Focus Various
Hardness Full contact
Olympic sport No
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full contact combat sport that allows the use
of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground,
from a variety of other combat sports. Various mixed style contests took place
throughout Europe, Japan and the Pacific Rim during the early 1900s. The combat
sport of vale tudo that had developed in Brazil from the 1920s was brought to
the United States by the Gracie family in 1993 with the founding of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
History
Early history
A Greek statue pancratium, an event showcased at the Roman Colosseum. Even
as late as the Early Middle Ages, statues were put up in Rome and other cities
to honour remarkable pankratiasts of Rome.
During the Classic Greek era there existed an ancient Olympic combat sport,
known as Pankration which featured a combination of grappling and striking
skills, similar to modern mixed martial arts. This sport originated in Ancient
Greece and was later passed on to the Romans.
No-holds-barred fighting reportedly took place in the late 1880s when
wrestlers representing styles, Greco-Roman wrestling and many others met in
tournaments and music-hall challenge matches throughout Europe. In the USA, the
first major encounter between a boxer and a wrestler in modern times took place
in 1887 when John L. Sullivan, then heavyweight world boxing champion, entered
the ring with his trainer, Greco-Roman Wrestling champion William Muldoon, and
was slammed to the mat in two minutes. The next publicized encounter occurred
in the late 1890s when future heavyweight boxing champion Bob Fitzsimmons took
on European Greco-Roman Wrestling champion Ernest Roeber. In September 1901,
Frank "Paddy" Slavin, who had been a contender for Sullivan's boxing
title, knocked out future world wrestling champion Frank Gotch in Dawson City,
Canada.
Another early example of mixed martial arts was Bartitsu, which Edward
William Barton-Wright founded in London in 1899. Combining judo, jujutsu,
boxing, savate and canne de combat (French stick fighting), Bartitsu was the
first martial art known to have combined Asian and European fighting styles, and which saw MMA-style contests throughout England, pitting European and
Japanese champions against representatives of various European wrestling
styles.
The history of modern MMA competition can be traced to mixed style contests
throughout Europe, Japan, and the Pacific Rim during the early 1900s; In
Japan these contests were known as merikan, from the Japanese slang for
"American [fighting]". Merikan contests were fought under a variety
of rules including points decision, best of three throws or knockdowns, and
victory via knockout or submission.
As the popularity of professional wrestling waned after World War I it
split into two genres: "shoot", in which the fighters actually
competed, and "show", which evolved into modern professional wrestling.
In 1936, heavyweight boxing contender Kingfish Levinsky and veteran
professional wrestler Ray Steele competed in a mixed match, which Steele won in
35 seconds.
In 1963, "Judo" Gene Lebell fought professional boxer Milo Savage
in a no-holds-barred match. Lebell won by Harai Goshi to rear naked choke,
leaving Savage unconscious.
In the late 1960s to early 1970s, the concept of combining the elements of
multiple martial arts was popularized in the west by Bruce Lee via his system
philosophy of Jeet Kune Do. Lee believed that "the best fighter is not a
Boxer, Karate or Judo man. The best fighter is someone who can adapt to any
style, to be formless, to adopt an individual's own style and not following the
system of styles." In 2004, UFC President Dana White would call Lee the
"father of mixed martial arts" stating: "If you look at the way
Bruce Lee trained, the way he fought, and many of the things he wrote, he said
the perfect style was no style. You take a little something from everything.
You take the good things from every different discipline, use what works, and
you throw the rest away".
Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki took place in Japan in 1976. Both fighters
refused to engage in the other's style and after a 15 round stalemate, it was
declared a draw.
Modern sport
The movement that led to the creation of the American and Japanese mixed
martial arts scenes was rooted in two interconnected subcultures and two
grappling styles, namely Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and shoot wrestling. First were
the vale tudo events in Brazil, followed by the Japanese shoot-style wrestling
shows.
Vale tudo began in the 1920s and became renowned with the "Gracie
challenge" issued by Carlos Gracie and Hélio Gracie and upheld later on by
descendants of the Gracie family. Early mixed-match martial arts professional
wrestling bouts in Japan (known as Ishu Kakutōgi Sen , literally "heterogeneous combat sports
bouts") became popular with Antonio Inoki in the 1970s. Inoki was a
disciple of Rikidōzan, but also of Karl Gotch who trained numerous
Japanese wrestlers in catch wrestling.
Mixed martial arts competitions were introduced
in the United States with the first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in
1993. The sport gained international exposure and widespread publicity when
jiu-jitsu fighter Royce Gracie won the first Ultimate Fighting Championship
tournament, submitting three challengers in a total of just five minutes,
sparking a revolution in martial arts.
Japan had its own form of mixed martial arts
discipline Shooto that evolved from shoot wrestling in 1985, as well as the
shoot wrestling derivative Pancrase founded as a promotion in 1993. The first
Vale Tudo Japan tournaments were held in 1994 and 1995, both were won by Rickson
Gracie. Around the same time, International Vale Tudo competition started to
develop through (WVC, VTJ, IVC, UVF etc.). Interest in mixed martial arts as a
sport resulted in the creation of the Pride Fighting Championships (Pride) in
1997, where again Rickson participated and won.
Origin of 'MMA'
Jeff Blatnick was responsible for the sport
adopting the name Mixed Martial Arts. Previously marketed as NHB, Blatnick and
John McCarthy proposed the name 'MMA' at the UFC 17 rules meeting in response to
increased public criticism. The term is generally attributed to Howard
Rosenberg.
