Modern mixed martial arts competition emerged in American popular culture in 1993 with the founding of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Initially based on finding the most effective martial arts for real unarmed combat situations, competitors of various arts were pitted against one another with minimal rules for safety. In the following decade, MMA promoters adopted many additional rules aimed at increasing safety for competitors and to promote mainstream acceptance of the sport. The name mixed martial arts was coined by one of the developers of these rules, Jeff Blatnick, a former Greco-Roman wrestler and Olympic gold medallist. Following these changes, the sport has seen increased popularity with pay per view reach rivalling boxing and professional wrestling.
History of Mixed Martial Arts
Foundation of Mixed Martial Arts
While different forms of unorganized, no-rules, unarmed combat predate history, civilization, and even the human species itself (even apes fight hand-to-hand), the earliest documented, organized, minimal-rules fighting event was the ancient Greek pankration, which was introduced into the Olympic Games in 648 B.C. Greek pankration later inspired the more violent Etruscan and Roman 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.
No-holds-barred events reportedly took place in the late 1800s when wrestlers representing a huge range of fighting styles, including various catch wrestling 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. Reportedly, Roeber suffered a fractured cheekbone in this bout, but was able to get Fitzsimmons down on the mat, where he applied an armlock and made the boxer submit. In Europe, around the 19th century, the Italian Giovanni Raicevich, skilled in Greco-Roman wrestling defeated Akitaro Ono, a Japanese heavyweight fighter skilled in Jujutsu, Judo, and Sumo, throwing him on the mat by one-arm shoulder throw. In 1936, heavyweight boxing contender Kingfish Levinsky and veteran professional wrestler Ray Steele competed in a mixed match, which Steele won in 35 seconds. Another early example of mixed martial arts combat was the martial art of Bartitsu, founded in London in 1899, which 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.
Mixed style contests such as boxing vs. jujutsu were popular entertainment 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.
Professional wrestling died out after World War I and was reborn in two streams: "shoot", in which the fighters actually competed, and "show," which evolved into modern professional wrestling.
In the late 1960s to early 1970s the concept of combining the elements of multiple martial arts had was popularized in America by Bruce Lee via his system and 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." In 2004 UFC President Dana White would call Lee the "father of mixed martial arts."
The Gracie Family and MMA
The history of modern MMA competition can be traced to mixed style contests throughout Europe, Japan and the Pacific Rim during the early 1900s; the Gracie family's vale tudo martial arts tournaments in Brazil starting in the 1920s; and early mixed martial arts matches (known as Kakutougi in Japan) hosted by Antonio Inoki in Japan in the 1970s. The sport gained international exposure and widespread publicity in the United States in 1993, when Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter Royce Gracie handily won the first Ultimate Fighting Championship tournament, subduing three challengers in just five minutes, sparking a revolution in the martial arts. Meanwhile in Japan the continued interest in the sport resulted in the creation of the Pride Fighting Championships in 1997.
The movement that led to the creation of the UFC, and Pride was rooted in two interconnected subcultures. First were the vale tudo events in Brazil, followed by the Japanese shoot wrestling shows. Vale tudo began in the 1920s with the "Gracie challenge" issued by Carlos Gracie and Hélio Gracie and upheld later on by descendants of the Gracie family. In Japan in the 1970s, a series of mixed martial arts matches were hosted by Antonio Inoki, a former star of New Japan Pro Wrestling; this inspired the shoot-style movement in Japanese professional wrestling, which eventually led to the formation of the first mixed martial arts organizations, such as Shooto, which was formed in 1985.
