Timeline

206 years of fighting

Every legend's career on one line, with the moments that changed each sport. Red bars are each discipline's headliners, paper bars are women.

1838Charles Lecour watches English boxing and begins blending it with savate, creating French boxing
1867Marquess of Queensberry Rules published, requiring gloves, three-minute rounds and a 10-second count
1877Joseph Charlemont publishes a treatise that codifies French boxing's strikes and positions
1882Kanō Jigorō creates judo and opens the Kodokan
1892James J. Corbett beats John L. Sullivan to become the first Queensberry-rules world heavyweight champion
1896Germany's Carl Schuhmann wins Greco-Roman wrestling at the first modern Olympics in Athens
1899Charles Charlemont beats English boxer Jerry Driscoll in a disputed savate-versus-boxing contest
1904Boxing joins the modern Olympic program; only North American boxers compete
1904Freestyle wrestling debuts at the St. Louis Olympics; all 40 wrestlers are American
1907Georges Carpentier becomes French savate champion before turning to English boxing
1908Jack Johnson beats Canada's Tommy Burns in Sydney, becoming the first Black world heavyweight champion
1908Frank Gotch beats George Hackenschmidt in Chicago to become world heavyweight wrestling champion
1909Kanō Jigorō becomes the first Asian member of the International Olympic Committee
1912Martin Klein and Alfred Asikainen wrestle for 11 hours 40 minutes at the Olympics
1914Kodokan judoka Mitsuyo Maeda arrives in Brazil, where his teaching seeds Brazilian jiu-jitsu
1921Siam's first permanent boxing ring is built at Suan Kulap College
1921The first official Greco-Roman World Wrestling Championships are held in Helsinki
1922Gichin Funakoshi introduces Okinawan karate to mainland Japan
1924French boxing is a demonstration sport at the Paris Olympics
1932Carl Westergren wins his third Olympic gold, the first Greco-Roman wrestler to reach three
1936Okinawan masters meeting in Naha formally adopt the name karate, "empty hand"
1938USSR sports committee Order No. 633 makes sambo an official sport on 16 November
1939The first sambo tournament is held at Leningrad's Red Star Stadium
1945Rajadamnern, Thailand's first national boxing stadium, stages its first bouts on 23 December
1951The first freestyle World Wrestling Championships are held in Helsinki; Turkey wins the team title
1951Masahiko Kimura beats Hélio Gracie at the Maracanã; his arm lock becomes known as the kimura
1951The International Judo Federation is founded in London on 11 July
1952The United States enters Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling for the first time
1956Lumpinee Stadium opens on 8 December, operated by the Royal Thai Army
1956The first World Judo Championships are held in Tokyo, with no weight categories
1963The World Boxing Council is founded at a meeting in Mexico City
1963Three karate fighters from Mas Oyama's dojo face Thai boxers at Lumpinee Stadium; Japan wins 2–1
1964Judo debuts at the Tokyo Olympics; Anton Geesink wins the open category
1964Mas Oyama founds the Kyokushin organization, home of full-contact knockdown karate
1965France's Comité National de Boxe Française is founded
1966The first event billed as kickboxing is held in Osaka on April 11
1966Choi Hong-hi founds the International Taekwon-Do Federation
1966FILA, wrestling's world body, officially recognizes sambo as an international sport
1970The first Karate World Championships are held in Tokyo
1970The first European savate championships are held at the Mutualité in Paris
1972Dan Gable wins Olympic gold in Munich without giving up a single point
1973The first World Taekwondo Championships are held at the Kukkiwon in Seoul
1973The first World Sambo Championship is held in Tehran, with athletes from 11 countries
1974Muhammad Ali knocks out George Foreman in the eighth round in Kinshasa: the Rumble in the Jungle
