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While mixed martial arts has only been organized and televised for the last 20 years or so, the sport's roots go back many hundreds of years. Fighters use skills from the world's most ancient of martial arts as well as new styles of fighting. This versatility is what makes MMA so excited to watch and to learn. For those with little knowledge about MMA, here are a few important facts.
First and foremost, don't confuse MMA with WWE. MMA is real, WWE is not. MMA fighters are actually competing against one another in real fights. If you want to watch a bunch of guys pretend to fight, head to a WWE event. If you want to see skilled athletes actually competing, then stick with mixed martial arts.
You probably already guessed that it's called mixed martial arts because it mixes several types of martial arts together. Each fighter is able to use whatever martial arts skills they have during the bout, which allows them to adapt to an opponent more easily. There are many styles showcased in MMA, including boxing and wrestling, as well as Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Vale Todo and many others. While some fighters might be experts in one style, they also learn skills from several other martial arts. Some fighters are more versatile than others. For example, Fedor Emelinenko is a Grand Master in Sambo, as well as holding a black belt in Judo.
There are those who think the letters UFC and MMA can be used interchangeably, but that is definitely not true. There are many mixed martial arts organizations around the world, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship is just one of them, albeit the most prominent. There are other large organizations such as Bellator MMA, as well as plenty of smaller groups that host MMA bouts. So if you want to see a live MMA battle, just about every city in the country has fights going on from time to time.
While sometimes an MMA fight can resemble a bloodbath, sanctioned MMA fights do have many rules. These rules, known as the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, protect fighters from suffering serious injuries. While deaths sometimes occur in unsanctioned MMA fights, there have been just three deaths resulting from sanctioned MMA bouts since the rules were put in place in 2001. To keep it in perspective, there are many dangerous sports with more fatalities, including skiing, boxing, bike racing and NASCAR.
MMA is a complex sport that often moves very quickly, which is all part of the fun of being a spectator. To learn more, watch some bouts on TV, spend some time on MMA websites and learn a little bit about some of the big names in the sport such as Royce Gracie, who won the first Ultimate Fighting Championship, as well as BJ Penn, Matt Hughes, Fedor Emelinenko, Randy Couture, Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre.
First and foremost, don't confuse MMA with WWE. MMA is real, WWE is not. MMA fighters are actually competing against one another in real fights. If you want to watch a bunch of guys pretend to fight, head to a WWE event. If you want to see skilled athletes actually competing, then stick with mixed martial arts.
You probably already guessed that it's called mixed martial arts because it mixes several types of martial arts together. Each fighter is able to use whatever martial arts skills they have during the bout, which allows them to adapt to an opponent more easily. There are many styles showcased in MMA, including boxing and wrestling, as well as Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Vale Todo and many others. While some fighters might be experts in one style, they also learn skills from several other martial arts. Some fighters are more versatile than others. For example, Fedor Emelinenko is a Grand Master in Sambo, as well as holding a black belt in Judo.
There are those who think the letters UFC and MMA can be used interchangeably, but that is definitely not true. There are many mixed martial arts organizations around the world, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship is just one of them, albeit the most prominent. There are other large organizations such as Bellator MMA, as well as plenty of smaller groups that host MMA bouts. So if you want to see a live MMA battle, just about every city in the country has fights going on from time to time.
While sometimes an MMA fight can resemble a bloodbath, sanctioned MMA fights do have many rules. These rules, known as the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, protect fighters from suffering serious injuries. While deaths sometimes occur in unsanctioned MMA fights, there have been just three deaths resulting from sanctioned MMA bouts since the rules were put in place in 2001. To keep it in perspective, there are many dangerous sports with more fatalities, including skiing, boxing, bike racing and NASCAR.
MMA is a complex sport that often moves very quickly, which is all part of the fun of being a spectator. To learn more, watch some bouts on TV, spend some time on MMA websites and learn a little bit about some of the big names in the sport such as Royce Gracie, who won the first Ultimate Fighting Championship, as well as BJ Penn, Matt Hughes, Fedor Emelinenko, Randy Couture, Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre.
About the Author:
Rod Bourgoine enjoys writing about mixed martial arts advantages. To get additional information about martial arts in San Diego or to find boxing instruction in San Diego, please check out The Arena MMA website now.
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