10 Ways UFC Has Grown In The Last 10 Years

If you're a citizen from the United Kingdom, you often may take for granted that you have medical healthcare readily available to you as and when you need it.

In the U.S. it's quite evidently a different story.

However, UFC took a major stride towards rectifying that in 2011 when they announced that they would be covering all their contracted fighters with customized accident insurance.

In one of the landmark moments in combat sports safety, the company clarified that all fighters would now be covered worldwide and these employees wouldn't pay a single penny out of their own pockets, with Zuffa taking 100% of the financial burden.

It's remarkable to think that if fighters were severely injured in a bout prior to this, they would have to then (if they didn't have their own insurance) use their fight earnings to foot their own medical bills in order to be fit enough to earn a living again.

When blood tests - pre-fight - can cost anywhere up to $800, you can imagine how much of an expense simply being medically cleared for action can be.

So, this move was a real statement of intent from Dana White and co., highlighting how fighters in their care would now have their livelihoods protected at all costs.