1974The Professional Karate Association holds its first full-contact world championships in Los Angeles
1976Muhammad Ali and wrestler Antonio Inoki fight to a 15-round draw at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan
1976Jan Plas and Thom Harinck found the Dutch kickboxing association NKBB
1980The first women's World Judo Championships are held in New York
1984A FILA assembly decides to create FIAS, an independent international sambo federation
1985The international savate federation is founded on 23 March
1987The first women's World Wrestling Championships are held in Lørenskog, Norway
1988Taekwondo is a demonstration sport at the Seoul Olympics
1992Women's judo becomes a full Olympic medal sport at the Barcelona Games
1993UFC 1 held in Denver; Royce Gracie wins the tournament by submitting Gerard Gordeau
1993Branko Cikatić wins the first K-1 World Grand Prix at Tokyo's Yoyogi National Gymnasium
1996The first World Jiu-Jitsu Championship is held at Tijuca Tênis Clube in Rio de Janeiro
1996Myanmar's Lethwei federation introduces tournament rules with judges for the Golden Belt Championship
1997UFC 12 becomes the first UFC event with weight classes, splitting heavyweights and lightweights
1998The first ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship is held in Abu Dhabi
1998Women's divisions are added to the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship
2000Nigerian-born Daniel Igali wins Olympic freestyle gold for Canada at Sydney, at 69 kg
2000Rulon Gardner beats A. K. in the Olympic final, ending A. K.'s 13 years unbeaten
2000Taekwondo becomes a full Olympic medal sport at the Sydney Games
2001New Jersey regulators agree on a uniform rule set, later called the Unified Rules of MMA
2001FIAS holds its first World Combat Sambo Championships
2001The first international Lethwei event pits three American professionals against Burmese fighters in Yangon
2002K-1 launches World MAX, a tournament series for 70 kg fighters
2004Women's freestyle wrestling makes its Olympic debut
2004Japan's Akitoshi Tamura becomes the first foreigner to beat a Myanmar Lethwei fighter officially
2005The Ultimate Fighter reality series debuts on Spike TV, bringing the UFC to cable audiences
2007The World Jiu-Jitsu Championship moves from Rio de Janeiro to Long Beach, California
2008FISU, the international university sport federation, recognizes savate
2011UFC 129 draws 55,724 fans to Toronto's Rogers Centre; Georges St-Pierre retains his title
2012The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation is founded to organize amateur MMA worldwide
2012Women's boxing is added to the Olympic program for the 2012 Games
2012The Glory promotion is founded, filling the gap left by K-1's financial troubles
2013Ronda Rousey beats Liz Carmouche at UFC 157, the first women's fight in UFC history
2013Canada decriminalizes MMA through Bill S-209, letting provinces sanction professional bouts
2013IOC votes wrestling off the 2020 core program in February, then reinstates it in September
2013The IJF scraps judges' decisions; golden score continues until someone scores
2014Lumpinee Stadium moves from Rama IV Road to a new home on Ram Inthra Road
2014FILA, wrestling's world governing body, renames itself United World Wrestling
2015ONE Championship stages its first Lethwei bout, inside a cage in Yangon
2015Savate is added to France's inventory of intangible cultural heritage
2016Professional boxers become eligible for the Olympics, and men's Olympic bouts drop headgear
2016The IOC grants provisional recognition to muaythai and its federation, IFMA
2016Canada's Dave Leduc beats Tun Tun Min, becoming the first non-Burmese Golden Belt winner
2017Muaythai makes its World Games debut in Wrocław, Poland
2017The IJF drops the yuko score, leaving only ippon and waza-ari
