A Brief Introduction of the History and Rules of Modern Mixed Martial Arts

Over the past decade the popularity of Mixed Martial Arts have increased drastically. The Ultimate Fighting Championship introduced MMA to the United States, as well as to the international community, in 1993 and was the primer for the sport's explosion. With millions of viewers world wide, betting on the fights between fan favorites, such as Chuck Liddel and Tito Ortiz, has become an enjoyable past time. If you would like to place bets on a fight you can always check out https://www.gamebookers.com.

Though Greco-Roman wrestling tournaments preceded MMA by thousands of years, modern competitions can trace their origins to Barititsu, a martial art formed in London at the turn of the century, which combined elements of both European and Asian fighting styles. Vale tudo events in Brazil and Japanese shoot wrestling are also strong influences on MMA organizations, like The UFC and Pride.

Bruce Lee, deemed as the “father of mixed martial arts” by UFC founder Dana White, was a form believer in mixing martial arts, “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.” Modern MMA combines elements from a variety of forms, such as Karate, Muay Thai, Judo, and Catch Wrestling.

Fighters may have developed fighting techniques from a variety of martial arts but there are three common disciplines in MMA. The first is referred to as "stand-up" and includes punching, elbowing, and kicking. The second discipline is "Clinch" and involves grappling and wrestling. The final discipline is called "Ground" and is focused on forcing your opponent to submit through a variety of painful holds.

Though rules vary from different MMA organizations and from country to country, there a few rules which apply to most MMA fights. Many states in the U.S. Prohibit the use of elbows in amateur fights. Also, the use of knees, especially on downed opponents, is restricted in many matches. Eye gouging, hair pulling, finger bending, and groin strikes are, by and large, barred from most organizations. Victory is declared, typically, by a judges decision after the allotted time for the match has elapsed, by the referee or doctor on site if one of the opponents is deemed unable to continue, a submission, or by knock out.

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A Brief Introduction of the History and Rules of Modern Mixed Martial Arts

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