UFC hitting the road to celebrate its 20th anniversary

(This story first appeared in today’s USA TODAY.)

LAS VEGAS – The UFC turns 20 this month, and the organization is celebrating with an unprecedented 20-day promotional tour.

All told, the promotion and its fighters will visit two dozen cities and host social media scavenger hunts in another 40 markets across four continents.

The UFC’s fighters and employees will log more than 200,000 air miles during the myriad events, which include visits to NFL teams such as the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers and St. Louis Rams.

In addition, there will be fan-driven autograph signings at three UFC gyms; military visits to Kentucky’s Fort Campbell and Texas’ Brooks Army Medical Center; and visits to UFC corporate partners such as Anheuser-Busch, Cox Communications, Twitter and YouTube.

Not bad for a company that once was on life support because of political pressure and financial struggles.

The 20th anniversary celebration concludes with the historic “UFC 167: St-Pierre vs. Hendricks” pay-per-view event, Nov. 16 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena.

UFC officials say the massive undertaking was inspired by UFC President Dana White.

“I think it’s all about connection,” UFC senior vice president Jackie Poriadjian told USA TODAY Sports. “The foundation of our company and what Dana has done is really about staying connected to the fans and our partners and our local markets. It is, more than anything, just a giveback.”

The UFC held its first event Nov. 12, 1993, in Denver. While it was designed as an infomercial for the Gracie family’s patented brand of Brazilian jiujitsu, the spectacle slowly developed into a sport, and the UFC has conducted 250 live events, with two more set for this week.

A new, two-hour documentary detailing the struggles of the company to get to its current position — the UFC broadcasts its product in more than 150 countries and territories — titled “Fighting for a Generation: 20 Years of the UFC,” premieres today on FOX Sports 1 (9 p.m. ET). A microsite, UFC.com/20years, launches soon and will feature a list of the promotion’s milestones and a lineal history of UFC championship belts.

Poriadjian said the buzz surrounding the anniversary necessitated an ample response.

“I think it’s pretty special having the opportunity to celebrate our 20-year anniversary, and it all culminates with UFC 167,” Poriadjian said. “We have people coming from all over the world who are going to be in Las Vegas and celebrate that with us.

“We knew everyone couldn’t be here for that, so we wanted to make sure we started early and tried to visit as many of those people and towns and partners that we could.”

Like the UFC, the anniversary tour started in Denver. The activities continue through Nov. 16. Poriadjian said the early success of the tour leads her to believe the promotion might embark on similar future endeavors.

For the latest on UFC 167, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Dana White)