Champions in Major MMA organizations:
UFC
Heavyweight: Brock Lesnar
Light Heavyweight: Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida
Middleweight: Anderson "The Spider" Silva
Welterweight: Geroge "Rush" St. Pierre
Lightweight: "The Prodigy" B.J. Penn
WEC
Lightweight: Ben "Smooth" Henderson
Featherweight: Mike Brown
Batamweight: Brian Bowles
Flyweight: Vacant
DREAM
Heavyweight - Middleweight: Vacant
Welterweight: "The Raging Demon" Marius Žaromskis
Lightweight: "The Baka Survivor" Shinya Aoki
Featherweight: "The Flash" Bibiano Fernades
Strikeforce
Heavyweight: "The Dutchman" Alistair Overeem
Light Heavyweight: "The Dreamcatcher" Gegard Mousasi
Middleweight: Jake Shields
Welterweight: Nick Diaz
Lightweight: Gilbert "El Niño" Melendez
Women's 145lb: Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos
Women's 135lb: Sarah Kaufman
Major MMA Organization:
United States
Ultimate Fighting Championships
World Extreme Cagefighting
Strikeforce
Japan
DREAM
World Victory Road
Rules of Mixed Martial Arts
Bout duration:
- all non-championship bouts shall be three rounds
- all championship bouts shall be five rounds
- rounds will be five minutes in duration
- one-minute rest period will occur between each round
Fouls:
1. Butting with the head
2. Eye gouging of any kind
3. Biting
4. Hair pulling
5. Fish hooking
6. Groin attacks of any kind.
7. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent
8. Small joint manipulation
9. Striking to the spine or the back of the head
10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow
11. Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea
12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh
13. Grabbing the clavicle
14. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent
15. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent
16. Stomping a grounded opponent
17. Kicking to the kidney with the heel
18. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck
19. Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area
20. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent
21. Spitting at an opponent
22. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent
23. Holding the ropes or the fence
24. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area
25. Attacking an opponent on or during the break
26. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee
27. Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat.
28. Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee.
29. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury
30. Interference by the corner
31. Throwing in the towel during competition
Ways To Win:
1. Submission by
- Physical tap out
- Verbal tap out.
2. Technical knockout by the referee stopping the contest
3. Decision via the scorecards, including:
- Unanimous decision [all judges pick the same fighter as the winner]
- Split decision [One judge picks one fighter, the other two judges pick the other fighter]
- Majority decision [Two of three judges pick the same fighter as the winner, the final judge says the fight was a draw]
- Draw, including:
- Unanimous draw
- Majority draw
- Split draw
4. Technical decision
5. Technical draw
6. Disqualification
7. Forfeit
8. No contest
Major MMA camps
Xtreme Coututre
American Kickboxing Academy
American Top Team
Team Quest
Jacksons Submission Fighting
BTT Canada
Miletich Fighting System
Minnesota Martial Arts
The Pit
History of Mixed Martial Arts
Foundation of Mixed Martial Arts
While different forms of unorganized, no-rules, unarmed combat predate history, civilization, and even the human species itself (even apes fight hand-to-hand), the earliest documented, organized, minimal-rules fighting event was the ancient Greek pankration, which was introduced into the Olympic Games in 648 B.C. Greek pankration later inspired the more violent Etruscan and Roman 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.
No-holds-barred events reportedly took place in the late 1800s when wrestlers representing a huge range of fighting styles, including various catch wrestling 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. Reportedly, Roeber suffered a fractured cheekbone in this bout, but was able to get Fitzsimmons down on the mat, where he applied an armlock and made the boxer submit. In Europe, around the 19th century, the Italian Giovanni Raicevich, skilled in Greco-Roman wrestling defeated Akitaro Ono, a Japanese heavyweight fighter skilled in Jujutsu, Judo, and Sumo, throwing him on the mat by one-arm shoulder throw. In 1936, heavyweight boxing contender Kingfish Levinsky and veteran professional wrestler Ray Steele competed in a mixed match, which Steele won in 35 seconds. Another early example of mixed martial arts combat was the martial art of Bartitsu, founded in London in 1899, which 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.
Mixed style contests such as boxing vs. jujutsu were popular entertainment 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.
Professional wrestling died out after World War I and was reborn in two streams: "shoot", in which the fighters actually competed, and "show," which evolved into modern professional wrestling.
In the late 1960s to early 1970s the concept of combining the elements of multiple martial arts had was popularized in America by Bruce Lee via his system and 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." In 2004 UFC President Dana White would call Lee the "father of mixed martial arts."
