Mixed martial arts Facts for Kids

A Greek statue pancratium, an event showcased at the Roman Colosseum and used by Alexander the Great in battle. Even as late as the Early Middle Ages, statues were put up in Rome and other cities to honour remarkable pankratiasts of Rome.

A scene of Ancient Greek pankratists fighting. Originally found on a Panathenaic amphora, Lamberg Collection.

A fighter wraps his hands prior to putting gloves on.

Ronda Rousey; one of the top Bantamweight fighters

A ring-side doctor attends to a fighter following a loss.

Mixed martial arts (or MMA) is a hybrid martial arts form. It includes any mixture of combat disciplines or any blend of two or more styles of martial arts. MMA can also mean the sport of mixed martial arts fighting. Bellator, WSOF, ONE Championship, and UFC are companies that promote MMA sport fighting.

Rules

The people who organize a MMA fight can decide the rules for that fight. There is no one group of people who decides the rules for all MMA fights,in the world. Some states regulate all professional fights including MMA fights and set some rules.

MMA fights once had few rules, but now have many rules to protect the fighters. Boxing (and other fighting sports) also have many rules, different from those in MMA.

Fighters can use any martial art, or combination of arts, they like in the fight. In these fights, fighters can fight standing with punches, kicks and other strikes, in a clinch where fighters are grabbing each other while standing, or on the ground.

Illegal strikes

An example of an illegal strike is the 12-6 elbow strike. It is illegal under the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, where it is called "striking downwards using the point of the elbow". The ban was made for medical and safety reasons, due to it being likely there would be serious injuries to opponents if they are used.

Defeat

Each fighter will try to defeat the other either by submission, or knock out. Each fight can last only for a period of time, after the time ends, judges decide who is the winner. The referee in the fight will make sure no one gets hurt too badly and that rules are followed.

History of the Mixed Martial Arts

Origin

The pankration was an old style of unarmed combat. The ancient Greeks introduced this sport into the Olympic Games in the 648 BC. Some public fights took place at the end of the 19th century. They represented different styles of fighting, including jujutsu, wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestling and others in competitions and challenges across Europe. After World War I, wrestling was born again in two main flows. The first flow was real competition; the second flow began to depend more on the choreography and on the grand public shows that resulted in professional wrestling.

Types of martial arts

Modern mixed martial arts (MMA) has its roots in two kinds of competition: the Vale Tudo (Brazil) and Japanese Shootfighting.

Vale Tudo

Vale Tudo began circa 1930, when Carlson Gracie invited every competitor to compete in a fight. That was the so-called "Gracie's Challenge". Later, Hélio Gracie and the Gracie family continued this.

Japanese Shootfighting

In Japan, about 1970, Antonio Inoki organized a series of mixed martial arts fights. They were the forces that produced the Shootwrestling, and they later caused the developing of the first organization of mixed martial arts, known as Shooto. Mixed martial arts obtained great popularity in the United States in 1993, when Rorion Gracie helped create the first UFC event, one of the earliest MMA events in the USA . In 1997, in Japan, the interest for this sport resulted in the creation of the greater organization of mixed martial arts - Pride Fighting Championship.

Where they were practised

The Gracie family caused the tournaments, as the UFC, to be well known. It should be noticed that the UFC is the most famous tournament, but the persons who practises Brazilian jiujitsu normally do not use blows. Undoubtedly, the Gracie family played an important role in the creation of open competitions of Vale Tudo and in causing them to be well known through the television. Nevertheless, before anyone created the UFC or Shooto, where the persons who represent every method of self-defense can fight, there had already existed such mixed martial arts.

Gradual development of the competitors

About the year 1990, three styles were famous for their effectiveness in the competitions of the mixed martial arts: the wrestling, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and the shootwrestling. This can be because of their attention given to the combat by means of holds. Before the year 1990, the promoters organized a lacking amount of the competitions of the mixed martial arts, and some martial arts base on blows. Therefore, probably, most instructors of these arts had given too little attention to the holds.

North America

The United States

Canada

South America

Brazil

Meca FC
Storm Samurai
Jungle Fight
International Vale Tudo Championship

Europe

United Kingdom

Denmark & Sweden

Spain

Poland

Asia

Japan

Pancrase
Shooto
K-1 Hero's

Images for kids

A Chinese martial artist preparing to throw his opponent during a lei tai contest in Ancient China.
Masahiko Kimura vs. Hélio Gracie, a 1951 bout between Japanese judo fighter Masahiko Kimura and Brazilian jiu jitsu founder Hélio Gracie in Brazil, was an early high-profile mixed martial arts bout.
Bruce Lee popularized the concept of mixed martial arts via his hybrid system of Jeet Kune Do during the late 1960s to early 1970s.
Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki, a 1976 bout in Japan where boxer Muhammad Ali fought wrestler Antonio Inoki, was an important precursor to MMA contests.
Vale Tudo match between thai boxer Flávio Molina and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practctioner Marcelo Behring, 1984
Yuki Nakai fights UFC 1 finalist Gerard Gordeau at Vale Tudo Japan 1995
MMA gloves. They are fingerless gloves which allow both striking and grappling to occur.
Fighter performs a takedown on his opponent.
Gina Carano applying a Ground-and-Pound on her opponent.
A Ring used by PRIDE.
An Octagon cage used by the UFC.