2017The World Lethwei Championship holds its first event, WLC 1, in Yangon
2017Dave Leduc and Adem Yilmaz fight the first Lethwei world title bout between two non-Burmese
2018The IOC grants sambo provisional recognition
2019WLC 7 becomes the first Lethwei event broadcast live internationally, on UFC Fight Pass
2021The IOC grants muaythai full recognition at its 138th Session in Tokyo
2021Lumpinee Stadium holds its first female fight card on 13 November
2021The IOC fully recognizes kickboxing and its governing body, WAKO
2021Karate makes its Olympic debut at the Nippon Budokan during the Tokyo 2020 Games
2021The IOC grants full recognition to sambo's federation, FIAS, at its Tokyo session
2022Rajadamnern Stadium stages its first women's bouts, on 22 July
2023The IOC withdraws recognition from the International Boxing Association; World Boxing forms as a new federation
2024Mijaín López wins a fifth straight Olympic gold, the first athlete to do so in one individual event
2024Christa Deguchi wins at 57 kg in Paris, Canada's first Olympic judo gold
2025The IOC votes boxing onto the Los Angeles 2028 program, with World Boxing in charge
MMARoyce Gracie1993–2016Carlos Newton1996–2010Anderson Silva1997–2020Randy Couture1997–2011Chuck Liddell1998–2018Matt Hughes1998–2011Fedor Emelianenko2000–2023B.J. Penn2001–2019Georges St-Pierre2002–2017Valentina Shevchenko2003–nowJosé Aldo2004–2025Cris Cyborg2005–nowRory MacDonald2005–2022Demetrious Johnson2006–2023Jon Jones2008–2024Khabib Nurmagomedov2008–2020Amanda Nunes2008–nowConor McGregor2008–nowDaniel Cormier2009–2020Ronda Rousey2010–2026Stipe Miocic2010–2024Max Holloway2010–nowIslam Makhachev2010–nowIsrael Adesanya2012–nowKamaru Usman2012–nowAlexander Volkanovski2012–nowZhang Weili2013–now
BoxingGeorge Dixon1886–1906Jack Johnson1897–1931Sam Langford1902–1926Tommy Burns1902–1920Jimmy McLarnin1923–1936Henry Armstrong1931–1945Joe Louis1934–1951Sugar Ray Robinson1940–1965Rocky Marciano1947–1955George Chuvalo1956–1978Muhammad Ali1960–1981Joe Frazier1965–1981Roberto Durán1968–2001George Foreman1969–1997Marvin Hagler1973–1987Sugar Ray Leonard1977–1997Thomas Hearns1977–2006Julio César Chávez1980–2005PWPernell Whitaker1984–2001Evander Holyfield1984–2011Mike Tyson1985–2024Lennox Lewis1989–2003Arturo Gatti1991–2007Manny Pacquiao1995–nowFloyd Mayweather Jr.1996–2017MSMary Spencer2002–nowCanelo Álvarez2005–nowTerence Crawford2008–2025Amanda Serrano2009–nowNaoya Inoue2012–nowOleksandr Usyk2013–nowClaressa Shields2016–nowKatie Taylor2016–2026
Muay ThaiApidej Sit-Hirun1958–1976Pudpadnoi Worawut1965–1979Samart Payakaroon1972–2001Dieselnoi Chor Thanasukarn1974–1985Chamuekpet Hapalang1974–2000SPSagat Petchyindee1975–1990CLCoban Lookchaomaesaitong1977–2000KSKaensak Sor Ploenjit1980–2009CKChangpuek Kiatsongrit1980–2010Karuhat Sor Supawan1981–2002OPOrono Por Muang Ubon1983–2017Ramon Dekkers1986–2006NYNamsaknoi Yudthagarngamtorn1987–2010Saenchai1988–nowBuakaw Banchamek1990–nowSam-A Gaiyanghadao1992–nowYFYodsanklai Fairtex1993–2024Anuwat Kaewsamrit1994–2010NGNong-O Gaiyanghadao1996–nowLiam Harrison2000–2025SKSuperlek Kiatmoo92002–nowStamp Fairtex2003–nowJoanna Jędrzejczyk2004–2022Rodtang Jitmuangnon2005–nowAHAllycia Hellen Rodrigues2016–now
KickboxingBCBranko Cikatić1972–1999Don Wilson1974–2002Benny Urquidez1974–1993JTJean-Yves Thériault1976–1995AHAndy Hug1977–2000RKRob Kaman1978–1999Lucia Rijker1982–2004Ernesto Hoost1983–2014Peter Aerts1985–2020Ray Sefo1989–2013Jérôme Le Banner1992–2024Remy Bonjasky1995–2017Semmy Schilt1996–2013Mirko Cro Cop1996–2019MMasato1997–2009Mark Hunt1998–2022Andy Souwer1998–2021Badr Hari2000–2023Nieky Holzken2001–2026Anissa Meksen2001–nowGiorgio Petrosyan2002–2025Artem Levin2003–2019Rico Verhoeven2004–nowSSuperbon2005–nowTvTiffany van Soest2009–2023Tenshin Nasukawa2012–now