The Gracie Family and MMA
The history of modern MMA competition can be traced to mixed style contests throughout Europe, Japan and the Pacific Rim during the early 1900s; the Gracie family's vale tudo martial arts tournaments in Brazil starting in the 1920s; and early mixed martial arts matches (known as Kakutougi in Japan) hosted by Antonio Inoki in Japan in the 1970s. The sport gained international exposure and widespread publicity in the United States in 1993, when Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter Royce Gracie handily won the first Ultimate Fighting Championship tournament, subduing three challengers in just five minutes, sparking a revolution in the martial arts. Meanwhile in Japan the continued interest in the sport resulted in the creation of the Pride Fighting Championships in 1997.
The movement that led to the creation of the UFC, and Pride was rooted in two interconnected subcultures. First were the vale tudo events in Brazil, followed by the Japanese shoot wrestling shows. Vale tudo began in the 1920s with the "Gracie challenge" issued by Carlos Gracie and Hélio Gracie and upheld later on by descendants of the Gracie family. In Japan in the 1970s, a series of mixed martial arts matches were hosted by Antonio Inoki, a former star of New Japan Pro Wrestling; this inspired the shoot-style movement in Japanese professional wrestling, which eventually led to the formation of the first mixed martial arts organizations, such as Shooto, which was formed in 1985.
Champions in Major MMA organizations:
UFC
Heavyweight: Brock Lesnar
Light Heavyweight: Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida
Middleweight: Anderson "The Spider" Silva
Welterweight: Geroge "Rush" St. Pierre
Lightweight: "The Prodigy" B.J. Penn
WEC
Lightweight: Ben "Smooth" Henderson
Featherweight: Mike Brown
Batamweight: Brian Bowles
Flyweight: Vacant
DREAM
Heavyweight - Middleweight: Vacant
Welterweight: "The Raging Demon" Marius Žaromskis
Lightweight: "The Baka Survivor" Shinya Aoki
Featherweight: "The Flash" Bibiano Fernades
Strikeforce
Heavyweight: "The Dutchman" Alistair Overeem
Light Heavyweight: "The Dreamcatcher" Gegard Mousasi
Middleweight: Jake Shields
Welterweight: Nick Diaz
Lightweight: Gilbert "El Niño" Melendez
Women's 145lb: Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos
Women's 135lb: Sarah Kaufman
Major MMA Organization:
United States
Ultimate Fighting Championships
World Extreme Cagefighting
Strikeforce
Japan
DREAM
World Victory Road
Rules of Mixed Martial Arts
Bout duration:
- all non-championship bouts shall be three rounds
- all championship bouts shall be five rounds
- rounds will be five minutes in duration
- one-minute rest period will occur between each round
Fouls:
1. Butting with the head
2. Eye gouging of any kind
3. Biting
4. Hair pulling
5. Fish hooking
6. Groin attacks of any kind.
7. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent
8. Small joint manipulation
9. Striking to the spine or the back of the head
10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow
11. Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea
12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh
13. Grabbing the clavicle
14. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent
15. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent
16. Stomping a grounded opponent
17. Kicking to the kidney with the heel
18. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck
19. Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area
20. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent
21. Spitting at an opponent
22. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent
23. Holding the ropes or the fence
24. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area
25. Attacking an opponent on or during the break
26. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee
27. Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat.
28. Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee.
29. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury
30. Interference by the corner
31. Throwing in the towel during competition
Ways To Win:
1. Submission by
- Physical tap out
- Verbal tap out.
2. Technical knockout by the referee stopping the contest
3. Decision via the scorecards, including:
- Unanimous decision [all judges pick the same fighter as the winner]
- Split decision [One judge picks one fighter, the other two judges pick the other fighter]
- Majority decision [Two of three judges pick the same fighter as the winner, the final judge says the fight was a draw]
- Draw, including:
- Unanimous draw
- Majority draw
- Split draw
4. Technical decision
5. Technical draw
6. Disqualification
7. Forfeit
8. No contest
Major MMA camps
Xtreme Coututre
American Kickboxing Academy
American Top Team
Team Quest
Jacksons Submission Fighting
BTT Canada
Miletich Fighting System
Minnesota Martial Arts
The Pit
