Universal Reality Combat Championship Explained

URCC
Type:	Private
Location City:	Manila
Location Country:	Philippines
Key People:	Alvin Aguilar (founder)Nico Rivera (President of URCC-USA)
Industry:	Mixed martial arts promotion
Homepage:	https://urcc.online

Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC) is the first and only professional mixed martial arts promotion based in the Philippines. Its inaugural event was held at the Casino Filipino Amphitheater in Parañaque, Philippines on November 23, 2002.^[1] The URCC is under the supervision of the Games and Amusements Board (GAB), the government agency that sanctions games such as billiards, boxing and basketball. The URCC was founded in 2002 by Filipino BJJ Black belt Alvin Aguilar, Franz von Muhlfeld, Jed Dario and Irwin Tieng. The matches and events of the URCC are aired on ABS-CBN Sports and Action and ABS-CBN Sports and Action HD, URCC's official broadcast partner.^[2]

Notable fights and fighters

A number of URCC fighters have gone on to enjoy success fighting for mainstream MMA promotions. Chinese fighter Tiequan Zhang who fought at URCC 15 went on to fight for the WEC and the UFC and is currently ranked as one of the top featherweights in the world.^[3] Dave "The Scarecrow" Galera, who won the URCC Interim Bantamweight at URCC 23^[4] is the first homegrown Filipino Fighter to be signed by the UFC.^[5]

Kevin Belingon, Eduard Folayang, Eric Kelly and Angelito Manguray all fought for ESPN Star Sports promotion Martial Combat in 2010 ^[6] while Folayang and Kelly both won fights at on September 3, 2011.^[7]

Actors Baron Geisler and Kiko Matos, who involved in a feud in May 2016 in a bar, were faced in an exhibition match during the URCC Fight Night card held at the Valkyrie at the Palace last June 25, 2016. This two-round fight, however ended in a unanimous draw.^[8] After which, both Geisler and Matos reconciled with each other.^[9]

AT URCC 28: Vindication, the first-ever 3-on-3 MMA exhibition match took place.^[10] The teams who competed were Team Chan and Team Estroso. All competitors were inside the cage simultaneously with three referees in charge of the action. The fight is momentarily halted after a competitor gets knocked or is unable to continue. Team Estroso won the fight with two of its fighters still standing while Team Chan was left with one.

On January 7, 2017, URCC held its first fight card in the United States of America.^[11]

URCC held its second event in the United States in September 2017 in San Mateo, California. Officially called "URCC 32: Fury", the event was hosted at the San Mateo County event center and featured 3 title fights, as well as amateur fights sanctioned under California Amateur Mixed Martial Arts Organization (CAMO).

Introduction of other Combat Sports

They have started to introduce other combat sports and spectacles in their events. URCC 80: Bare Madness^[12] headlined a bareknuckle boxing match between Kenjohns Serrano and Map Soberano with undercard fights that included some MMA matches.

A few months after, in January 31, 2023, they held the first ever all-bareknuckle boxing event called URCC 82: Royal Knuckle^[13] at Royal Club Makati.

URCC 84: Rage,^[14] introduced the slap battle matches as part of the events' spectacle. At URCC 86,^[15] included a couple of grappling superfights officiated under the UWW grappling rules.

On October 21, 2023, URCC held their first all-slap battle event that happened at DD Night Club in Quezon City.^[16]

