Everybody is aware of Karate or Judo. But do you know what Mixed Martial Arts is? Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact fight. It is abbreviated as MMA.
In MMA the players are allowed to use various fighting techniques in the competition. These include numerous striking and grappling techniques. The fighters can use these techniques while they are standing and on the ground.
Mixed Martial Arts was introduced in 648 B.C. by the Greeks. It was then introduced in the Olympic Games as Pankration. A similar version of it was also being practiced in the 1800’s. Later in 1993 MMA was established as the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC.In the past fighters of different disciplines were brought together to find out which hand to hand combat technique works best to fight in a combat condition. Initially there were very few rule involved in MMA. But later on after 10 years, more rules were introduced for the safety of the players. This was also necessary to promote the sport.
Today, Mixed Martial Arts is more popular than boxing. People want to see it and are willing to pay for this sport. People sit glued to the TV sets when the Ultimate Fighting Championship is on the air. This is doing one way better than the wrestling and boxing. This sport is divided into five weight classes. They are as follows:
- Lightweight - 67 to 70 kg
- Welterweight - 71 to 77kg
- Middleweight - 78 to 84 kg
- Light heavyweight - 85 to 93 kg
- Heavy weight - 94 to 120 kg
The match is over when the opponent taps the floor or is bashed unconscious. The winner is decided by the judges if both the fighters happen to stand till the end of the match. The referee has the right to disqualify or deduct the points of the player for illegal contact or intentional act.
The ring of mixed martial arts is octagonal in shape. This is the biggest difference of MMA from the other sports as the rings of boxing or wrestling are rectangular in shape. The octagonal cage is fortified with walls of metal chain link that is coated with black vinyl. The entry-exit gates are opposite to each other. The top of the fence and all the eight sections are padded around.