Regulation
In March 1997, the Iowa Athletic Commission
officially sanctioned Battlecade Extreme Fighting under a modified form of its
existing rules for Shootfighting. These rules created the 3, 5 minute round,
one-minute break format, and mandated shootfighting gloves as well as weight
classes for the first time. Illegal blows were listed as groin strikes, head
butting, biting, eye gouging, hair pulling, striking an opponent with an elbow
while the opponent is on the mat, kidney strikes, and striking the back of the head
with closed fist. Holding onto the ring or cage for any reason was defined as
foul. While there are minor differences between these and the final Unified
Rules, notably regarding elbow-strikes, the Iowa rules allowed mixed martial
arts promoters to conduct essentially modern events legally, anywhere in the
state. On March 28, 1997, Extreme Fighting 4 was held under these rules, making
it the first officially sanctioned mixed martial arts event, and the first show
conducted under a version of the modern rules.
In April 2000, the California State Athletic
Commission voted unanimously in favor of regulations that later became the
foundation for the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. However when the
legislation was sent to California's capitol for review, it was determined that
the sport fell outside the jurisdiction of the CSAC, rendering the vote superfluous.
In September 2000, the New Jersey State Athletic
Control Board (NJSACB) began to allow mixed martial arts promoters to conduct
events in New Jersey. The intent was to allow the NJSACB to observe actual
events and gather information to establish a comprehensive set of rules to effectively
regulate the sport.
On April 3, 2001, the NJSACB held a meeting to
discuss the regulation of mixed martial arts events. This meeting attempted to
unify the myriad rules and regulations which have been utilized by the
different mixed martial arts organizations. At this meeting, the proposed
uniform rules were agreed upon by the NJSACB, several other regulatory bodies,
numerous promoters of mixed martial arts events and other interested parties in
attendance. At the conclusion of the meeting, all parties in attendance were
able to agree upon a uniform set of rules to govern the sport of mixed martial
arts.
The rules adopted by the NJSACB have become the
de facto standard set of rules for professional mixed martial arts across North
America. On July 30, 2009, a motion was made at the annual meeting of the
Association of Boxing Commissions to adopt these rules as the "Unified
Rules of Mixed Martial Arts". The motion passed unanimously.
In November 2005 the United States Army began to
sanction mixed martial arts with the first annual Army Combatives Championships
held by the US Army Combatives School.
Canada formally decriminalized mixed martial arts
with a vote on Bill S-209 on June 5, 2013. The bill allows for provinces to
have the power to create athletic commissions to regulate and sanction
professional mixed martial arts bouts.
Growth
The sport reached a new peak of popularity in
North America in the December 2006 rematch between then UFC light heavyweight
champion Chuck Liddell and former champion Tito Ortiz, rivaling the PPV sales
of some of the biggest boxing events of all time,[6] and helping the UFC's 2006
PPV gross surpass that of any promotion in PPV history. In 2007, Zuffa LLC, the
owners of the UFC MMA promotion, bought Japanese rival MMA brand Pride FC,
merging the contracted fighters under one promotion and drawing comparisons to
the consolidation that occurred in other sports, such as the AFL-NFL Merger in
American football.
Since the UFC came to prominence in mainstream
media in 2006, and with their 2007 merger with Pride FC and purchase of WEC,
few companies have presented significant competition. However numerous
organizations have held shows of significance while competing against the UFC.
The most notable competition has included:
Pride Fighting Championships (1997-2007)
World Extreme Cagefighting (2001-2010)
International Fight League (2006–2008)
EliteXC (2006–2008)
DREAM (2008–2012)
Strikeforce (2006–2013)
Bellator Fighting Championships (2008–Present)
On April 30, 2011, UFC 129 set a new North
American MMA attendance record, drawing 55,724 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto;
the event also set a new MMA world record for the highest paid gate at
$12,075,000[31] and is the highest gate in Toronto for any event.
Development of fighters
The examples and perspective in this section may
not include all significant viewpoints. Please improve the article or discuss
the issue. (December 2010)
As a result of an increased number of
competitors, organized training camps, information sharing, and modern
kinesiology, the understanding of the combat-effectiveness of various
strategies has been greatly improved. UFC commentator Joe Rogan claimed that
martial arts evolved more in the ten years following 1993 than in the preceding
700 years combined.
"During his reign atop the sport in the late
1990s he was the prototype — he could strike with the best strikers; he could
grapple with the best grapplers; his endurance was second to none. "
— describing UFC champion Frank Shamrock's early
dominance
The high profile of modern MMA promotions such as
UFC and Pride has fostered an accelerated development of the sport. The early
1990s saw a wide variety of traditional styles competing in the sport. However,
early competition saw varying levels of success among disparate styles.
Two fighters grappling in a mixed martial arts
event.
In the early 1990s, practitioners of grappling
based styles such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu dominated competition in the United
States. Practitioners of striking based arts such as boxing, kickboxing, and karate
who were unfamiliar with submission grappling proved to be unprepared to deal
with its submission techniques. As competitions became more and more common,
those with a base in striking arts became more competitive as they cross trained
in arts based around takedowns and submission holds. Likewise, those from the
varying grappling styles added striking techniques to their arsenal. This
increase of cross-training resulted in fighters becoming increasingly
multidimensional and well-rounded in their skill-sets.
The new hybridization of fighting styles can be
seen in the technique of "ground and pound" developed by
wrestling-based UFC pioneers such as Dan Severn, Don Frye and Mark Coleman.
These wrestlers realized the need for the incorporation of strikes on the
ground as well as on the feet, and incorporated ground striking into their
grappling-based styles. Mark Coleman stated at UFC 14 that his strategy was to
"Ground him and pound him" which may be the first televised use of
the term.
Since the late 1990s, both strikers and grapplers
have been successful at MMA, though it is rare to see any fighter who is not
schooled in both striking and grappling arts reach the highest levels of
competition.
Rules
A fighter wraps his hands prior to putting gloves
on.
