The popularity of mixed martial arts contests like the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) has skyrocketed over the last decade. However, some may still be wondering what exactly is mixed martial arts. Well, to a certain extent it is just what its name implies. It is the combination of different martial arts and the incorporation of those techniques into the repertoire of fighting skills.

If mixed martial arts (MMA) is so popular, why hasn’t it been done before? In fact, it has been done before. The ancient Greek Olympics had a sport known as pankration which involved grabbing and hitting and had no rules. Pankration means “almighty”. Pankration was the No Holds Barred (NHB) wrestling of its day. Vale tudo contests were popular in Brazil during the 20th century. Vale tudo also had a limited number of rules. Vale tudo means “anything goes” in Portuguese. Vale tudo contests are probably the closest descendant of the UFC.

As you can see, MMA is not exactly new. However, it has been greatly refined and polished over the last few decades. When the UFC started, it was simply a contest to see which martial arts discipline was superior. The Gracie family of Brazil believed that their Brazilian Jiu Jitsu was the best. And, to a certain extent, they proved that it was. Royce Gracie won UFC 1, 2 and 4 often fighting bigger opponents. I still enjoy watching videos of Royce. Royce Gracie put Brazilian jiu jitsu “on the map.” However, the UFC has evolved from its humble beginnings. Weight classes and other rules emerged. Competitors realized that they could combine the skills of wrestling, grappling, and striking. Thus the sport of MMA was born.

For more on the history of the UFC, check out the books:

• Blood in the Cage: Mixed Martial Arts, Pat Miletich, and the Furious Rise of the UFC
• The Heart of a Fighter: One Man’s Journey Through the World of Fighting

Boxing and Other Martial Arts

When I was a kid, boxers were well known in America. I knew the names of Muhammad Ali, Leon Spinks, Larry Holmes, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, Hector “Macho” Camacho, Oscar de la Hoya, Mike Tyson, James “Buster Douglas and Evander Holyfield. However, boxing’s popularity has declined over the years, perhaps in part due to increased interest in MMA. The only boxers I’m very familiar with right now are Floyd Mayweather, Andre Ward, Bernard Hopkins and Manny Pacquiao. boxing movies like rocky may have contributed to its popularity. Even now, you can still watch boxing movies like The fighter.

the karate kid introduced some of us to the discipline of karate. And the movieboxer introduced me to muay thai. Steven Seagal did some interesting martial arts in his movies. Many of us have also seen kung fu movies. I grew up in the Midwest, so I was always interested in wrestling. I took a Taekwondo class during college. From time to time I watched kickboxing competitions on television. There seemed to be a time when practitioners of a certain martial art were not interested in learning another martial art and many people thought that the martial art of their choice was the best. MMA seems to have shown that a combination of fighting styles works best to achieve fighting dominance. Even military and police forces use MMA techniques.

primitive mixed martial arts

The legendary Bruce Lee recognized that traditional martial arts had their limits and were not always practical in real world situations. Bruce Lee studied and criticized many traditional forms. Lee’s approach to martial arts and his emphasis on practicality makes him a forerunner of mixed martial arts. “Judo” Gene LeBell defeated boxer Milo Savage in 1963 with a lapel choke in one of the earliest MMA-type contests. Additionally, Muhammad Ali fought Antonio Inoki to a draw in 1976 in what would be considered a primitive MMA contest.

Ground and Pound, Sprawl and Brawl, Submissions

As I mentioned earlier, mixed martial arts, the UFC, and other MMA competitions came out and proved that the combination of martial arts could create a dominant fighter. Strategies were soon developed. Some competitors were better at wrestling, so they liked to employ the “ground and strike” strategy. Some were better at kicking and punching, so they used the “spread and fight” strategy. And others were experts at submissions (blocking and choking) and stuck to that strategy.

fighting backgrounds

Mixed martial artists come from many different backgrounds:

Royce Gracie – Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Pat Miletich – wrestling, karate, kickboxing

Matt Hughes- wrestling

Tito Ortiz – wrestling

Randy Couture – wrestling

Chuck Liddell: wrestling, Kempo, Koei-Kan Karate-do and kickboxing

Keith Jardine – karate

Lyoto Machida – karate

BJ Penn – Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Kazushi Sakuraba – catch wrestling

Fyodor Elemianenko – sambo

Karo Parisian – judo

These fighters, of course, combined other abilities with their main fighting style to be well-rounded fighters.

Mixed martial artists combine many skills from many disciplines, including but not limited to wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling, freestyle wrestling, judo, sambo, Brazilian jiu jitsu, muay thai, boxing, kickboxing, and boxing. karate.

basil the greek

I read a book while I was in elementary school called the big brain. In one story in this book, Big Brain (Tom) helps teach a Greek immigrant boy how to fight in America so he won’t be picked on or picked on. Tom realizes that Basil is not very good at boxing, but he is excellent at wrestling, especially headlocks. Tom develops a fighting strategy for Basil around this.

Here is a small excerpt from the book:

Tom and Basil were waiting inside the barn. “This is going to be a tough and tumultuous fight,” Tom announced. “Anything goes, lumberjack style.”

“Follow me,” Sammy said, smiling.

Well, Basil was able to catch Sammy in a headlock and straddle him on the ground (floor and pound style). Basil was able to neutralize Sammy’s punches and win the fight. This is how MMA works. A fighter can use his abilities to neutralize another fighter’s abilities. Combining skills works better than using one fighting skill exclusively.

There you go. I hope you have enjoyed this introduction to mixed martial arts. And I hope that you continue to watch and maybe participate in this sport as it evolves and gains popularity.