Events^{[17] [18]}

	Event	Date	Venue	Location
96	URCC Fight Night	September 28, 2024	Octopus Makati	Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
95	URCC Fight Night International	July 26, 2024	Octopus Makati	Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
94	URCC: Kaogma Collision	May 25, 2024	Fuerte CamSur Sports Complex	Pili, Camarines Sur, Philippines
93	URCC: Prodigy Progression Series	April 27, 2024	Dynasty Fight Club	Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines
92	URCC 90: URCC x Dynasty	March 07, 2024	Dynasty Fight Club	Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines
91	URCC 89: Slap Fest	October 21, 2023	DD Night Club	Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
90	URCC 88	September 19, 2023	XYLO at the Palace	Taguig, Metro Manila
89	URCC 87	August 08, 2023	XYLO at the Palace	Taguig, Metro Manila
88	URCC 86	July 04, 2023	XYLO at the Palace	Taguig, Metro Manila
87	URCC 85: Underdog	June 02, 2023	DD Night Club	Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
86	URCC Pangasinan 2023	April 28, 2023	NRSCC Gym	Lingayen, Pangasinan
85	URCC 84: Rage	April 25, 2023	XYLO at the Palace	Taguig, Metro Manila
84	URCC 83: Bloodline	March 04, 2023	Zamboanga Del Norte Convention Center	Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte, PH
83	URCC 82: Royal Knuckle	January 31, 2023	Royal Night Club Makati	Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
82	URCC 81: Decades of Success	December 06, 2022	Okada Manila Grand Ballroom	Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines
81	URCC 80: Bare Madness	October 27, 2022	XYLO at the Palace	Taguig, Metro Manila
80	URCC 79: Rise Up for Redemption	August 23, 2022	XYLO at the Palace	Taguig, Metro Manila
79	URCC 78: Unbreakable	March 01, 2022	Rosellyn Compound	Olongapo, Central Luzon, Philippines
78	URCC Global: Retribution^[19]	November 28, 2019	Okada Manila Grand Ballroom	Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines
77	URCC: Rumble by the Bay		Cow Palace Arena	Daly City, California, United States of America
76	URCC Korea 1		Songdo Convention Center	Incheon, South Korea
75	URCC 77: Raw Fury		Cove Manila	Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines
74	URCC BETS 8		Coral Ballroom, Casino Filipino Pavilion	Ermita, Manila, Philippines
73	URCC: Colossal		Smart Araneta Coliseum	Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
72	URCC 34: Destiny		Craneway Pavilion	Richmond, California, United States of America
71	URCC BETS 6: Battle Extreme Tournament of Superstars		Coral Ballroom, Casino Filipino Pavilion	Ermita, Manila, Philippines
70	URCC 34 / Destiny MMA - Fight Night 4		Neal S. Blaisdell Center	Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America
69	URCC BETS 4: Battle Extreme Tournament of Superstars		Waterfront Airport Hotel and Casino	Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, Philippines
68	URCC 32 - Fury: Battle of the Islands		San Mateo County Event Center	San Mateo County, California, United States of America
67	URCC BETS 3: Battle Extreme Tournament of Superstars		Coral Ballroom, Casino Filipino Pavilion	Ermita, Manila, Philippines
66	URCC 30: Hofmann vs. Sothmann		Smart Araneta Coliseum	Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
65	URCC BETS 2: Battle Extreme Tournament of Superstars		Coral Ballroom, Casino Filipino Pavilion	Ermita, Manila, Philippines
64	URCC BETS: Battle Extreme Tournament of Superstars^[20]		Coral Ballroom, Casino Filipino Pavilion	Ermita, Manila, Philippines
63	URCC 29: Conquest		Kezar Pavilion	San Francisco, California, United States of America
62	URCC 28: Vindication		Marriott Grand Ballroom	Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
61	URCC Fight Night 1		Valkyrie at the Palace	Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines
60	URCC 27: Rebellion		Marriott Grand Ballroom	Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
59	URCC 26: Domination		Fontana Convention Hall	Clark, Angeles City
58	URCC 25: Takeover		Mall of Asia Arena	Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
57	URCC: Relaunch		Resorts World Hotel	Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines
56	URCC: Fight Night 1		BAMF MMA Center	Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines
55	URCC 24: Uprising		SMX Convention Center	Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
54	URCC: Bacolod City Brawl 2013		L'Fisher Hotel	Bacolod, Negros Occidental, Philippines
53	URCC / Tribal Gear: Dutdutan Tattoo Festival 2013		World Trade Center	Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
52	URCC 23: Unrivaled		SMX Convention Center	Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