Karate & TaekwondoChuck Norris1960–1972JLJoe Lewis1966–1983FFFrancisco Filho1985–2004Steven López1994–2018Hadi Saei1995–2008CZChen Zhong1997–2008Antonio Díaz1998–2022HKHwang Kyung-seon2002–2016Rafael Aghayev2004–nowMaría Espinoza2004–2021Wu Jingyu2005–2021Servet Tazegül2005–2017Luigi Busà2006–2026Douglas Brose2006–2023Joel González2007–2019Milica Mandić2008–2021Jade Jones2009–nowLee Dae-hoon2010–2021Zhao Shuai2011–2021Ryo Kiyuna2012–2022Sandra Sánchez2012–2022Panipak Wongpattanakit2013–2024Kiyou Shimizu2013–2024Jovana Preković2014–2022CSCheick Sallah Cissé2014–nowSteven Da Costa2015–2023
LethweiWCWan Chai1989–2012TMTway Ma Shaung1996–2013SNSaw Nga Man1997–2019Tun Tun Min2002–nowTTThway Thit Win Hlaing2002–nowSLSoe Lin Oo2007–nowTTToo Too2010–2020Dave Leduc2013–2023ASArtur Saladiak2014–2023Vero Nika2017–now
SavateMCMichel Casseux1820–1869Charles Lecour1830–1847Joseph Charlemont1860–1869Charles Charlemont1896–1900PBPierre Baruzy1922–1937Robert Paturel1970–1985LMLudovic Millet1996–2017FAFabrice Aurieng2001–2023SLSilvia La Notte2002–2021CVChiara Vincis2015–now
Freestyle WrestlingGholamreza Takhti1950–1966Aleksandr Medved1961–1972YUYojiro Uetake1963–1968Dan Gable1967–1975IYIvan Yarygin1970–1980SBSergei Beloglazov1979–1988Bruce Baumgartner1980–1996Valentin Yordanov1981–1996Makharbek Khadartsev1982–2000AFA. F.1983–1996JSJohn Smith1984–1992DIDaniel Igali1990–2004CNChristine Nordhagen1992–2004Buvaisar Saitiev1994–2008Tonya Verbeek1994–2012Cael Sanderson1998–2004Carol Huynh2000–2012Martine Dugrenier2000–2012Saori Yoshida2002–2016Kaori Icho2002–2019Jordan Burroughs2007–nowEWErica Wiebe2007–2024Helen Maroulis2008–nowTaha Akgül2010–2024Adeline Gray2011–nowAbdulrashid Sadulaev2012–nowGeno Petriashvili2013–2024Kyle Snyder2014–nowHassan Yazdani2014–nowRisako Kawai2014–2025Yui Susaki2017–now
Greco-Roman WrestlingCarl Westergren1917–1933Ivar Johansson1928–1939Imre Polyák1952–1964ARAnatoly Roshchin1961–1972VRValery Rezantsev1965–1976Aleksandar Tomov1970–1984Nikolay Balboshin1971–1984VMVincenzo Maenza1976–1994JRJon Rønningen1980–1996Mikhail Mamiashvili1983–1991AKA. K.1986–2000Andrzej Wroński1988–2000Maik Bullmann1988–1997SKSim Kwon-ho1990–2000Armen Nazaryan1993–2008Hamza Yerlikaya1993–2007Rulon Gardner1997–2004VSVarteres Samurgashev1998–2012Mijaín López2002–2024Hamid Sourian2005–2016Rıza Kayaalp2008–nowRoman Vlasov2011–nowArtur Aleksanyan2011–nowZhan Beleniuk2012–2024Mohammad Hadi Saravi2019–now
Grappling & BJJGeorge Hackenschmidt1898–1911Frank Gotch1899–1913Carlos Gracie1929–1931Hélio Gracie1932–1955KGKarl Gotch1948–1982Billy Robinson1957–1992Rickson Gracie1980–2000Royler Gracie1985–2014André Galvão1996–nowSRSaulo Ribeiro1996–2014Xande Ribeiro1997–nowRoger Gracie1999–2017Marcelo Garcia2002–nowBEBraulio Estima2004–2018Kyra Gracie2004–2012Leandro Lo2005–2022Rubens Charles2005–2017RMRafael Mendes2006–2016Gabi Garcia2008–nowMAMarcus Almeida2010–nowBMBeatriz Mesquita2010–nowMackenzie Dern2013–nowGordon Ryan2014–2024Ffion Davies2015–nowMica Galvão2021–now
JudoMasahiko Kimura1935–1959Anton Geesink1951–1967Doug Rogers1958–1972Wim Ruska1965–1972Yasuhiro Yamashita1976–1985Ingrid Berghmans1979–1989Hitoshi Saito1980–1988Waldemar Legień1983–1992TKToshihiko Koga1985–2000Ryoko Tani1990–2010Nicolas Gill1990–2004David Douillet1991–2000Jeon Ki-young1993–1997Kosei Inoue1995–2008Tadahiro Nomura1996–2015Ilias Iliadis2003–2016KMKaori Matsumoto2005–2019Idalys Ortiz2006–2024Teddy Riner2007–nowMajlinda Kelmendi2008–2021Kayla Harrison2008–nowRafaela Silva2009–nowLukáš Krpálek2009–nowClarisse Agbegnenou2010–nowShohei Ono2012–2023Christa Deguchi2013–2024Jessica Klimkait2013–nowHifumi Abe2014–nowUta Abe2016–now
SamboDRDavid Rudman1965–1974Alexander Pushnitsa1968–1988Jeyhun Mammadov1986–1997MKM. K.1990–2006SGSvetlana Galyant1991–2014IRIrina Rodina1992–2013ACAlsim Chernoskulov2003–2023Mariya Oryashkova2006–2021Vyacheslav Vasilevsky2007–nowMMMarina Mokhnatkina2008–2023

Drag or scroll sideways. Careers run from the first to the last contest we list; bars have a minimum width so every name fits.