The rules for modern mixed martial arts
competitions have changed significantly since the early days of vale tudo,
Japanese shoot wrestling, and UFC 1, and even more from the historic style of
pankration. As the knowledge of fighting techniques spread among fighters and
spectators, it became clear that the original minimalist rule systems needed to
be amended. The main motivations for these rule changes were protection of the
health of the fighters, the desire to shed the perception of "barbarism
and lawlessness", and to be recognized as a legitimate sport.
The new rules included the introduction of weight
classes; as knowledge about submissions spread, differences in weight had
become a significant factor. There are nine different weight classes in the
Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. These nine weight classes include
flyweight (up to 125 lb / 56.7 kg), bantamweight (up to 135 lb / 61.2 kg),
featherweight (up to 145 lb / 65.8 kg), lightweight (up to 155 lb / 70.3 kg),
welterweight (up to 170 lb / 77.1 kg), middleweight (up to 185 lb / 83.9 kg),
light heavyweight (up to 205 lb / 93.0 kg), heavyweight (up to 265 lb / 120.2
kg), and super heavyweight with no upper weight limit.
Small, open-fingered gloves were introduced to
protect fists, reduce the occurrence of cuts (and stoppages due to cuts) and
encourage fighters to use their hands for striking to allow more captivating
matches. Gloves were first made mandatory in Japan's Shooto promotion and were
later adopted by the UFC as it developed into a regulated sport. Most
professional fights have the fighters wear 4 oz gloves, whereas some
jurisdictions require amateurs to wear a slightly heavier 6 oz glove for more
protection for the hands and wrists.
Time limits were established to avoid long fights
with little action where competitors conserved their strength. Matches without
time limits also complicated the airing of live events. The time limits in most
professional fights are three 5 minute rounds, and championship fights are
normally five 5 minute rounds. Similar motivations produced the "stand
up" rule, where the referee can stand fighters up if it is perceived that
both are resting on the ground or not advancing toward a dominant position.
In the U.S., state athletic and boxing
commissions have played a crucial role in the introduction of additional rules
because they oversee MMA in a similar fashion to boxing. In Japan and most of
Europe, there is no regulating authority over competitions, so these
organizations have greater freedom in rule development and event structure.
Victory
Victory in a match is normally gained either by
the judges' decision after an allotted amount of time has elapsed, a stoppage
by the referee (for example if a competitor can not defend himself
intelligently) or the fight doctor (due to an injury), a submission, by a
competitor's cornerman throwing in the towel, or by knockout.
Knockout (KO): as soon as a fighter is unable to
continue due to legal strikes, his opponent is declared the winner. As MMA
rules allow submissions and ground and pound, the fight is stopped to prevent
further injury to the fighter.
Submission: a fighter may admit defeat during a
match by:
a tap on the opponent's body or mat/floor
a verbal submission
Technical Submission: the referee stops the match
when the fighter is caught in a submission hold and is in danger of being
injured. Often it is when a fighter gets choked unconscious; other times it is
when a bone has been broken in a submission hold (a broken arm due to a kimura,
etc.)
Technical Knockout (TKO)
Referee stoppage: The ref may stop a match in
progress if:
a fighter becomes dominant to the point where the
opponent can not intelligently defend himself and is taking excessive damage as
a result
a fighter appears to be losing consciousness as
he/she is being struck
a fighter appears to have a significant injury
such as a cut or a broken bone
Doctor Stoppage/Cut: the referee will call for a
time out if a fighter's ability to continue is in question as a result of
apparent injuries, such as a large cut. The ring doctor will inspect the
fighter and stop the match if the fighter is deemed unable to continue safely,
rendering the opponent the winner. However, if the match is stopped as a result
of an injury from illegal actions by the opponent, either a disqualification or
no contest will be issued instead.
Corner stoppage: a fighter's corner men may
announce defeat on the fighter's behalf by throwing in the towel during the
match in progress or between rounds. This is normally done when a fighter is
being beaten to the point where it is dangerous and unnecessary. In some cases,
the fighter may be injured.
Retirement: a fighter is so dazed or exhausted
that he/she cannot physically continue fighting.
Decision: if the match goes the distance, then
the outcome of the bout is determined by three judges. The judging criteria are
organization-specific.
Forfeit: a fighter or his representative may
forfeit a match prior to the beginning of the match, thereby losing the match.
Disqualification: a "warning" will be
given when a fighter commits a foul or illegal action or does not follow the
referee's instruction. Three warnings will result in a disqualification.
Moreover, if a fighter is unable to continue due to a deliberate illegal
technique from his opponent, the opponent will be disqualified.
No Contest: in the event that both fighters
commit a violation of the rules, or a fighter is unable to continue due to an
injury from an accidental illegal technique, the match will be declared a
"No Contest".
Clothing
Mixed martial arts promotions typically require
that male fighters wear shorts in addition to being barechested, thus
precluding the use of gi or fighting kimono to inhibit or assist submission
holds. Male fighters are required by most athletic commissions to wear groin
protectors underneath their trunks. Female fighters wear short shorts and
sports bras or other similarly snug-fitting tops. Both male and female fighters
are required to wear a mouthguard.
The need for flexibility in the legs combined
with durability prompted the creation of various fighting shorts brands, which
then spawned a range of mixed martial arts clothing and casual wear available
to the public.
Common disciplines
Most 'traditional' martial arts have a specific
focus and these arts may be trained to improve in that area. Popular
disciplines of each type include:
Clinch: Freestyle, Greco-Roman wrestling, Sambo,
and Judo are trained to improve clinching, takedowns, and throws, while Muay
Thai is trained to improve the striking aspect of the clinch.
Ground: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Submission
Wrestling, shoot wrestling, catch wrestling, Judo, and Sambo are trained to
improve ground control and position, as well as to achieve submission holds,
and defend against them.