51	URCC Baguio 5: Unleashed		Baguio Convention Center	Baguio, Philippines
50	URCC Cebu 8: Survival		J. Centre Convention Hall	Mandaue City, Cebu, Philippines
49	URCC 22: Dekada		Mall of Asia Arena	Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
48	URCC: Bacolod Brawl 2012		L'Fisher Hotel	Bacolod, Negros Occidental, Philippines
47	URCC: Davao Dimaan 4		Grand Oases Convention Center	Davao City, Philippines
46	URCC 21: Warpath		SMX Convention Center	Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
45	URCC Baguio 4: Battleground		Baguio Convention Center	Baguio, Philippines
44	URCC Cebu 7: Dominate		Cebu International Convention Center	Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines
43	URCC: Rogue Magazine's Black Tie Brawl 2011		New World Hotel	Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
42	URCC 20: XX		World Trade Center	Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
41	URCC: Bacolod Brawl 2011		L'Fisher Hotel	Bacolod, Negros Occidental, Philippines
40	URCC: University Challenge 2011		One Esplanade	Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
39	URCC: Tribal Gear: Dutdutan Tattoo Festival 2011		World Trade Center	Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
38	URCC: Davao Digmaan 3		Garden Oases Resort & Convention Center	Davao City, Philippines
37	URCC 19: Collision		World Trade Center	Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
36	URCC Baguio 3: Invasion		Baguio Convention Center	Baguio, Philippines
35	URCC Cebu 6: Respect		Cebu International Convention Center	Cebu City, Philippines
34	URCC 18: Relenthless		A-Venue Events Hall	Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
33	URCC: Rouge Magazine's Black Brief Brawl 2010		New World Hotel Makati	Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
32	URCC: Bacolod Brawl 2010		Hotel PAGCOR	Bacolod, Philippines
31	URCC / Tribal Gear: Dutdutan Tattoo Festival 2010		World Trade Center	Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
30	URCC: University Challenge 2010		A-Venue Events Hall	Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
29	URCC: Davao Digmaan 2		Garden Oases Resort & Convention Center	Davao City, Philippines
28	URCC 17: Havoc		A-Venue Events Hall	Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
27	URCC 16: Reckoning		A-Venue Events Hall	Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
26	URCC Baguio 2: Tribal Wars		Baguio Convention Center	Baguio, Philippines
25	URCC Cebu 5: Deliverance		Cebu International Convention Center	Cebu City, Philippines
24	URCC 15: Onslaught		World Trade Center	Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
23	URCC: Rouge Magazine's Black Tie Brawl 2009		Ranaissance Hotel Makati	Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
22	URCC Bacolod Brawl 2009		West Negros Gym	Negros Occidental, Philippines
21	URCC Davao Digmaan 2009		Davao Convention Center	Davao City, Philippines
20	URCC Cebu 4: Proving Ground			Mandaue City, Cebu, Philippines
19	URCC 14: Aggression		A.Venue Events Hall	Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
18	URCC Baguio: Rumble in the Highlands		Baguio Convention Center	Baguio, Philippines
17	URCC 13: Indestructible		A-Venue Events Hall	Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
16	URCC Cebu 3: Nemesis		Cebu International Convention Centre	Cebu, Philippines
15	URCC Rouge Magazine's Black Tie Brawl 2008		Hyatt Hotel Manila	Metro Manila, Philippines
14	URCC 12: Supremacy		A. Venue Events Hall	Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
13	URCC Cebu 2		Waterfront City Hotel	Cebu, Philippines
12	URCC 11: No Redemption		One Esplanade	Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
11	URCC Cebu 1		Royal Concourse Hall	Cebu, Philippines
10	URCC 10: Xrated		The Fort	Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines
9	URCC 9: Unstoppable		The Arena	San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines
8	URCC 8: Undisputed		The Arena	San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines
7	URCC 7: The Art of War		Araneta Coliseum	Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
6	URCC 6: Unleashed Fury		Casino Filipino	Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines
5	URCC 5: Beyond Fear		Casino Filipino	Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines
4	URCC 4: Return to the Dungeon		Casino Filipino	Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines
3	URCC 3: Siege at the Fort		The Fort	Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines
2	URCC 2: Night of Champions		PhilSports Arena	Pasig, Metro Manila, Philippines
1	URCC 1: Mayhem in Manila		Casino Filipino	Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines

Rules

URCC-USA

All URCC fights hosted in the United States abide by the rules in place by the athletic commission of each respective state.

URCC

URCC's rules are different from those of established promotions.^[21]

Match length

URCC matches consist of two rounds, each lasting ten minutes. Intermissions between each round are two minutes in length. All title bouts will have a 5-minute third round in case of a draw after the two rounds.

Weight classes

Division	Upper weight limit
Atomweight (Women)	481NaN1
Strawweight	521NaN1
Flyweight	571NaN1
Bantamweight	611NaN1
Featherweight	661NaN1
Lightweight	701NaN1
Welterweight	771NaN1
Middleweight	841NaN1
Light heavyweight	931NaN1
Cruiserweight	1021NaN1
Heavyweight	1201NaN1

Ring

The URCC uses a five-roped square ring from 2002 until 2013.On the 2014 event URCC 25: Take Over, the first URCC circular cage was released and planned to use it as official ring to the rest of the URCC history

Attire

URCC allows fighters latitude in their choice of attire but 4-ounce fingerless gloves and a mouthguard are mandatory. Shoes and derogatory markings on ring attire are forbidden. It is within a fighter's discretion to use other protective equipment such as groin guards.

Victory

Matches are won via:

• Submission
  • Physical tap out
  • Verbal tap out
• Knockout
  • A fighter falls from a legal blow and is either unconscious or unable to immediately continue.
• Technical Knockout
  • Referee Stoppage (the referee stops the match after seeing that one fighter is completely dominant to the point of endangering his opponent).
  • Doctor Stoppage (the referee stops the match in the event that a fighter is injured via a legal blow and the ring doctor determines that he cannot continue).
  • Forfeited Match (a fighter's corner throws in the towel).
• Decision
  • If the match reaches its time limit then the outcome of the bout is determined by the three judges. The fight is scored by a 10-point must system per round. A three step procedure per round is followed:

1. Determine winner of round (can be draw),

1. Determine if winner dominated round,

1. Fouls then factored in (subtract one point per foul from fighter).

• • Draws are acceptable in URCC matches.
• Disqualification
  • A "warning" will be given in the form of a yellow card or a red card (any fighter who executes a foul technique shall be penalized with a talent fee reduction) when a fighter commits an illegal action or does not follow the referee's instruction. Two yellow cards shall lead to a disqualification "red card."
  • The referee's decision will always depend upon the level of violation committed by a fighter whether it is intentional or unintentional. Therefore, the referee may execute the "red card" even without showing the first two "yellow cards" as a caution for a disqualification
  • The referees are also authorized to execute the red "disqualification" card if a fighter has deliberately injured his opponent and can no longer compete.

Fouls

URCC considers the following to be fouls:

1. Head butting.
2. Eye gouging.
3. Hair pulling.
4. Biting.
5. Fish hooking.
6. Any attacks to the groin
7. Strikes to the back of the head, which includes the occipital region and the spine. The sides of the head and the area around the ears are not considered to be the back of the head. (see Rabbit punch)
8. Small joint manipulation (control of four or more fingers/toes is necessary).
9. Intentionally throwing your opponent out of the ring.
10. Running out of the ring.
11. Purposely holding the ropes. Fighters cannot purposely hang an arm or leg on the ropes and it will result in an immediate warning.
12. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent.
13. Striking downward using the point of the elbow.
14. Throat strikes of any kind including without limitation, grabbing the trachea.
15. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh.
16. Grabbing the clavicle.
17. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent.
18. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent.
19. Stomping on a grounded opponent.
20. Kicking to the kidney with a heel.
21. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck.
22. Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area.
23. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent.
24. Spitting at an opponent.
25. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent.
26. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area.
27. Attacking an opponent on or during the break.
28. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee.
29. Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat.
30. Flagrantly disregarding the instruction of the referee.
31. Timidity, including without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.
32. Interference by the corner.
33. Throwing in the towel during competition.
34. Exceeding numbers of cornermen.
35. Unauthorized cornerman.
36. Any lock which puts strain on the neck joint.

Match conduct

• If both fighters are on the verge of falling out of the ring or become entangled in the ropes, the referee will stop the action. The fighters must immediately stop their movements and will then be repositioned in the center of the ring in the same position. Once they are comfortably repositioned, they resume at the referee's instruction.

