5 UFC fights that changed the course of the promotion's history

#2 Forest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar

Quite possibly the single biggest turning point for UFC’s mainstream media presence

After having many old school personalities to take the sport's name forward such as Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock and many others, it was time for the sport to march on to a new and more sophisticated level.

This was a process that required new torch bearers, fighters that could take the brand and sport forward and serve as role models for the new batch of fans growing up in the early 2000s.

These fans wanted something fresh and engaging, a new product that could get them hooked and was still not a cliché (professional wrestling anyone?). It was not just enough to watch the fights anymore.

The fans wanted more personal content, scenes that highlighted the private struggles that many fighters went through to be on the highest level in the sport; how physically, mentally and emotionally draining the whole process was and incidentally, it made for great reality TV.

After the first season of the Ultimate Fighter, it was unclear whether the audience would be receptive to a follow-up season or be completely disinterested. The mediocre ratings did not help the company's case for a new contract either.

Until, the finale of the show. The grand finale of the ultimate fighter turned out to be a fight that was not expected to deliver but stole the show anyway.

This was coincidentally also the first time a UFC fight was to be aired on national TV at the prime time slot and so the stakes were high for Dana White and the Fertitta brothers. Up until that point, the future of not only the show but even the promotion itself was in jeopardy.

After a deeply gripping fight that saw both fighters exchange hard shots in a very even fashion for almost the majority of the fight, the audience were on their feet. In an extremely close contest, Forest Griffin ended up defeating Stephan Bonnar to win the Light Heavyweight tournament for the first season of the Ultimate Fighter.

But to the delight of the fans and Bonnar, Dana White offered both the fighters a contract that night, making it one of the most memorable moments of competitiveness and sportsmanship in MMA.

This also secured the future of UFC and projected their presence into the mainstream media, a move that was paramount to the promotion's long-term success.