The UFC Octagon Girls

Women in MMA

The History of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

Mixed Martial Arts is all about using any move or technique learned in basically any martial art to defeat an opponent, therefore it can be difficult to place its exact creation or inception in history. Of course, the earliest contact sport or martial art with very few rules (or a no holds barred concept) was called pankration and was started in Greece around the year 648 B.C., taking its place among other sports in the Olympic Games.

It can be safely said that while pankration may have been the parent sport of other full-contact combat styles, it was too early a form to have any direct influence itself. However, it has taken on many techniques from the sports and martial arts that pankration had spawned.

Wrestling is one of its greatest influencers and to the untrained eye, a Mixed Martial Arts competition or match can be mistaken for a modern wrestling match. It was during the late 1800's that wrestling and boxing became popular and participants such as John L. Sullivan and William Muldoon were well known for some of their no holds barred antics.

Because of this, many people held anything goes matches and more often than not, the wrestler won. In Europe, Jiu Jitsu versus boxing matches were held, and sometimes, it was boxing versus other styles as well. There was definitely a demand for both people who wanted to study Mixed Martial Arts and observers who wanted to watch competitions for sport or show.

Not surprisingly, a major catalyst in the creation of Mixed Martial Arts was the one and only Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee formed his own styles by making use of different styles such as Karate, fencing, boxing, Jiu Jitsu, wrestling and more to allow him to use what he felt were the best defenses and the best attacks from each martial art. In addition to Bruce Lee, a prominent figure is a man by the name of Royce Gracie who in 1993 won the very first Ultimate Fighting Championship. It was after this that it gained a heavy cult following and began to spark interest across the globe.

As Mixed Martial Arts became more and more prominent, competitions and matches became commonplace in both the martial arts world and the entertainment industry. Students learned to borrow moves and techniques from each other to help each other discover what the best and most useful defenses and attacks were. Of course, a student must be trained in several different forms before they are ready to compete in a match or competition. The popularity and recognition that it has received thus far shows absolutely no signs of slowing down, in fact, the sport is becoming increasingly attractive to both spectators and students of Mixed Martial Arts.

The (MMA) Mixed Martial Arts

Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, combines many different fighting techniques, including grappling and striking, and high performance standards, particularly in the often intense, and very popular MMA tournaments. The first tournaments came about as a result of the 1993 Ultimate Fighting Championship, which matched different fighting styles in a competition where the rules were minimal and the goal was to find the best fighters in the world.

The success of this mixed martial arts combat style led to the development and implementation of rules designed to keep athletes safe and deflect early criticism of the sport while still holding on to the original concept of the UFC as much as possible. The modern MMA tournaments have their roots in the Vale tudo martial arts tournaments held in Brazil by the Gracie family beginning in the 1920s, and the preliminary martial arts tournaments hosted in Japan by Antonio Inoki in the early 1970s.

There are several different competition techniques, including striking techniques, like kicks, punches, and knees, and grappling techniques, like pinning holds, submission holds, clinch holds, takedowns, throws and sweeps.

The permissibility and legality of certain other techniques like head butts, spinal locks, and elbows vary according to the specific organization and sponsored competition. Although many critics have attempted to portray the MMA fighting style as violent and brutal, there has never been a death or crippling injury in any sanctioned MMA event in North America.

The U.S. state athletic and boxing committee regulates the MMA, requiring participants and sponsors to adhere to a set of officially sanctioned rules and regulations, which include rules for knockout, submission, technical knockout, the ten point system, disqualification, and no contest.

Common fouls include: clawing, twisting and pinching flesh; small joint manipulation; attacking an opponent from or on the break in the care of an official, attacking the groin or trachea, fish-hooking, biting, and hair pulling, spitting, use of abusive language, and other similar acts.

The MMA continues to grow in popularity and reputation, as athletes associated with the sport have also gained reputation and renown, as well as successful careers and endorsement deals.

With mainstream acceptance, worldwide acclaim, and an every growing fan base, what started as an abstract concept has become an established sport and a successful platform from which many athletic careers have been launched. The future of the MMA appears to be bright, and the popularity of the sport even more so.

