WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batman Annual #4, by Tom King, Jorge Fornes, Mike Norton and Dave Stewart, on sale now.
It seems odd that UFC fighting would be a popular sport in a world where Gods and monsters regularly duke it out. Promoters would probably have a hard time drawing a paying audience when said audience can look out their window for a no-holds-bar brawl (in fact, Harleen even features a scene in which a crowd gathers to watch Batman and Joker clobber each other). Yet UFC sort of exists in the DC Universe; though it's called UFA, aesthetically it looks identical to UFC thanks to the gloves and the trunks.
In Batman Annual #4, we see the Dark Knight in a "UFA" brawl, and very obviously, he emerges victorious. This begs the question if it's fair for someone like Bruce Wayne to compete against normal martial artists at all.
The Implications of This
This confirms what a lot of DC fans have known for a while: Batman is a skilled martial artist. This should come as no surprise to anyone, however. Batman studied multiple forms of martial arts in his preparation to become the Dark Knight, honing his body to physical perfection in order to strike down Gotham's criminals.
But while Batman is the best UFC fighter, apparently, he isn't DC's greatest martial artist. Cassandra Cain and Lady Shiva are both far more talented fighters than Batman, to name a few directly associated with Batman. This naturally begs the question: what does this status mean in regards to Batman? Does it even matter?
How Such Competitions Work in the DC Universe?
In sports, there are often restrictions on what you can and can't do in a fight. You can't, for example, bring weapons into a UFC fight and can't hit an opponent in certain areas. These are tactics designed to even the playing fields and avoid serious injury. Would superpowers count as something that is unlawful to incorporate into a UFC fight? If so, how does one measure superpowers? Would they have to admit to it in a form or something?
Batman has taken on super-powered adversaries and won. By comparison, talented martial artists might not pose much of a challenge. If he can subdue Guy Gardner with nothing more than sleight of hand, what chance does some ordinary person pose to him?
But on the flip-side, if Batman can train in multiple forms of martial arts, do normal UFC fighters do the same? Two things divide Batman from normal people: lots of money and determination. Any human can undergo the same training Batman went through in theory.
However, because of Batman's resources and determination, he not only could work through the obvious pain he put himself through but also could afford to treat any possible injuries in a way that put him out on the battlefield again right away. Batman recovered from a broken spine, after all. You need to be determined to get up and fight after that, but also you need to be able to afford the best medical care in existence.
This leads to the inevitable problem here: is it fair for Batman to fight ordinary martial artists? Even extremely talented ones? The answer, ultimately, is yes. After all, so long as Batman doesn't possess any meta-human abilities, he's just like every other fighter. He's not matching his wits against these fighters, just his skills and strength. In this regard, this further reinforces the idea that the World's Greatest Detective isn't a God among men, but simply another person, reaching peak human potential.