LAS VEGAS -- In the city of wedding chapels and one-armed bandits, perhaps it was only a matter of time before someone hit the jackpot with the perfect marriage: the union of blood sports known as the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
UFC, which combines boxing, wrestling and other martial arts, is leaving its mark on the fighting world with all the subtlety of a flying knee to the chops.
It is the fashionable place for celebrities to be seen. George Clooney, Leonardo Dicaprio and UFC fixtures Cindy Crawford and Shaquille O'Neal are often cageside for big events.
Young men between 18 and 35 are drawn to the sport like spit to a mouthguard, and there's little doubt UFC has become the new darling of Vegas and a major force in the lucrative world of pay-per-view fighting.