Milestones

  1. 1838Charles Lecour watches English boxing and begins blending it with savate, creating French boxing (Savate) · source
  2. 1867Marquess of Queensberry Rules published, requiring gloves, three-minute rounds and a 10-second count (Boxing) · source
  3. 1877Joseph Charlemont publishes a treatise that codifies French boxing's strikes and positions (Savate) · source
  4. 1882Kanō Jigorō creates judo and opens the Kodokan (Judo) · source
  5. 1892James J. Corbett beats John L. Sullivan to become the first Queensberry-rules world heavyweight champion (Boxing) · source
  6. 1896Germany's Carl Schuhmann wins Greco-Roman wrestling at the first modern Olympics in Athens (Greco-Roman) · source
  7. 1899Charles Charlemont beats English boxer Jerry Driscoll in a disputed savate-versus-boxing contest (Savate) · source
  8. 1904Boxing joins the modern Olympic program; only North American boxers compete (Boxing) · source
  9. 1904Freestyle wrestling debuts at the St. Louis Olympics; all 40 wrestlers are American (Freestyle) · source
  10. 1907Georges Carpentier becomes French savate champion before turning to English boxing (Savate) · source
  11. 1908Jack Johnson beats Canada's Tommy Burns in Sydney, becoming the first Black world heavyweight champion (Boxing) · source
  12. 1908Frank Gotch beats George Hackenschmidt in Chicago to become world heavyweight wrestling champion (Grappling) · source
  13. 1909Kanō Jigorō becomes the first Asian member of the International Olympic Committee (Judo) · source
  14. 1912Martin Klein and Alfred Asikainen wrestle for 11 hours 40 minutes at the Olympics (Greco-Roman) · source
  15. 1914Kodokan judoka Mitsuyo Maeda arrives in Brazil, where his teaching seeds Brazilian jiu-jitsu (Grappling) · source
  16. 1921Siam's first permanent boxing ring is built at Suan Kulap College (Muay Thai) · source
  17. 1921The first official Greco-Roman World Wrestling Championships are held in Helsinki (Greco-Roman) · source
  18. 1922Gichin Funakoshi introduces Okinawan karate to mainland Japan (Karate & TKD) · source
  19. 1924French boxing is a demonstration sport at the Paris Olympics (Savate) · source
  20. 1932Carl Westergren wins his third Olympic gold, the first Greco-Roman wrestler to reach three (Greco-Roman) · source
  21. 1936Okinawan masters meeting in Naha formally adopt the name karate, "empty hand" (Karate & TKD) · source
  22. 1938USSR sports committee Order No. 633 makes sambo an official sport on 16 November (Sambo) · source
  23. 1939The first sambo tournament is held at Leningrad's Red Star Stadium (Sambo) · source
  24. 1945Rajadamnern, Thailand's first national boxing stadium, stages its first bouts on 23 December (Muay Thai) · source
  25. 1951The first freestyle World Wrestling Championships are held in Helsinki; Turkey wins the team title (Freestyle) · source
  26. 1951Masahiko Kimura beats Hélio Gracie at the Maracanã; his arm lock becomes known as the kimura (Grappling) · source
  27. 1951The International Judo Federation is founded in London on 11 July (Judo) · source
  28. 1952The United States enters Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling for the first time (Greco-Roman) · source
  29. 1956Lumpinee Stadium opens on 8 December, operated by the Royal Thai Army (Muay Thai) · source
  30. 1956The first World Judo Championships are held in Tokyo, with no weight categories (Judo) · source
  31. 1963The World Boxing Council is founded at a meeting in Mexico City (Boxing) · source
  32. 1963Three karate fighters from Mas Oyama's dojo face Thai boxers at Lumpinee Stadium; Japan wins 2–1 (Kickboxing) · source
  33. 1964Judo debuts at the Tokyo Olympics; Anton Geesink wins the open category (Judo) · source
  34. 1964Mas Oyama founds the Kyokushin organization, home of full-contact knockdown karate (Karate & TKD) · source