Some styles have been adapted from their
traditional form, such as boxing stances which lack effective counters to leg
kicks and the muay thai stance which is poor for defending against takedowns
due to the static nature, or Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, techniques which
must be adapted for No Gi competition. It is common for a fighter to train with
multiple coaches of different styles or an organized fight team to improve
various aspects of their game at once. Cardiovascular conditioning, speed
drills, strength training and flexibility are also important aspects of a fighter's
training. Some schools advertise their styles as simply "mixed martial
arts", which has become a style in itself, but the training will still
often be split into different sections.
While mixed martial arts was initially practised
almost exclusively by competitive fighters, this is no longer the case. As the
sport has become more mainstream and more widely taught, it has become
accessible to wider range of practitioners of all ages. Proponents of this sort
of training argue that it is safe for anyone, of any age, with varying levels
of competitiveness and fitness.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu came to international
prominence in the martial arts community in the early 1990s, when Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
expert Royce Gracie won the first, second and fourth Ultimate Fighting
Championships, which at the time were single elimination martial arts
tournaments. Royce fought against often much larger opponents who were
practicing other styles, including boxing,Wrestling, Amateur Wrestling
(including Freestyle, Greco-Roman, and American Folkstyle), shoot-fighting,
karate, judo and tae kwon do. It has since become a staple art and key
component for many MMA fighters. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is largely credited for
bringing widespread attention to the importance of ground fighting. Sport BJJ
tournaments continue to grow in popularity worldwide and have given rise to
no-gi submission grappling tournaments, such as the ADCC Submission Wrestling
World Championship. It is primarily considered a ground-based fighting style,
with emphasis on positioning, chokes and joint locks.
Amateur wrestling
Amateur Wrestling (including Freestyle,
Greco-Roman, and American Folkstyle) gained tremendous respect due to its
effectiveness in mixed martial arts competitions. Wrestling is widely studied
by mixed martial artists. Wrestling is also credited for conferring an emphasis
on conditioning for explosive movement and stamina, both of which are critical
in competitive mixed martial arts. It is known for excellent takedowns,
particularly against the legs. Notable fighters include Chael Sonnen, Randy
Couture, and Dan Henderson.
Boxing
Boxing is a martial art that is widely used in
MMA. Some fighters that are known for using boxing are Nick Diaz, Junior dos
Santos, B.J. Penn and Shane Carwin
Catch wrestling
Karl Gotch was a catch wrestler and a student of
Billy Riley's Snake Pit in Whelley, Wigan. In the film Catch: the hold not
taken, some of those who trained with Gotch in Wigan talk of his fascination
with the traditional Lancashire style of wrestling and how he was inspired to
stay and train at Billy Riley's after experiencing its effects first hand
during a professional show in Manchester, England. After leaving Wigan, he
later went on to teach catch wrestling to Japanese professional wrestlers in
the 1970s to students including Antonio Inoki, Tatsumi Fujinami, Hiro Matsuda,
Osamu Kido, Satoru Sayama (Tiger Mask) and Yoshiaki Fujiwara. Starting from
1976, one of these professional wrestlers, Inoki, hosted a series of mixed
martial arts bouts against the champions of other disciplines. This resulted in
unprecedented popularity of the clash-of-styles bouts in Japan. His matches
showcased catch wrestling moves like the sleeper hold, cross arm breaker,
seated armbar, Indian deathlock and keylock.
Karl Gotch's students formed the original
Universal Wrestling Federation (Japan) in 1984 which gave rise to shoot-style
matches. The UWF movement was led by catch wrestlers and gave rise to the mixed
martial arts boom in Japan. Wigan stand-out Billy Robinson soon thereafter
began training MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba. Catch wrestling forms the base of
Japan's martial art of shoot wrestling. Japanese professional wrestling and a
majority of the Japanese fighters from Pancrase, Shooto and the now defunct
RINGS bear links to catch wrestling.
The term no holds barred was used originally to
describe the wrestling method prevalent in catch wrestling tournaments during
the late 19th century wherein no wrestling holds were banned from the
competition, regardless of how dangerous they might be. The term was applied to
mixed martial arts matches, especially at the advent of the Ultimate Fighting
Championship.
Judo
Using their knowledge of ne-waza/ground grappling
and tachi-waza/standing-grappling, several Judo practitioners have also
competed in mixed martial arts matches. Anderson Silva, who is the top ranked
fighter in the world maintains a black belt in judo, former Russian national
Judo championship Bronze medallist Fedor Emelianenko, famous UFC fighter Karo
Parisyan, Jim Wallhead, Rick Hawn, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Olympic medallists
Hidehiko Yoshida (Gold, 1992), rising contender Dong Hyun Kim is a 4th degree
judo black belt, and Ronda Rousey (Bronze, 2008) now Strikeforce and The
Ultimate Fighting Championship Women's Bantamweight Champion.
Paulo Filho, a former WEC middleweight champion
has credited judo for his success during an interview.
Karate
Karate has proved to be effective in the sport as
it is one of the core foundations of kickboxing, and specializes in striking
techniques. Various styles of karate are practiced by some MMA fighters,
notably Chuck Liddell, Lyoto Machida, Stephen Thompson, John Makdessi, Uriah
Hall, Ryan Jimmo and Georges St-Pierre. Liddell is known to have an extensive
striking background in Kenpō with Fabio Martella whereas Lyoto Machida
practices Shotokan Ryu, and St-Pierre practices Kyokushin.
Kickboxing
Kickboxing is widely used by MMA fighters as it
is seen as a great way to practice stand-up striking. Fighters such as Michael
Bisping, Alistair Overeem, and Cyrille Diabate.
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is recognised as a foundation for
striking in mixed martial arts, and is widely practiced and taught. It is the
predominant style used for the stand-up technique in MMA. It originated in
Thailand, and is known as the "art of eight weapons" which refers to
the use of the legs, knees, elbows and fists. It is a very aggressive and
straightforward style.
