Once, in ancient Greece there was a sport similar to modern MMA and was called pankration. It was a combination of boxing and wrestling with only a few rules in force. However, MMA originates from Vale tudo (which means ‘no holds barred’). This fighting system was invented in Brazil around the 20’s of the last century. It laid the grounds for a modern version of mixed martial arts.
Modern MMA has been popularised in the USA in the 90’s and their viewer ratings made it popular all around the world, especially in Japan and Europe. Nowadays, MMA events and shows take place everywhere. In countries like the USA, there are even hosted reality shows about MMA.
What is this all about? A brief talk…
During a fight, many techniques and things are allowed. You can land kicks, strike punches, throw, choke and use a joint lock against your opponent. All of that could happen in a stand-up or during a ground fight. Fighters must wear a mouthguard and special gloves. The combat takes place in a fenced area or a boxing ring. There are also used octagonal rings called ‘octagons’ – such a ring is used by the prestigious American MMA promotion UFC (The Ultimate Fighting Championship).
The most valuable skill is to have an ability to mix different fighting styles like stand-up, clinch and ground techniques. The sole of a mixed martial arts training are mixing stand-up techniques (Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai) with wrestling (throws, choking and lock joints – elements that characterise Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, Sambo, Judo and Wrestling). A fight and fighter’s win can be a result of a knockout, submission or a referee decision.
The most popular MMA promotions in the world are UFC, Bellator and M-1 Global. Tournaments and promotions popular in Europe are KSW, MMA Attack, PROMMAC, Gladiator Arena, Professional MMA League and Amateur MMA League.
Of course, a lot of controversies arose around this sport. Some people consider it as a great challenging sport, while other claim that it’s less about sportsmanship and more about business.
From the customer’s perspective – MMA is a show full of full-contact kicks and punches, which is similar to unpredictable street fights. It lets fighters and viewers come back to the roots where the biggest and the strongest man had to be determined. Briefly speaking – the primal instincts are back!
You can consider this sport on different ways. But, you can’t neglect that a MMA fighter is characterised by such values as courage, tenacity, charisma, self-discipline and strength, but also a strong character. No limits, no rules, no fear. Do you like watching it?