  35. 1965France's Comité National de Boxe Française is founded (Savate) · source
  36. 1966The first event billed as kickboxing is held in Osaka on April 11 (Kickboxing) · source
  37. 1966Choi Hong-hi founds the International Taekwon-Do Federation (Karate & TKD) · source
  38. 1966FILA, wrestling's world body, officially recognizes sambo as an international sport (Sambo) · source
  39. 1970The first Karate World Championships are held in Tokyo (Karate & TKD) · source
  40. 1970The first European savate championships are held at the Mutualité in Paris (Savate) · source
  41. 1972Dan Gable wins Olympic gold in Munich without giving up a single point (Freestyle) · source
  42. 1973The first World Taekwondo Championships are held at the Kukkiwon in Seoul (Karate & TKD) · source
  43. 1973The first World Sambo Championship is held in Tehran, with athletes from 11 countries (Sambo) · source
  44. 1974Muhammad Ali knocks out George Foreman in the eighth round in Kinshasa: the Rumble in the Jungle (Boxing) · source
  45. 1974The Professional Karate Association holds its first full-contact world championships in Los Angeles (Kickboxing) · source
  46. 1976Muhammad Ali and wrestler Antonio Inoki fight to a 15-round draw at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan (MMA) · source
  47. 1976Jan Plas and Thom Harinck found the Dutch kickboxing association NKBB (Kickboxing) · source
  48. 1980The first women's World Judo Championships are held in New York (Judo) · source
  49. 1984A FILA assembly decides to create FIAS, an independent international sambo federation (Sambo) · source
  50. 1985The international savate federation is founded on 23 March (Savate) · source
  51. 1987The first women's World Wrestling Championships are held in Lørenskog, Norway (Freestyle) · source
  52. 1988Taekwondo is a demonstration sport at the Seoul Olympics (Karate & TKD) · source
  53. 1992Women's judo becomes a full Olympic medal sport at the Barcelona Games (Judo) · source
  54. 1993UFC 1 held in Denver; Royce Gracie wins the tournament by submitting Gerard Gordeau (MMA) · source
  55. 1993Branko Cikatić wins the first K-1 World Grand Prix at Tokyo's Yoyogi National Gymnasium (Kickboxing) · source
  56. 1996The first World Jiu-Jitsu Championship is held at Tijuca Tênis Clube in Rio de Janeiro (Grappling) · source
  57. 1996Myanmar's Lethwei federation introduces tournament rules with judges for the Golden Belt Championship (Lethwei) · source
  58. 1997UFC 12 becomes the first UFC event with weight classes, splitting heavyweights and lightweights (MMA) · source
  59. 1998The first ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship is held in Abu Dhabi (Grappling) · source
  60. 1998Women's divisions are added to the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship (Grappling) · source
  61. 2000Nigerian-born Daniel Igali wins Olympic freestyle gold for Canada at Sydney, at 69 kg (Freestyle) · source
  62. 2000Rulon Gardner beats A. K. in the Olympic final, ending A. K.'s 13 years unbeaten (Greco-Roman) · source
  63. 2000Taekwondo becomes a full Olympic medal sport at the Sydney Games (Karate & TKD) · source
  64. 2001New Jersey regulators agree on a uniform rule set, later called the Unified Rules of MMA (MMA) · source
  65. 2001FIAS holds its first World Combat Sambo Championships (Sambo) · source
  66. 2001The first international Lethwei event pits three American professionals against Burmese fighters in Yangon (Lethwei) · source
  67. 2002K-1 launches World MAX, a tournament series for 70 kg fighters (Kickboxing) · source
  68. 2004Women's freestyle wrestling makes its Olympic debut (Freestyle) · source
  69. 2004Japan's Akitoshi Tamura becomes the first foreigner to beat a Myanmar Lethwei fighter officially (Lethwei) · source
