While it might seem as though mixed martial arts is a new sport, the roots of this sport date back to the ancient Olympics of Greece. The sport then was known as pankration, a fierce combination of striking and grappling skills.
While fights that incorporated multiple styles of sparring continued through the years, official records of fights similar to modern MMA begin showing up during the 19th Century throughout Europe. These fights incorporated multiple styles of wresting, including Greco-Roman wrestling, as well as boxing. In the United States, the first recorded example of an MMA-style fight was between a professional boxer, John Sullivan, and a champion Greco-Roman wrestler, William Muldoon.
Moving through the early 20th Century, there are many recorded examples of mixed fighting throughout Asia, Europe and the United States. During this time in Brazil, vale tudo fighting became highly popular. Vale tudo translates basically to "anything goes," and incorporated many styles of fighting, including Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Bruce Lee was a huge influence in the development of modern MMA fighting. While many believe him to be only a Kung Fu expert, he created his own philosophy and fighting style, known as Jeet Kune Do. Lee believed that the best fighters are those who learn many styles of fighting, thus using kicking, trapping, grappling and punching. He is widely hailed as the father of modern MMA.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) officially began in 1993. Attention for the sport really gained momentum after Royce Gracie took down three challengers in less than five minutes to win the first UFC Championship. During the early days of UFC, there were few rules regarding fights. This changed in 2000, when the California State Athletic Commission approved a set of regulations regarding MMA fights. During that same year, the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board also began to create a set of rules for MMA. These rules eventually became the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.
There are several other MMA organizations, aside from UFC. The most well-known is perhaps Strikeforce, which got its start as a kickboxing organization. Strikeforce began hosting MMA events and is notable for holding the record for the highest attended MMA fight in history, a record that stood for five years. A powerful counterpart to UFC, Strikeforce was purchased by the owners of UFC in 2011. Although some have concerns that the owners will merge the two, they have said that UFC and Strikeforce will be separate at least through 2012.
While fights that incorporated multiple styles of sparring continued through the years, official records of fights similar to modern MMA begin showing up during the 19th Century throughout Europe. These fights incorporated multiple styles of wresting, including Greco-Roman wrestling, as well as boxing. In the United States, the first recorded example of an MMA-style fight was between a professional boxer, John Sullivan, and a champion Greco-Roman wrestler, William Muldoon.
Moving through the early 20th Century, there are many recorded examples of mixed fighting throughout Asia, Europe and the United States. During this time in Brazil, vale tudo fighting became highly popular. Vale tudo translates basically to "anything goes," and incorporated many styles of fighting, including Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Bruce Lee was a huge influence in the development of modern MMA fighting. While many believe him to be only a Kung Fu expert, he created his own philosophy and fighting style, known as Jeet Kune Do. Lee believed that the best fighters are those who learn many styles of fighting, thus using kicking, trapping, grappling and punching. He is widely hailed as the father of modern MMA.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) officially began in 1993. Attention for the sport really gained momentum after Royce Gracie took down three challengers in less than five minutes to win the first UFC Championship. During the early days of UFC, there were few rules regarding fights. This changed in 2000, when the California State Athletic Commission approved a set of regulations regarding MMA fights. During that same year, the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board also began to create a set of rules for MMA. These rules eventually became the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.
There are several other MMA organizations, aside from UFC. The most well-known is perhaps Strikeforce, which got its start as a kickboxing organization. Strikeforce began hosting MMA events and is notable for holding the record for the highest attended MMA fight in history, a record that stood for five years. A powerful counterpart to UFC, Strikeforce was purchased by the owners of UFC in 2011. Although some have concerns that the owners will merge the two, they have said that UFC and Strikeforce will be separate at least through 2012.
About the Author:
Nolan Barias likes blogging about mixed martial arts benefits. For more details about MMA lessons in San Diego or to find a boxing gym San Diego, please check out The Arena MMA site today.
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