport and can appeal to a diverse crowd. I don't know if they had many rules when it first stated but now that poster would not be good. Things change but at that time that was probably a very good advertisement.
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