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When Zuffa purchased the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2001, it faced a host of serious obstacles in taking the company to a higher level. The UFC lacked pay-per-view clearances to show its big events, and a cable television platform seemed almost like a pipe dream. The company needed to create stars but simultaneously needed to avoid spending too much money on talent. Pride Fighting Championships in Japan was on the ascent and controlled more of the sport’s best fighters and most marketable…
