Mixed Martial Arts

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) – Techniques, Submissions, Kicks, Punches, etc.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a martial arts system that utilizes a variety of different martial arts techniques (i.e. techniques from WrestlingBrazilian Jiu-JitsuBoxingMuay ThaiKarate, etc.) in order to defeat an opponent… most famously in the “Octagon”. Most MMA training focuses on combining stand-up fighting skills (i.e. the knee strikes of Muay Thai) with ground fighting techniques (i.e. submission techniques of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu). The UFC is probably the best known promoter of mixed martial art events on a global basis.

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Elements of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

History of Mixed Martial Arts

According to the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation, “In 648 BC the sport Pankration was introduced into the Olympic Games. It can be described as a combination of boxing and wrestling and the match began standing but most often came to a close on the ground where many different kinds of locks and strikes were used. Over time Pankration grew to be the most popular Olympic sport in the ancient world.

Modern mixed martial arts (MMA) is a sport that has similarities with Pankration due to the combination of techniques. The core of MMA consists of boxing, as well as kickboxing and muay thai (thai boxing), wrestling(i.e. free style and Greco-roman), grappling (i.e. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu) and judo. Although Pankration was significantly different from MMA in the sense that the ancient sport largely lacked rules, the athletic challenge that comes from combining a wide range of techniques spurs just as much interest today as it did in ancient times.

Tracking the influences of MMA into modern times we find a surge of popularity of similar sports in Brazil in the early 20th century. Practitioners from that era, particularly the Gracie family, brought their experience into the USA, influences which then became the seed for modern MMA.

A first version of the type of MMA that we see today surfaced in the early 1990′s. Promoting matches with practitioners from different disciplines like karate, boxing, wrestling and the like, many match-ups at this time sought to identify the most effective style of martial art. As interest grew and a sport developed the athletes started training in more than one discipline to gain further competitive advantage. In the late 1990′s the American professional promoter Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) adopted the New Jersey State Athletic Commission’s rules (the Unified Rules of MMA), and modern-day MMA came to be established with the introduction of weight classes, time limits and sanctioning.”

Mixed Martial Arts Details

Mixed martial arts is highly popular in countries such as the USA. Mixed martial arts tournaments are sponsored by MMA promotion companies such as the Ultimate Fighter Championship (UFC).

Some of the most famous mixed martial artists include Randy Couture (initial background in Wrestling), Royce Gracie (initial background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), Quintin Jackson (initial background in Wrestling), Jon Jones (initial background in Wrestling), Brock Lesnar (initial backgound in Wrestling), Chuck Liddell (initial background in Karate), Lyoto Machida (initial background in Karate), Georges St. Pierre (initial background in Karate) and Anderson Silva (initial background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu). All of these athletes supplemented their initial training by learning different martial arts in order to improve their grappling techniques (i.e. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) and striking power (i.e. Muay Thai).

References

  1. International Mixed Martial Arts Federation, About MMA, http://www.immaf.org/mma/about-mma/, Added – 7/3/13