Strategies
The techniques utilized in mixed martial arts
competition generally fall into two categories: striking techniques (such as
kicks, knees, punches and elbows) and grappling techniques (such as clinch holds,
pinning holds, submission holds, sweeps, takedowns and throws).
Today, mixed martial artists must cross-train in
a variety of styles to counter their opponent's strengths and remain effective
in all the phases of combat.
The standing fighter is attempting to escape
defeat via armbar by slamming his opponent to the ground so that he will
release his grip.
Sprawl-and-brawl
Sprawl-and-brawl is a stand-up fighting tactic
that consists of effective stand-up striking, while avoiding ground fighting,
typically by using sprawls to defend against takedowns.
A sprawl-and-brawler is usually a boxer or
kickboxer, Thai boxer or karate fighter who has trained in various styles of
wrestling, judo, and/or sambo to avoid takedowns to keep the fight standing.
These fighters will often study submission
wrestling to avoid being forced into submission in case they find themselves on
the ground. This style can be deceptively different from traditional kickboxing
styles, since sprawl-and-brawlers must adapt their techniques to incorporate
takedown and ground fighting defense. Mirko Filipović, Chuck Liddell and more
recently Junior dos Santos are best known proponents of this fighting style in
MMA.
Clinch fighting
Clinch fighting is a tactic consisting of using a
clinch hold to prevent the opponent from moving away into more distant striking
range, while also attempting takedowns and striking the opponent using knees,
stomps, elbows, and punches. The clinch is often utilized by wrestlers and
Judokas that have added components of the striking game (typically boxing), and
Muay Thai fighters.
Wrestlers and Judoka may use clinch fighting as a
way to neutralize the superior striking skills of a stand-up fighter or to
prevent takedowns by a superior ground fighter. Ronda Rousey with her Judo
background, is considered a master at initiating throws from the clinch to set
up armbars
The clinch or "plumb" of a Muay Thai
fighter is often used to improve the accuracy of knees and elbows by physically
controlling the position of the opponent. Anderson Silva is well known for his
devastating Muay Thai clinch. He defeated UFC middle weight champion Rich
Franklin using the Muay Thai clinch and kneeing Franklin repeatedly to the body
and face - breaking Franklin's nose. In their rematch Silva repeated this and
won again
Other fighters may use the clinch to push their
opponent against the cage or ropes, where they can effectively control their
opponent's movement and restrict mobility while striking them with punches to
the body or stomps also known as dirty boxing. Randy Couture used his Greco
Roman wrestling background to popularize this style en route to six title
reigns in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
In general, fighters who cannot win fights
through lightning offense, or are more suited to win fights in the later rounds
or via decision are commonly known as Grinders. Grinders basically shut down
their opponents game plan and chip away at them via clinching, smothering and
ground-and-pound for most of the rounds. Prominent examples of Grinders are Pat
Healy and Chael Sonnen
In the year 2000, MMA play-by-play commentator
Stephen Quadros coined the popular phrase lay and pray . This refers to a
situation where a wrestler or grappler keeps another fighter pinned or
controlled on the mat to avoid a stand up, yet exhibiting little or no urgency
to finish the grounded opponent with a knockout or a submission and basically
stalling a decision for the entire or most of the fight, basically taking the
opponent down, holding on tight, referee stands them back up, and repeat again
- a sort of extreme form of defensive wrestling. The inference "lay and
pray" is that the wrestler/grappler takes the striker down, lays on him to
neutralize the opponent's striking weapons, and prays that the referee doesn't
return them to the standing position. This style is considered by many fans as
the most boring style of fighting and is highly criticized for intentionally
creating non-action, yet it is effective and some argue that lay-and-pray is
justified and that it is the responsibility of the downed fighter to be able to
protect himself from this legitimate fighting philosophy. Many consider Jon
Fitch to be the poster boy for lay and pray. UFC Welterweight champion Georges
St-Pierre has been criticized by fans for playing it safe and applying the lay
and pray tactic in his fights [64] and so has Bellator MMA Welterweight
champion Ben Askren who justified applying lay and pray, explaining that
champion fights are much harder because they are 5 rounds long compared to the
usual 3 round fights.
Ground-and-pound
Ground-and-pound is a strategy consisting of
taking an opponent to the ground using a takedown or throw, obtaining a top, or
dominant grappling position, and then striking the opponent, primarily with
fists, hammerfists, and elbows. Ground-and-pound is also used as a precursor to
attempting submission holds.
The style is used by fighters well-versed in
submission defense and skilled at takedowns. They take the fight to the ground,
maintain a grappling position, and strike until their opponent submits or is
knocked out. Although not a traditional style of striking, the effectiveness
and reliability of ground-and-pound has made it a popular tactic. It was first
demonstrated as an effective technique by Mark Coleman, then popularized by
fighters such as Chael Sonnen, Don Frye, Frank Trigg, Cheick Kongo, Mark Kerr,
Frank Shamrock, Tito Ortiz, and Matt Hughes.
While most fighters utilize ground-and-pound
statically, by way of holding their opponents down and mauling them with short
strikes from the top position; a few fighters manage to utilize it dynamically
by striking their opponents while changing positions, thus not allowing their
opponents to settle once they take them down. Cain Velasquez is one of the most
devastating ground strikers in MMA. He attacks his opponents on the ground
while transitioning between positions. Whether he's moving from mount to back
mount or from turtle to side control, he is constantly landing shots. Fedor
Emelianenko who is considered the greatest master of Ground-and-Pound in MMA
history, was the first to demonstrate this dynamic style of ground-and-pound.
He was striking his opponents on the ground while passing guard or while his
opponents were attempting to recover guard.
