Tag Archive for: mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is Growing

Mixed martial arts is growing in popularity ever since rules were implemented for the safety of those in the ring and you can now watch it on television. It captures an audience both young and old since what happens either in the cage or ring is not scripted unlike wrestling.

There are two main styles of MMA. These are sport and street. In sport, two unarmed competitors fight it out using the same or different martial art discipline. Here, you can’t bite, insert fingers to any bodily crevices, attack the groin and eye gouging. In street, you are allowed to use a weapon of your choice but the first is more popular that the other.

mixed martial arts

Just to prove how popular mixed martial arts is, various organizations have been formed since the Ultimate Fighting Championships was established in 1993. There is PRIDE, International Fighting Championships and Elite XC.

You can watch UFC fights on pay per view which is featured in Spike TV. Elite XC airs their events after striking a deal with CBS entitled “Saturday Night Fights.”

Aside from its popularity on television, there is an increase in the sale of mixed martial arts merchandise especially in the form of videos which fans can take home. There are also websites which feature upcoming competitions, blogs, forums and everything else related to this sport.

Some fans who have become engrossed in this sport have signed up in gyms that offer this in their classes. This can be done just to work up a sweat instead of lifting weights or running on the treadmill. Those who are serious train hard so they will be able to join a competition and win.

But did this craze really start 15 years ago? The answer is no because mixed martial arts was known by a different name more than 2,000 years ago when this was first introduced by the Greeks during their Olympic Games and that time, this was known as Pankration.

There is no doubt that mixed martial arts as a sport is growing. You can see this in the number of fans who watch it, the sales revenue which happens to be much higher than that of boxing and wrestling, the establishment of academies and gyms as well as the founding of organizations both local and abroad.

There was even a move to make this an Olympic sport in 2004 when the games were held in Greece but this was not added since there were concerns that this venue will not be able to host a list of other new sports.

Four years later, the recently concluded Beijing Olympics did not also have mixed martial arts as one of the new sports. Despite that, there are still fighters willing to make a name for themselves using the other organizations since these events are shown all over the world with millions watching even if the International Olympic Committee has not yet approved it.

Senator McCain once referred to mixed martial arts as “human cockfighting” because according to him, this was too violent. That may be the case but with no fatalities yet compared to boxing which averages 11 a year, this will continue to be part of American society today and it is not going to go away anytime in the foreseeable future.

 

 

The Facts about Mixed Martial Arts

Have you seen the Ultimate Fighting Championship? If you have, then you already know why this sport uses mixed martial arts. For those who have no idea, here are some facts you should know about.

Mixed martial arts made its introduction in early 1990’s. Its growth was very slow at first and it was always both brutal and violent. In the years that followed, rules were set up which helped gain its popularity among the audience which enabled television channels to broadcast it in the airwaves.

mixed martial arts

Despite the rules, matches between two fighters are still violent. Some leave the ring with a broken arm or leg while others have cuts or bruises. The only good news is that no one has died yet in the ring unlike boxing. Just to give you an idea, there are at least 11 boxers who die every year.

The reason why you call it mixed martial arts is because a fighter for instance in judo challenges another fighter in another martial art discipline. The key to winning depends on your technique and your conditioning.

Mixed martial arts are now more popular than boxing or wrestling. In one show, it made $30 million and the company owned by the Fertita brothers is now worth $700 million.

The athletes who also participate in these matches get paid very well. One example is Diego Sanchez who was given $7,000 for a fight. If he won the match, he gets an additional $7,000. You could earn more depending on your skill. Top rated fighters can get $200,000 or even more for just one fight.

If you saw the Contender which featured Sylvester Stallone, Sugar Ray Leonard and a few up and coming boxers, a mixed martial arts version came out soon after. Here, amateur fighters are trained by professionals and compete in elimination matches until the last two standing fight for the title of the Ultimate Fighter.

Mixed martial arts has spread throughout the globe. They are called by different names as well. In Japan, it is called PRIDE. The ring and the rules may be different but its essence remains the same.

What you see is what you get when two fighters enter the ring. This means there is no script and everything you see is real. If a fighter goes down, it is because one fighter was better skilled then than the other.

Mixed martial arts is growing despite the fact that it was once banned in television by Senator McCain. Experts believe that it will peak in the next 15 to 20 years and who knows; this sport may one day be part of the Olympics.

But despite what you see on television, mixed martial arts is a great form of exercise and it also teaches you about self defense. This is very useful regardless of your age or gender because criminals attack when they think you are vulnerable.

As a result, a lot of gyms offer classes to their members. Other benefits of learning mixed martial arts include building your self confidence and making you strong both mentally and physically. Children can also learn it so they can defend themselves if ever someone at school decides to pick on them which is something that no parent wants their child to experience.

 

 

What is Mixed Martial Arts

You have probably heard of karate or judo. But did you know that there is such a thing called mixed martial arts?

Mixed martial arts or MMA is a full contact combat support which allows players to fight in a competition using various fighting techniques. The rules allow the fighters to use various striking and grappling techniques both while standing and on the ground.

mixed martial arts

But MMA was first introduced by the Greeks in 648 B.C. Back then, it was called the pankration which was introduced into the Olympic Games. Records show that there was a similar version of this in the 1800’s which continued on in the early 1900’s until the MMA came out in 1993 with the establishment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC.

The difference between the MMA and those in the past is that this was initially created to find out which hand to hand combat technique works best to fight in a combat situation so fighters of various disciplines were gathered. During that time, there were only a few rules but more than 10 years later, additional ones were adopted to increase the safety of those who computed and to promote the sport.

Today, you can see the Ultimate Fighting Championship on television. Research shows that mixed martial arts is now more popular today than boxing especially when more people were willing to pay to see it on pay per view channels surpassing wrestling and boxing.

There are now 5 weight classes namely lightweight which is 67 to 70 kg, welterweight which is 71 to 77kg, middleweight from 78 to 84 kg, light heavyweight from 85 to 93 kg and heavy weight from 94 to 120 kg. There are 4 other weight classes but these are not currently being used by the UFC.

How someone wins in mixed martial arts is pretty simple. If the opponent taps the floor, the match is over. The same happens if the opponent is knocked unconscious. Should both fighters still be standing at the end of the match, the winner will be decided by the judges.

Illegal contact with the other opponent is called a foul. The referee inside the ring may deduct points from one player or even disqualify that person if the act committed was intentional or no contest if this was unintentional.

One of the biggest differences in mixed martial arts is the ring where the fighters play. Unlike a boxing or wrestling ring that is shaped in a rectangle, competition here is done in an octagon shaped cage. The eight sided structure has walls of metal chain link fence coated with black vinyl. There is padding around the top of the fence and between each of the eight sections as well as two entry-exit gates which are opposite each other.

Competitors who enter the ring have to wear proper attire. This means going into the ring with approved shorts and no shoes. Gloves must also be approved and have at least an inch of padding around the knuckles so the person will still be able to use his fingers and grab the opponent without the risk of injuring the hand.

Is mixed martial arts nice to watch? The answer is yes given that there are now more people watching it and others who want to join the competition. There was even a reality show that come out recently called the Contender which first started airing boxers fighting in the ring.