What Is MMA

There are lots of sports that involve utilising physical contact - but none more than martial arts. Some people might disagree and feel that boxing or wrestling involves more physical contact and allows for more technique for the fighters performing. But boxing has greatly reduced and wrestling is full of drama and on stage humiliation and fake fighting.

MMA - also known as mixed martial arts - is an all new type of sport that has become a favorite in many countries. The UFC - best-known as the Ultimate Fighting Championship - is the largest presenter for MMA and holds several fights for them every year with countless fighters. Even a few top fighters from boxing are trying MMA.

MMA combines the art of several distinct types of martial arts for fighters to utilize. In one fight you can have the power to see fighters utilizing wrestling, judo, Muay Thai kickboxing, and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. The MMA combatants will struggle it out using techniques from these distinct forms of fighting inside of an eight sided cage. The only way to win is to knock out the opponent, force them to tap out employing a submission, or to succeed by the decision of the judges.

The combatants will go at each other for three, five minute rounds in which time the judges will observe and decide who won if neither of them is knocked out or has tapped out. The fights can be intensive. It is the referees job to make sure to stop it if one of the fighters is no longer able to defend themselves. This avoids severe damage to either fighter.

Training for an MMA competition demands hours of dedication and practice. It may take years for somebody to learn the several MMA techniques and how to utilize it for fighting. They will start as amateurs and slowly work their way up to becoming pro fighters. They utilize exceptional fight gear that include special training gloves and Everlast MMA gloves. These gloves are designed in such a way to let the fighters to utilize their hands so that they can seize their opponent and perform a submission.

Mixed Martial Arts (mma) Madness

While browsing ESPN, you spot what seems like a boxing match, until suddenly opponents start to kick one another. The next thing you know, the two fighters are on the ground, striking one another. Welcome to the exciting and increasingly popular arena of mixed martial arts (also known as MMA). You may think this is the next wave in martial arts entertainment, but this combat sport has actually been around since the Olympic games in 648 BC.

What to Expect During a Match

Mixed martial arts uses three different phases of fighting - stand-up, clinch and ground. Stand-up fighting incorporates boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai. Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, Sambo (from Russia), as well as Judo are used in the clinch phase of fighting. The ground phase of fighting is characterized by Brazilian Jui-Jitsu (focuses on positioning), shoot wrestling, catch wrestling, Judo, as well as Sambo.

Fighting techniques that you may encounter during a MMA competition includes kicks, punches, knees, pinning holds, sweeps, takedowns, throws, some elbowing, as well as hand-to-hand combat. A win is typically awarded through the decision of a judge. Matches are timed, therefore, the decision comes after the allotted time has passed. Other circumstances that end a fight include referee stoppage, fight doctor decision, submission, cornerman throwing in the towel and of course, a knockout.

The Mixed Martial Arts of Today

The kind of fighting techniques associated with the mixed martial arts of today deals with a combination of different professional fighting styles. Most commonly, a fighter started training in one specific arena of fighting and later decided to branch off into other styles of combat. The main styles of fighting include sprawl-and-brawl, clinch-and-pound and ground-and-pound.

Sprawl-and-brawl is a stand-up fighting approach that utilizes striking and purposefully avoids fighting on the ground. This type of fighter usually has a strong background in boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai or karate. To fight in this style, MMA fighters have undergone training in wrestling. Well-known mixed martial artists connected to this approach include Chuck Liddell, Maurice Smith and Phil Barconi.

Clinch-and pound uses clinch fighting tactics characterized by a clinch hold. While a fighter holds an opponent so that they cannot move, they will often strike the body using their knees, or other dirty boxing moves. Most of these fighters started wrestling before incorporating boxing techniques. Don Frye, Dan Henderson and Randy Couture are familiar with this style of fighting.

Ground-and-pound involves the taking down or throwing of an opponent. The next step is to get into the dominant position, attacking with strikes. Wrestlers usually turn to this type of fighting, which has been used by the likes of Mark Coleman, Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz.