Today, strikes on the ground are an essential
part of a fighter's training.
Submission grappling
Submission grappling is a reference to the ground
fighting tactic consisting of taking an opponent to the ground using a takedown
or throw and then applying a submission hold, forcing the opponent to submit.
While grapplers will often work to attain dominant position, some may be more
comfortable fighting from other positions. If a grappler finds themselves
unable to force a takedown, they may resort to pulling guard, whereby they
physically pull their opponent into a dominant position on the ground.
Submissions are an essential part of many
disciplines, most notably Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, catch wrestling, judo, Sambo,
and shootwrestling. They were popularized in the early UFC events by Royce
Gracie and Ken Shamrock.
Women's competition
While mixed martial arts is primarily a male
dominated sport, it does have female athletes. Female competition in Japan
includes promotions such as the all-female Valkyrie, and JEWELS (formerly known
as Smackgirl). However historically there has been only a select few major
professional mixed martial arts organizations in the United States that invite
women to compete. Among those are Strikeforce, Bellator Fighting Championships,
the all female Invicta Fighting Championships, and the now defunct EliteXC.
There has been a growing awareness of women in
mixed martial arts due to popular female fighters and personalities such as
Megumi Fujii, Miesha Tate, Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, Ronda Rousey,
and Gina Carano among others. Carano became known as "the face of women's
MMA" after appearing in a number of EliteXC events. This was furthered by
her appearances on MGM Television's 2008 revival of their game show American
Gladiators.
History
Women competing in an MMA event.
In Japan, female competition has been documented
since the mid-1990s. Influenced by female professional wrestling and
kickboxing, the Smackgirl competition was formed in 2001 and became the only
major all-female promotion in mixed martial arts. Other early successful
Japanese female organizations included Ladies Legend Pro Wrestling, ReMix (a predecessor
to Smackgirl), U-Top Tournament, K-Grace, and AX.
Aside from all-female organizations, most major
Japanese male dominated promotions have held select female competitions. These
have included DEEP, MARS, Gladiator, HEAT, Cage Force, K-1, Sengoku, Shooto
(under the name G-Shooto), and Pancrase (under the name Pancrase Athena).
In the United States, prior to the success of the
The Ultimate Fighter reality show that launched mixed martial arts into the
mainstream media, there was no major coverage of female competitions. Some
early organizations who invited women to compete included, International
Fighting Championships, SuperBrawl, King of the Cage, Rage in the Cage, Ring of
Combat, Bas Rutten Invitational, and HOOKnSHOOT. From the mid-2000s, more
coverage came when organizations such as Strikeforce, EliteXC, Bellator
Fighting Championships, and Shark Fights invited women to compete.
Outside of Japan and the United States, female
competition is almost exclusively found in minor local promotions. However in
Europe some major organizations have held select female competitions, including
It's Showtime, Shooto Europe, Cage Warriors, and M-1 Global.
Following Zuffa's acquisition of Strikeforce in
March 2011, there has been lots of speculation concerning the future of women's
competition, in term both of relevance and popularity.
The next step was for the UFC to pick up women's
MMA, however UFC President Dana White has been resistant. He has said,
"There is not enough depth to create a women's division."
Rule differentiation
The traditional MMA rules have often been
adjusted for female competitions because of safety concerns. In Japan, ReMix
prohibited ground-and-pound and featured a 20-second time limit for ground
fighting. This rule remained following ReMix's 2001 re-branding as Smackgirl,
though the time limit was extended to 30 seconds. The rule was abolished in
2008.
In the United States, women's bouts organised by
EliteXC saw three-minute rounds while those of Strikeforce were originally of
two minutes' duration. These lengths compare to the more usual five minutes for
men. They[who?] later changed this rule to allow for five-minute rounds.
Another form of rule differentiation is a change
in both weight limits and weight classification. This has been seen in a number
of organizations including, Strikeforce, Smackgirl, and Valkyrie.
Milestones
One of the first major female MMA fights was Gina
Carano's Strikeforce debut against Elaina Maxwell where Carano won via
unanimous decision at Strikeforce: Triple Threat in San Jose on December 8,
2006.
Strikeforce has become the first major promotion
in the United States to have held a female fight as the main event on August
15, 2009. The fight between Carano and Cristiane Santos attracted 856,000
viewers. Santos made history with her victory over Carano as she became the
first Strikeforce Women's 145 lb Champion.
Disagreement
Since its inception the role of women in mixed
martial arts has been a subject of debate. Some observers have treated women's
competition as a spectacle and a taboo topic. In December 2004, lightweight
fighter Takumi Yano refused to participate in a Pancrase event in protest of
there being female bouts on the same card.
Amateur Mixed Martial Arts
Amateur Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a full
contact combat sport that incorporates striking (both standing and on the
ground) and wrestling/grappling techniques. Under the International Mixed
Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF)[80][81] it is practised within a safe and
regulated environment which relies on a fair and objective scoring system and
competition procedures similar to those in force in the Unified Rules of Mixed
Martial Arts. Amateur MMA is practised with board shorts and a rashguard along
with approved protection gear that includes head gear, shin protectors, and
gloves that allow grabbing and holding the opponent for a comfortable
application of grappling techniques.
Safety
A ring-side doctor attends to a fighter following
a loss.
Mixed Martial Arts competitions have changed
dramatically since the first Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993,
specifically with the inception of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. A
paucity of data on injuries that occur in MMA and the resulting concerns and
controversy with regard to MMA’s safety remain. Several recent studies indicate
that the overall injury rates in MMA competitions are similar to other combat
and martial art sports, including boxing and karate.
Injury rates
A study using injury data compiled by the Nevada
State Athletic Commission from professional MMA matches held in Nevada in
2001-2004 found an overall injury rate of 28.6 injuries per 100 fight
participations (a “participation” is defined as one competitor in one bout).
