Zuffa, LLC is an American sports promotion company specializing in the promotion of mixe martial arts. It was founded in January 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada to be the new parent entity behind the Ultimate Fighting Championship by Station Casinos executives Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta, after they purchased the UFC from Semaphore Entertainment Group. The word "Zuffa" is an Italian word, meaning "brawl" or "fight with no rules". Zuffa is the entity credited with taking the UFC and mixed martial arts in the United States from a marginalized sport to being the fastest growing sport in the country, with fast-rising popularity within the highly-desired 18-30 male demographic.