It’s fair to say that the promotional model employed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship is the predominant one in the sport today. From the UFC itself down to the humblest of regional organizations putting on events in gyms and bars, most promotions offer some variation on the same basic model. It’s built around a few bedrock principles: former matchmaker Joe Silva’s mantra that winners fight winners, a high value placed on championship belts, a distaste for formal bracket-based tournaments and, until recently, a reluctance to have fighters change divisions or fight outside their usual weight class.
In theory, it makes the UFC a constant, ongoing tournament, with the goal of figuring out who are the best fighters in each division and having them challenge for the belt.