Ranik Ultimate Fighting Federation
 | |
| Private | |
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Shanghai, China |
Key people | Joel Resnick, CEO |
| Website | http://www.ruffchina.com/us |
Ranik Ultimate Fighting Federation (RUFF) is the first Chinese mixed martial arts (MMA) organization sanctioned by the General Administration of Sport of China. The winners of the title fights will be crowned as the national MMA champions of China in their respective weight classes. RUFF held its first event in August 2011 in Shanghai, before presenting in Chongqing, Hohhot, Nanjing, and Sanya. In February 2013 RUFF awarded Championship belts in five weight classes, at their Superfight event. Together with the Championship belt, each winner was awarded 1,000,000 RMB. RUFF along with Mandt Bros. Productions produced and aired a 10 episode reality series RUFF: Journey leading up to the Superfight. A new episode will air each week and will be nationally televised across China[1] with TV viewership of over 30 million, over 10 episodes.
Background
Founded in 2007 by businessmen Joel Resnick. From the outset, fighter safety was of paramount importance to RUFF. The company brought in well-known and C.O.M.M.A.N.D-certified referee, Jerin Valel to officiate at all events and to train local referees and judges from RUFF 1-8; and has continued its dedication to safety and fairness through training of referees and judges with the world's #1 referee Herb Dean.[2] On December 6, 2010, RUFF announced its partnership with China's Wushu Association of the General Administration of Sport, allowing them to award National Champions. RUFF is the first organization with the ability to award the title of National Champion in MMA.[3] Gaining credibility through their partnership with the government, RUFF was able to sign exclusive contracts with many of China’s best fighters.
In August 2011, RUFF Genesis was held in Shanghai. RUFF announced its partnership with the L.A. based Mandt Bros. Productions Company in January, 2012.[4]
Current Operations
On September 8, 2012, RUFF made headlines when RUFF 5 was aired LIVE on Chinese TV. The event also played online on PPTV and QQ/Tencent[5] and garnered an audience of over 1.3 million viewers. It was also the first time a combat event was televised live in China.[5] RUFF 4 was re-broadcast in the days before RUFF 5 and gained a total viewership of 4.25 million. Having recently signed deals with satellite and regional broadcasters, RUFF's #s continue to grow reaching 8 million viewer for RUFF 7 and livestream #s hitting 2 million views; with a total potential audience of well over 1.3 billion.[6]
RUFF has also been featured on the internet programs such as MMA Inside the Cage, MMA H.E.A.T and MMAMADHouse.[7]
Weight Divisions
▪ Flyweight: 57 kg
▪ Bantamweight: 61 kg
▪ Featherweight: 66 kg
▪ Lightweight: 70 kg
2013 Champions
| Division | Weight limit | Champion | Since | Title Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flyweight | 125 lb (57 kg; 8.9 st) |  Zhang Meixuan | February 2, 2013 | 0 |
| Bantamweight | 135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st) |  Irshaad Sayed | February 2, 2013 | 0 |
| Featherweight | 145 lb (66 kg; 10.4 st) | Wang Guan | February 2, 2013 | 0 |
| Lightweight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) |  Rodrigo Caporal | February 2, 2013 | 0 |
List of Events
| # | RUFF Event | Date | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RUFF: Genesis | August 27, 2011 | Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena | Shanghai, China |
| 2 | RUFF 2 | December 17, 2011 | Jiangnan Sports Center | Chongqing, China |
| 3 | RUFF 3 | March 24, 2012 | Chongqing Indoor Stadium | Chongqing, China |
| 4 | RUFF 4 | June 30, 2012 | Hohhot People's Stadium | Hohhot, China |
| 5 | RUFF 5 | September 8, 2012 | Hohhot People's Stadium | Hohhot, China |
| 6 | RUFF 6 | November 3, 2012 | Hohhot People's Stadium | Hohhot, China |
| 7 | RUFF 7 | December 22, 2012 | Zifeng Tower | Nanjing, China |
| 8 | RUFF: Super Fight | February 2, 2013 | Hohhot People's Stadium | Hohhot, China |
| 9 | RUFF 9 | May 18, 2013 | MGM Grand Sanya | Sanya, China |
| 10 | RUFF 10 | August 24, 2013 | Hongkou Indoor Stadium | Shanghai, China |
| 11 | RUFF 11 | November 30, 2013 | Hongkou Indoor Stadium | Shanghai, China |
| 12 | RUFF 12 | March 29, 2014 | Hongkou Indoor Stadium | Shanghai, China |
| 13 | RUFF Fu | June 7, 2014 | Hongkou Indoor Stadium | Shanghai, China |
References
- ↑ RUFF | MMASucka
- ↑ February 2012 Newsletter | IJF Blog
- ↑ RUFF new combat sport to contend with China's traditional martial arts | China Travel
- ↑ Mandt Bros. Gets RUFF in the Land of the Dragon - SHANGHAI, Jan. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 China MMA: RUFF 5 garners near 1.3 million viewers
- ↑ UFC on Fuel 6: Why Le vs. Franklin May Not Be the Gateway for the UFC into China | Bleacher Report
- ↑ RUFFCHINA - RUFF featured on MMA: Inside the Cage