  70. 2005The Ultimate Fighter reality series debuts on Spike TV, bringing the UFC to cable audiences (MMA) · source
  71. 2007The World Jiu-Jitsu Championship moves from Rio de Janeiro to Long Beach, California (Grappling) · source
  72. 2008FISU, the international university sport federation, recognizes savate (Savate) · source
  73. 2011UFC 129 draws 55,724 fans to Toronto's Rogers Centre; Georges St-Pierre retains his title (MMA) · source
  74. 2012The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation is founded to organize amateur MMA worldwide (MMA) · source
  75. 2012Women's boxing is added to the Olympic program for the 2012 Games (Boxing) · source
  76. 2012The Glory promotion is founded, filling the gap left by K-1's financial troubles (Kickboxing) · source
  77. 2013Ronda Rousey beats Liz Carmouche at UFC 157, the first women's fight in UFC history (MMA) · source
  78. 2013Canada decriminalizes MMA through Bill S-209, letting provinces sanction professional bouts (MMA) · source
  79. 2013IOC votes wrestling off the 2020 core program in February, then reinstates it in September (Freestyle) · source
  80. 2013The IJF scraps judges' decisions; golden score continues until someone scores (Judo) · source
  81. 2014Lumpinee Stadium moves from Rama IV Road to a new home on Ram Inthra Road (Muay Thai) · source
  82. 2014FILA, wrestling's world governing body, renames itself United World Wrestling (Freestyle) · source
  83. 2015ONE Championship stages its first Lethwei bout, inside a cage in Yangon (Lethwei) · source
  84. 2015Savate is added to France's inventory of intangible cultural heritage (Savate) · source
  85. 2016Professional boxers become eligible for the Olympics, and men's Olympic bouts drop headgear (Boxing) · source
  86. 2016The IOC grants provisional recognition to muaythai and its federation, IFMA (Muay Thai) · source
  87. 2016Canada's Dave Leduc beats Tun Tun Min, becoming the first non-Burmese Golden Belt winner (Lethwei) · source
  88. 2017Muaythai makes its World Games debut in Wrocław, Poland (Muay Thai) · source
  89. 2017The IJF drops the yuko score, leaving only ippon and waza-ari (Judo) · source
  90. 2017The World Lethwei Championship holds its first event, WLC 1, in Yangon (Lethwei) · source
  91. 2017Dave Leduc and Adem Yilmaz fight the first Lethwei world title bout between two non-Burmese (Lethwei) · source
  92. 2018The IOC grants sambo provisional recognition (Sambo) · source
  93. 2019WLC 7 becomes the first Lethwei event broadcast live internationally, on UFC Fight Pass (Lethwei) · source
  94. 2021The IOC grants muaythai full recognition at its 138th Session in Tokyo (Muay Thai) · source
  95. 2021Lumpinee Stadium holds its first female fight card on 13 November (Muay Thai) · source
  96. 2021The IOC fully recognizes kickboxing and its governing body, WAKO (Kickboxing) · source
  97. 2021Karate makes its Olympic debut at the Nippon Budokan during the Tokyo 2020 Games (Karate & TKD) · source
  98. 2021The IOC grants full recognition to sambo's federation, FIAS, at its Tokyo session (Sambo) · source
  99. 2022Rajadamnern Stadium stages its first women's bouts, on 22 July (Muay Thai) · source
  100. 2023The IOC withdraws recognition from the International Boxing Association; World Boxing forms as a new federation (Boxing) · source
  101. 2024Mijaín López wins a fifth straight Olympic gold, the first athlete to do so in one individual event (Greco-Roman) · source
  102. 2024Christa Deguchi wins at 57 kg in Paris, Canada's first Olympic judo gold (Judo) · source
  103. 2025The IOC votes boxing onto the Los Angeles 2028 program, with World Boxing in charge (Boxing) · source
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