Outside of Japan, which has pioneers such as Shooto and Pancrase that pre-date even the UFC, the URCC has been the longest running MMA promotion in Asia. In a tough sport that has seen countless regional organizations come and go, the Philippine promotions’ longevity has certainly been impressive.
When I first joined Bloody Elbow around 15 years ago, the very first MMA event I covered was a URCC show. Already running for five years back then, URCC still held bouts in a ring, and the card I attended featured young URCC champs and future ONE stars such as Eduard Folayang and Eric Kelly, along with the father — yes, you read that right — of a future UFC fighter.