Since there are so many different styles of MMA combat associated with mixed martial art, you may think that there is nothing a fighter can do to their opponent. In actuality, there are several fouls connected to this sport. A fighter are not allowed to head-butt, eye gouge, pull the hair, bite, attack the groin or strike the back of the head or kidneys of an opponent.

MMA Organizations

Bringing the exciting world of mixed martial arts fighting to the public are several different organizations that all have their own specific rules and regulations. One of the most well known, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) - http://www.martialartspride.com - tests their fighters for steroids and other illegal substances before allowing entrance to one of their championship bouts. In this organization, elbow strikes are allowed with the exception of ones that come from the north-south direction. PRIDE Fighting Championships mainly offer two different MMA weight classes (heavyweight and middleweight) and forbids fighters from intentionally hanging an arm or leg on the ropes.

With the ZST, which is an organization based in Japan, there are two five-minute rounds. At the end of a match, a fight is deemed a draw if there was no knockout (KO), technical knockout (TKO) or Submission. MMA judges are not used in this form of fighting. Shooto is another form of combat fighting that presents separate rules and regulations for three different class levels (A, B, and C). Level C is set aside for the amateurs. Three 4-minute rounds are attached to the International Fight League, which uses a different pair of gloves, offering less padding.

Regardless of where or within which mma organization, mixed martial arts madness is sweeping the globe and is coming to a "cage" near you!

MMA Is The Next Big Fighting Craze

Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, combines many different fighting techniques, including grappling and striking, and high performance standards, particularly in the often intense, and very popular MMA tournaments. The first tournaments came about as a result of the 1993 Ultimate Fighting Championship, which matched different fighting styles in a competition where the rules were minimal and the goal was to find the best fighters in the world.

The success of this mixed martial arts combat style led to the development and implementation of rules designed to keep athletes safe and deflect early criticism of the sport while still holding on to the original concept of the UFC as much as possible. The modern MMA tournaments have their roots in the Vale tudo martial arts tournaments held in Brazil by the Gracie family beginning in the 1920s, and the preliminary martial arts tournaments hosted in Japan by Antonio Inoki in the early 1970s.

There are several different competition techniques, including striking techniques, like kicks, punches, and knees, and grappling techniques, like pinning holds, submission holds, clinch holds, takedowns, throws and sweeps. The permissibility and legality of certain other techniques like head butts, spinal locks, and elbows vary according to the specific organization and sponsored competition. Although many critics have attempted to portray the MMA fighting style as violent and brutal, there has never been a death or crippling
injury in any sanctioned MMA event in North America.

The U.S. state athletic and boxing committee regulates the MMA, requiring participants and sponsors to adhere to a set of officially sanctioned rules and regulations, which include rules for knockout, submission, technical knockout, the ten point system, disqualification, and no contest. Common fouls include: clawing, twisting and pinching flesh; small joint manipulation; attacking an opponent from or on the break in the care of an official, attacking the groin or trachea, fish hooking, biting, and hair pulling, spitting, use of abusive language, and other similar acts.

The MMA continues to grow in popularity and reputation, as athletes associated with the sport have also gained reputation and renown, as well as successful careers and endorsement deals. With mainstream acceptance, worldwide acclaim, and an every growing fan base, what started as an abstract concept has become an established sport and a successful platform from which many athletic careers have been launched. The future of the MMA appears to be bright, and the popularity of the sport even more so.