Current champions

Mixed Martial Arts

Men

Division	Champion	Team	Record (W-L-D)
Strawweight	Anthony Do		6-3-0
Flyweight	Eros Baluyot^[22]	Submission Sport Philippines	4-0-0
Bantamweight	Vacant
Featherweight	Mark Striegl		18-2-0 (1 NC)
Lightweight	Anthony Taylor	Team BodyShop	7-5-0
Welterweight	John Adajar	Hitman MMA	5-1-0
	Will Chope (Interim)^[23]	The Kill Team	42-21-0
Middleweight	Chris Hofmann	Deftac	8-1-0
Light Heavyweight	Chris Hofmann	Deftac	8-1-0
Cruiserweight	Pete Brooks	Brownhouse MMA	9-0-0
Heavyweight	Sugar Ray Estroso	Ground and Pound MMA	2-5-0

Women

Division	Champion	Team	URCC Record (W-L-D)
Atomweight	Suryin Duad	Pandan Fight Team	3-0-0
Flyweight	Geli Bulaong	Submission Sport	3-1-0

Bareknuckle Boxing

Men

External links

• URCC Official Website
• Deftac Official Website
• List of Events on Sherdog
• URCC on Tapology

Notes and References

1. No Quarter . FHM Philippines . 33 . 106 . February 2003.
2. News: URCC mapapanood sa ABS-CBN (URCC to be aired on ABS-CBN). Pang-Masa. Villar. Joey. April 3, 2016. April 3, 2016.
3. Web site: Tiequan "The Wolf" Zhang MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography . Sherdog.com . July 25, 1978 . June 26, 2015.
4. http://www.ritratozilvidu.com/19/category/urcc%2023%20unrivaled/1.html
5. http://www.ritratozilvidu.com/19/post/2013/11/dave-galera-first-pure-bred-filipino-to-sign-with-the-ufc.html
6. http://www.rwmartialcombat.com/fight-card.php
7. Web site: Press Release: Filipino Fighters Rule The Roost at ONE Fighting Championship. September 3, 2011. Mmavalor.com. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150626141930/http://mmavalor.com/2011/09/03/press-release-filipino-fighters-rule-the-roost-at-one-fighting-championship/. June 26, 2015. June 26, 2015.
8. News: Baron Geisler, Kiko Matos fight to two-round draw. Rappler. Bandayrel. Rafael. June 25, 2016. June 26, 2016.
9. News: Baron Geisler vs Kiko Matos ends in draw. ABS-CBN News. Gagelonia. Dennis. June 25, 2016. June 26, 2016.
10. Web site: Video and Results: URCC 28 hosts crazy 3 vs 3 bout. November 7, 2016. Bloody Elbow.
11. News: MMA: URCC invades US with 4 title fights in January. ABS-CBN News. December 22, 2016. January 20, 2017.
12. Web site: URCC Bare Madness .
13. Web site: URCC 82: Royal Knuckle .
14. Web site: URCC 84 Rage .
15. Web site: URCC 86 .
16. Web site: First URCC all-slap battle event .
17. Web site: Sherdog.com . Universal Reality Combat Championship Fights, Fight Cards, Videos, Pictures, Events and more . 2024-09-25 . Sherdog . en.
18. Web site: Universal Reality Combat Championship URCC MMA Promoter . 2024-09-25 . Tapology . en.
19. Web site: URCC Global: Retribution Event . 2024-09-25 . Tapology . en.
20. News: URCC, Casino Filipino team up for MMA event. ABS-CBN Sports. January 19, 2017. January 20, 2017.
21. Web site: Professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Rules. July 30, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070626204639/http://www11.pair.com/urcc/urcc_home.html . June 26, 2007.
22. Web site: Eros Baluyot vs. Robin Leonen, Kaogma Collision MMA Bout . 2024-09-25 . Tapology . en.
23. Web site: Wycoco, Chope wagi sa URCC 85 . 2024-10-04 . Philstar.com.
24. Web site: Sports . Manila Standard . 2023-06-04 . Wycoco, Chope dominate URCC 85 . 2024-10-04 . Manila Standard . en-US.