🥊Fighting
Easily the oldest sporting activity in history, competitive and organised fighting dates back to the very earliest human civilisations. People have always loved watching combat!
Fighting has evolved and progressed since the early days to shape some of the most popular events of the present day across many different types of sports.
Here at Zenseats, we’re always ready to battle for the best interests of our customers. This includes having tickets and packages available for the most exciting boxing bouts in Europe and around the world, featuring all the champions, challengers and title contenders whenever they compete for major championship belts.
Even more, we pin down tickets for the most exciting wrestling and WWE contests whenever new events are announced by the organisation, as well as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Tickets for these events are always in high demand, but our team at Zenseats will always come out swinging with the best ticketing options.
Boxing
While the true origins of boxing remain unknown, pugilism as a sport has existed for many thousands of years. Indeed, many archaeologists believe that fighting using only the fists began with the Nubians in Africa. From here, it then spread northwards along the Nile when the Egyptians conquered their lands becoming popular in Mediterranean countries and across the Middle East.
The first documented boxing rules were established in Ancient Greece, where contests featured among the classic Olympic sports. The art of pugilism would continue to evolve over hundreds of years, especially in Great Britain, where professional prize-fighting emerged.
In 1743, famed bare-knuckle champion Jack Broughton established seven rules, aimed at preventing severe injury or even death in boxing rings. Jack’s ‘Broughton Rules’ were used in most professional fights, then enhanced by the London Prize Ring Rules in 1838. Not too long afterwards, the Marquess of Queensberry Rules were published by John Chambers in 1867, establishing the definitive codes of sportsmanship and fairness. The Queensberry Rules directly influenced all modern boxing commissions and associations.
Nowadays, top contests featuring the biggest stars across all weight divisions are always guaranteed to attract big media focus. This inevitably means that venues are often filled to capacity, as boxing fans travel the globe to watch their favourite fighters in action. For this reason, keeping up to date with the latest Zenseats ticketing news is essential, as we always highlight the most exciting headline bouts coming up.
MMA & The UFC
Across the globe, almost every culture has developed its own specific martial arts. As cultures traded and merged, so did the sharing of techniques for combat sports. By the early 20th century, contests based around mixed fighting disciplines were becoming commonplace.
As the early versions of the mixed martial arts (MMA) organisations we know today, contests featuring combined styles first became popular in Japan and across Asia. Meanwhile, unrestricted use of styles led to the emergence of Vale Tudo in Brazil, giving rise to the phenomenal popularity of full-contact fighting, which later became known as No Holds Barred in the United States.
Public interest was raised further in 1976, when American boxing legend Muhammad Ali fought in an exhibition match against Antonio Inoki, the iconic Japanese wrestler. This inspired further contests that combined various contact sport disciplines, leading directly towards the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) being founded in 1993.
The first few events of the UFC quickly gained notoriety thanks to the brutal and violent clashes with seemingly few rules. While those controversial origins captivated audiences and fans, the majority of American states enacted bans on the UFC, forcing the organisation to adapt and evolve.
Now headed up by president Dana White since 2001, the UFC features 12 weight divisions and clearly defined rules of conduct. It’s become a global phenomenon and is one of the fastest growing combat sports out there.
WWE
Wrestling is one of the oldest combat sports in existence. It’s taken many forms, including the Greco-Roman style, which originally featured at the ancient Olympic Games in 708 BC.
Most of the variants off the back of this have typically featured grappling holds and striking techniques, as one opponent seeks to overpower the other and force them into submission.
But different forms of wrestling have also been commonplace around the world.
Popular for centuries in Britain, the colonists of North America were surprised to discover that Native Americans also practised their own version of wrestling. This common interest would become a thriving and competitive amateur pastime, as the sport evolved over the next couple of hundred years.
The development of professional wrestling has focused more towards entertaining spectators. Professional wrestling is now an athletic form of theatre and more of a performance art in the early 20th century. The performers often assume a ‘hero’ and ‘villain’ role in the ring, while intriguing stories and narratives would be formed around the most famous wrestlers.
By the television age, wrestling would lead to the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), then the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and now World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The appeal of the sport has continued to grow. It’s thought that WWE is now available in over one billion homes worldwide.
Although there have been various competing organisations, WWE has always featured the biggest stars. The WWE shaped the wrestling boom of the 80s and 90s, led by influential stars like Hulk Hogan, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. The fame of these icons also helped shape the popularity of major WWE events, including WrestleMania, Raw and SmackDown, filling stadium venues across the United States and around the world.
Tickets for these events are highly prized, but here at Zenseats you can relax knowing that we’re in your corner with the best ticket offerings around.