Where To Find The Latest Mma And Ufc Videos On The Internet

Mixed Martial Arts-MMA and Ultimate Fighting Championship-UFC which was earlier viewed for entertainment and as a circus sideshow has now-a-days become most popular and most liked sports event. It has become an interesting and thrilling entertainment zone for fight lovers. People have truly developed a craze to watch MMA and UFC videos; it has become a trend among the youths and the teenagers who love to watch these videos with great enthusiasm and zest. The youngsters get involved greatly into such sporty events and often forget the world around them. To get the real and true feel of any sport action it is obvious to watch it live, on the sport zone where these events are actually conducted. However it is not possible for all the fight lovers to reach there. Don't worry; you have a fantastic option for this too, watch it live and with utmost comfort on the Internet. Yes, you can get the true feel of Mixed Martial Arts and Ultimate Fighting Championship on the Internet. Internet has really helped to solve all the problems of any individual and has offered amazing solutions to all the questions. So your search ends here, watch the Championships and great Challenges online as the Internet provides you a number of websites that help you watch these amazing videos. There are several website that provide you quality videos with clear sound and picture. Your search ends at a click of a button. Select a site that gives you the latest videos of Championships and you are more than satisfied by watching MMA and UFC videos on the Internet. The clarity regarding the sound and image in MMA and UFC videos available on the Internet is just like watching these Championships live; sitting in front of these fighting zones. The fighter boys kick, punch, slam each other to the ground and this violence can be clearly viewed on the Internet quite clearly, the sounds of boxes, hard blows, kicks and punches are so clear that you can really feel as if you are watching it personally and not on the Internet. You literally get shivers in your whole body by watching the tough competition as the picture quality is undoubtedly superior, sharp and advanced. You can watch the MMA and UFC videos with great comfort and ease. The quality picture completely satisfies you and you feel like cheering your favorite fighter though he may be unable to see you or hear you but then you are greatly contented by watching the MMA and UFC videos. You feel more than satisfied as you can not only watch these affliction videos with great comfort and ease but also at reasonable prices. You don't need to pay much as the download charges of these online MMA and UFC videos is quite low and hence you can enjoy the Challenges tension-free. The Internet charges are greatly reduced and this another main advantage to watch these videos apart from clarity and superior quality. So, if MMA and UFC video is your dream video, you are just a click away to watch your most desired sport event live!

Frank Shamrock MMA Training

Chest and Shoulder and Arms Training For MMA

Not only do huge shoulder and chest muscles make a warrior look more imposing, but these muscles, when properly trained, can also make him more dangerous. Without a strong set of deltoid and pectoral muscles, the warrior surely has less chance of victory and a greater chance of injury.

These powerful muscles are used in almost every upper-body motion in MMA and protect the most unstable and often-attacked shoulder joint. Offensively, these muscles are essential in throwing powerful punches in stand-up, crushing an opponent in the clinch, and during take-downs and submission attempts. Defensively, these muscles are used to keep the hands up during stand-up, to pummel in and out of the clinch, and to fight off takedown attempts on the feet and submission attempts on the ground. Understanding this, the warrior must develop a set of cannonballs for shoulders that will protect the shoulder joint and demolish the opponent.

The warrior needs to understand that this area of the body is not worked best with a single pushing exercise like the bench press. Beneath the large shoulder muscles lie the four muscles called the rotator cuff. These muscles are used to decelerate the arm when punching and to rotate the arm during clinches, ground work, and submission attempts. Since these muscles are small and commonly under-trained, warriors often injure them.

Since the shoulder joint is the most mobile joint of the body, there are many possible positions that the shoulder joint can attain during an MMA match. Make sure that the shoulder is being trained at many angles and in many directions in order to help stabilize this mobile and often unstable joint. Injury to this area can be devastating and career ending. The right exercises will ensure that the only career that is in jeopardy is that of your opponent.

Arm

Without a powerful set of arms and hands, the warrior is powerless against his opponent. There is nothing more impressive than a chiseled set of arms on a warrior.

In addition to being one of the first lines of defense, the arms and hands are also the offensive extensions of the power transferred up through the feet, legs, core, and shoulders. When this energy is transmitted properly through a stable and strong warrior, the power output of the grip and strikes from the arms and hands is nothing short of explosive. Along with powerful strikes, the arms and hands are obviously also instrumental in clinch work, wrist control, takedowns, and all submission attempts. This region of the body is also critical defensively for shielding the body and head from foot and hand strikes and for submission escapes. Without strong arms and a strong grip, it is as if the warrior has chosen to bring a knife to a gunfight.

For instance, chin-ups and pull-ups are great exercises to train both the muscles of the arms and the grip.