Another recent study used data and records compiled by ringside physicians who
were on-site at 12 separate professional MMA events hosted in Hawaii over seven
years (1999-2006), with competitors from the United States, Japan, Brazil, and
elsewhere. They found an overall injury rate of 23.7 injuries per 100 fight
participations. Abrasions, lacerations, concussion, orthopedic injuries, and
facial injuries were found to be the most common. The injury rates in MMA
competitions were found to be comparable to injury rates reported for competitive
boxing and karate.
Mental health
In preliminary results reported in April 2012 as
part of an ongoing study of a 109 professional boxers and MMA fighters being conducted
by Dr. Charles Bernick and his colleagues at Cleveland Clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center
for Brain Health, fighters with more than six years of ring experience were
observed to have reductions in size in their hippocampus and thalamus whereas
fighters with more than twelve years of ring experience were observed to have
both reductions in size and symptoms such as memory loss (the hippocampus and
thalamus deal with memory and alertness). Dr. Bernick speculates that studying
cumulative lesser blows may eventually prove even more important than studying
infrequent concussions.
Fatalities
While competition in the MMA have been
occasionally depicted as brutal by the media, there were no documented cases of
deaths after a sanctioned MMA event prior to 2007. It has been noted that use
of the word "sanctioned" can be perceived as "spin" by those
who market the discipline.
In the period of 2007 to 2010, there were two
fatalities in mixed martial arts matches. The first was the death of Sam Vasquez
on November 30, 2007. Vasquez collapsed shortly after being knocked out by
Vince Libardi in the third round of an October 20, 2007 fight at the Toyota
Center in Houston, Texas. Vasquez had two separate surgeries to remove blood
clots from his brain, and shortly after the second operation suffered a
devastating stroke and never regained consciousness.
The second death stemming from a sanctioned mixed
martial arts contest occurred in South Carolina on June 28, 2010, when 30-year
old Michael Kirkham was knocked out and never regained consciousness. He was
pronounced dead two days after the fight. There have been seven known deaths in
MMA to date.
Legality of professional competitions
International Mixed Martial Arts Federation
On February 29, 2012, the International Mixed
Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) was set up to bring international structure,
development and support to mixed martial arts worldwide. The IMMAF is a
non-profit, democratic federation organized according to international
federation standards to ensure that MMA as a sport is allowed the same
recognition, representation and rights as all other major sports. The IMMAF is
registered under Swedish law and is founded on democratic principles, as
outlined in their statutes. As of January 2014, there are 30 total members from
30 countries, which come from Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada,
Denmark,El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland,
Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Nepal, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway,
Portugal, Romania, Seychelles, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Ukraine, the
United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The IMMAF holds its first
Amateur World Championships in Las Vegas, USA, from June 30 to July 6, 2014.
World Mixed Martial Arts Association
WMMAA (World Mixed Martial Arts Association) was
founded in 2012 in Monaco by M-1 Global commercial promoters and is under the
leadership of CEO Vadim Finkelstein and Fedor Emelianenko. The World MMA
Association is an organization that manages and develops mixed martial arts, it
establishes rules and procedures and hosts MMA competitions. World MMA
Association includes national MMA organizations, representing the sport and
registered in accordance with national laws.
As of December 2013 WMMAA has 38 member states
under its umbrella: Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan,
Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Greece,
India, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco,
Mongolia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Serbia,
Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Trinidad and Tobago,
Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.
On October 20, 2013 the first ever World MMA
Championship was held in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
United States
In the United States professional MMA is overseen
by the Association of Boxing Commissions . According to the Associations of
Boxing Commissions, professional MMA competitions are allowed in nearly all
states. Alaska has no boxing or athletic commission, Montana has a state
athletic commission although it doesn't regulate MMA, however MMA is legal in
both states. West Virginia became the 44th state to regulate mixed martial arts
on March 24, 2011. On March 8, 2012, Wyoming became the 45th state to regulate
MMA. On May 4, 2012, it was announced that Vermont had become the 46th state to
regulate MMA. In May 2012 the New York state assembly failed to overturn the
state's ban on mixed martial arts. Legislation allowing MMA in Connecticut came
into effect on October 1, 2013 making it the 47th state to regulate the sport.
Representation of amateur MMA is carried out by the USA MMA Federation (UMMAF).
The UMMAF is a national MMA federation affiliated to the International Mixed Martial
Arts Federation.
Brazil
January 17, 2013 saw the announcement that the
Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission, or Comissao Atletica Brasileira de MMA
(CABMMA), had joined the International MMA Federation. The CABMMA represents
state federations across Brazil and is spearheaded by lawyers Giovanni Biscardi
and Rafael Favettia, a former Executive Secretary of the Minister of Justice
and Interim Minister of Justice. The CABMMA supervised its first event with
"UFC on FX 7" on 19 January 2013 at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in São Paulo.
The CABMMA first hit international sports
headlines when it suspended fighter Rousimar Palhares for prolonging a
submission on opponent Mike Pierce, despite him tapping several times, during
UFC Fight Night 29 in Barueri, Brazil on 9th Oct 2013. The CABMMA was
called to preside over another controversy to involve a Brazilian competitor,
when Vitor Belfort’s use of Testosterone Replacement Therapy came to light over
UFC on FX 8 (May 18, 2013)
Canada
For many years, professional MMA competitions
were illegal in Canada. Section 83(2) of the Canadian Criminal Code deemed that
only boxing matches where only fists are used are considered legal. However
most provinces regulated it by a provincial athletic commission (skirting S.
83(2) by classifying MMA as “mixed boxing”), such as the provinces of Manitoba,
Ontario, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Northwest Territories. The legality of MMA in
the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and New Brunswick varies depending
on the municipality. Professional MMA competitions remain illegal in the Canadian
provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan,
Yukon, and Nunavut because it is not regulated by an athletic commission.