Back

A warrior cannot control his opponent if he is pushing him away. Even though a warrior may be hitting the gym hard, that warrior's training methods in the gym may not match the demands of actual competition in the ring. One of the most common errors in upper-body training is the overuse of pushing versus pulling movements used in training for fighting.

MMA has developed into a system that often involves pulling an opponent into a clinch, taking the opponent down by keeping them close, and then keeping him off balance, controlling and possibly submitting him with pulling movements on the ground. In everything from all takedown attempts like the double leg and arm drag to your opponent trying to get away or establish posture, you must be constantly using strong, continuous pulling movements. Even as an opponent drives into your guard or shoots in, or you snatch down on a guillotine for the finish, pulling is still more important than pushing an opponent away, to create off-balancing and control. The arms assist the warrior in these motions, but it is the large and powerful muscles of the back that make everything happen. This is why the warrior must have a chiseled back resembling a bag of rocks under his training shirt. Develop this critical area and you will have the edge over an opponent who focuses solely on upper-body pushing movements in the gym.

The pull-up and chin-up are probably two of the oldest known exercises. These are awesome exercises for the development of the muscles of the back, arms, and grip. The pull-up is also a great exercise for identifying relative body strength. This means how strong a warrior is at his or her body weight. Since most MMA events utilize weight classes, your goal as a warrior is to be the strongest competitor pound for pound in your weight division. Whether you are light or heavy, you need to be able to perform many pull-ups. The gold standard for warriors is at least 20 pull-ups for a maximal attempt. If you cannot do 20, you need to either lose weight or get stronger at your current weight.

For you to really get the most out of your training, there has to be variety in not only the exercises but also in the directions of the movements.

A Mma Overview

MMA or mixed martial arts refers to a fighting competition that combines techniques form many other fighting styles such as boxing, wrestling, kick boxing, and martial arts. MMA fights begin standing up and resemble kick boxing with opponents trading punches and kicks. Almost all MMA fights make their way to the ground and then opponents continue to fight in a manner that resembles wrestling although the object is not to win by pinning your opponent. MMA became popular in the U.S. early 1990's and the UFC, the biggest U.S. MMA organization was founded in 1993. Originally, MMA competitions were met with great controversy from politicians and concerned citizens because the UFC claimed to be a no-hold-barred competition and proved to be extremely violent with only a few rules. The idea behind the UFC was not a new one and the idea of creating a competition to determine which fighting style was the most effective began in the early 1900's. MMA type competitions were popular in other countries and after their brutal introduction into the U.S. in 1993, they did not seem like they were going to stick around.

The initial disdain for the violent competition actually caused MMA fights to be banned from 20 states and even Pay Per View stopped televising MMA events. After a few years of shame, the UFC added rues and regulations and actually got sanctioning to become a legal sport. MMA has since become very popular and is loosing some of its brutal stigma. Rules were added to give the sport less violent image and prohibit, biting, eye gouging, fish hooking, hair pulling, foul language, spitting, small joint manipulation, groin strikes, head butts, and kicking the head of an opponent while he is on the mat. Originally, the UFC had no weight classes, which only helped perpetuate the unruly image. The UFC now has weight classes and even screens fighters for drug use prior to entry into the ring.

MMA fights are won by knock out, submission, judge's decision, or referee stoppage. Time limits were also added so that fights lasting longer than the set amount of rounds would be decided by judges. The referee and fight doctor can also stop a fight if they think that one fighter is not longer able to intelligently defend himself. Fighters must wear mouth guards and special fingerless gloves that protect the knuckles while allowing fighters to grapple.

Even thought the UFC and MMA fights were originally considered barbaric, they have come a long way since then. The UFC is gaining popularity and some PPV MMA fights have even outsold PPV boxing matches. With clear rules and sanctioning, MMA has made a comeback in the U.S. and is set to become the most popular combat sport. MMA already draws millions of fans and more and more fighters are conditioning themselves to be able to compete in the MMA ring. Even though it had a rocky start, MMA in the U.S. is quickly gaining ground and more and more people are accepting it as a legitimate sport.