Canada formally decriminalized mixed martial arts
with a vote on Bill S-209 on June 5, 2013. The bill formally gives provinces
the power to create athletic commissions to regulate and sanction professional
mixed martial arts bouts. Bill S-209 does not in and of itself make MMA legal
across Canada, it allows provinces to make it legal on a province by province
basis.
China
In 2011, the Ranik Ultimate Fighting Federation
(RUFF) hosted the first MMA event in Shanghai sanctioned by China's governing
body for combat sports, the Wushu Sports Management Center of the General
Administration of Sport in China. RUFF formally crowned the first Chinese
national MMA champions in 2013 with each champion receiving 1,000,000 RMB in
prize money. Other major MMA promotions in China includes Real Fight
Championship, which has produced 3 events in Henan and Beijing.
Ireland
Mixed Martial Arts Federation Ireland (MMAFI)
gained membership status under the International MMA Federation in June 2012.
On 13 March 2013 an unprecedented meeting took place between representatives of
the MMAFI and the Republic of Ireland’s Minister for Culture and Sport, Carál
Ní Chuilín. According to reports, the Minister pledged her full backing to the
establishment of a recognized governing body for MMA in Ireland; and the Sports
Council was instructed to develop the necessary process for the establishment
of the MMAFI into a recognised governing body. Under the MMAFI the Irish
national team is set to participate in the first IMMAF World Amateur
Championships of MMA to be held in Las Vegas in July 2014.
Japan
MMA competition has been legal in Japan since at
least the mid-1980s, when Pancrase fights began to be held. There are several
MMA-related organizations, including DEEP, Pancrase, Shooto and ZST.
Norway
In Norway, sports that involve knock-outs as a
means of securing victory or points are illegal, including MMA and boxing.
Norwegian MMA fighters must therefore travel abroad to compete. The Norwegian
MMA Federation (NMMAF) was elected as a full member of the International MMA
Federation (IMMAF) on 22 April 2012, representing 49 member gyms across Norway.
In 2012 the “Merkekamper” concept was introduced by the NMMAF, with government
sanctioning, that enables member MMA gyms to hold events with sparring matches,
but governed by strict rules concerning how hard a fighter is permitted to
strike.
Russia
In September 2012, MMA was given 'National Sport'
status in Russia, and on the same day fighter and M-1 Global promoter Fedor
Emelianenko was appointed to the role of Russian MMA Union president.
Sweden
MMA competition is legal and under the purview of
the Swedish Mixed Martial Arts Federation (SMMAF) which was formed in 2007 and
began overseeing MMA events and governing the sport as a whole in 2008. In 2009
the SMMAF was accepted into the Association of Swedish Budo and Martial Arts
Federation, thus granting MMA “national sport” status and making its approved
clubs eligible for partial government subsidization. On April 30, 2011, the
SMMAF sanctioned the first event under its purview to utilize the Unified Rules
of Mixed Martial Arts. The Swedish Mixed Martial Arts Federation governs the
sport of MMA in Sweden as a member affiliated to the International Mixed Martial
Arts Federation.
The SMMAF hit the headlines when it withdrew
Swedish headliner, Alexander Gustafsson, from competing at UFC on FUEL 9 in
Sweden (April 6, 2013), due to a facial laceration.
South Africa
MMA competition is legal and under the purview of
the Professional Mixed Martial Arts Council or PROMMA Africa; which was formed
in 2010 with its main purpose to regulate MMA at larger MMA promotions such as
EFC Africa. PROMMA Africa began overseeing Rise of the Warrior MMA events in
2010. In 2012 the PROMMA Africa Council was accepted into the Mixed Martial
Arts Association of South Africa (MASA) thus granting MMA “national sport”
status. In addition to EFC Africa, there are other leagues such as Dragon
Legends MMA. Amateur MMA is also legal in South Africa and is also registered
to the Mixed Martial Arts Association of South Africa.
Thailand
In 2012, the Sports Authority of Thailand banned
competitions. It has been speculated that the Muay Thai industry played a
factor in the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT)'s final decision, as MMA could
potentially take away business from Muay Thai, from fighters to profit. SAT
Deputy Governor Sakol Wannapong has said "Organizing a MMA event here
would hurt the image of Muay Thai, if you want to do this kind of business, you
should do it in another country. Organizing MMA here could mislead the public
into believing that Muay Thai is brutal."
Jussi Saloranta, the owner of Thailand's only MMA
promotion, DARE Fight Sports, revealed that his lawyers found that the ban was
actually premature, and that from a legal standpoint, there is no law banning
mixed martial arts in the country, and that the SAT's ban was more of a scare
tactic. Because of this DARE continue to showcase events that fans are only
informed at the last minute through texts on the day of the event, and videos
are put up on YouTube entitled The Most Dangerous Gameshow. Saloranta has also
helped set up the MMA Association of Thailand, in the hopes of reaching a
compromise with SAT and regulating mixed martial arts in Thailand.
On September 12, 2013, DARE Fight Sports released
a statement announcing SAT had removed the ban on MMA and would henceforth sanction
the sport in Thailand.
Cambodia
In January 2013, the Cambodian Mixed Martial Arts
Association was created under the Cambodian Martial Arts Federation. At this
time there are no MMA events organized with the CMMAA approval. Television
channel MYTV holds its KWC promotion under the sanctioning of the Cambodian
Boxing Federation, responsible for sanctioning all boxing and Kun Khmer events
in the country, in direct contrast to the situation in neighbouring Thailand.
Australia
MMA in Australia is sanctioned in all States and
Territories of Australia by various combat sports authorities/organisations.
There is debate about the use of the cage, which is banned in Victoria (2007)
and Western Australia (March, 2013).
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