Mixed martial arts is a full-contact combat sport that allows for many different fighting styles. Fighters can use wrestling to hold an opponent in a clinch and throw them to the ground; they can use boxing to punch or stand up while jabbing their opponent with straight punches; they can use kickboxing by kicking their opponent and punching them as well; they can also use jiu-jitsu, judo, or any other style of fighting. Each fighter is required to learn at least two basic disciplines of fighting. These disciplines are often called "mixed martial arts."
The Ultimate Fighting Championship - The Beginning
The UFC was founded by Art Davie, a marketing man from Los Angeles, who first came up with the idea for the company as an experiment in 1993. At the time, he was working to promote a new energy drink called "Savage" and wanted to try something different to stand out.
Davie got together with his old friend John Milius, a Hollywood director and fight fan, and Rorion Gracie, an expert in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and head of the Gracie family of martial arts instructors. They decided they would create an eight-man single elimination tournament with no weight classes and no time limits. The tournament would be held under different names every night for five nights at a row in California's Bay Area: San Francisco, Daly City, Concord, Oakland, Sacramento (the last rotated between San Jose and Stockton).
The first event happened on November 12th 1993 in Denver Colorado. It was originally planned as a one-off show but became reality when Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter Rorion Gracie convinced his older brother Royce Gracie to fight against American boxer Art Jimmerson. The match would be fought without time limits and looked like it would never end when Royce's corner finally threw in the towel.
UFC Today
UFC, or the Ultimate Fighting Championship, has seen a lot of changes in its twenty-five year existence. The UFC was originally planned as a one-off show but became a reality when Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter Rorion Gracie convinced his older brother Royce Gracie to fight against American boxer Art Jimmerson. The match would be fought without time limits and was looking like it would never end until Royce's corner finally threw in the towel.
UFC is now one of the most popular sports around with millions of viewers tuning in each week to watch. There are many reasons for this change, but one of the biggest is that UFC has embraced mainstream culture by including celebrities and athletes from other sports into the mix. For example, Ronda Rousey is an Olympic medalist in Judo who also competes in MMA while Conor McGregor is an Irish professional mixed martial artist who can now add UFC featherweight champion to his resume.
What Makes a Champion?
Ronda Rousey is an American mixed martial artist, judoka and actress. She is the first and current UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion, as well as the last Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion.
She has been undefeated as a mixed martial artist since her debut in 2011 and has won six consecutive fights by armbar.
When she was just 4 years old, Ronda's mom tosses her high up in the air to catch her. From then on, Ronda trained in gymnastics and started doing Olympic-style tumbling. When she was 12, she tried boxing to channel some of her anger from being bullied at school. It turned out that she had something with it. She became a two-time National Champion and was good enough to compete in the 2004 Olympics if it wasn't for her broken hand sustained during training just weeks before competition.
How does training for MMA differ from other fighting styles?
The training for MMA is different from other fighting styles because of the different disciplines. Fighters are required to learn at least two basic disciplines, either of which could be a grappling art like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a striking art like kickboxing, or a combination. For example, in boxing, fighters stand up and jab their opponent with straight punches. In kickboxing, on the other hand, fighters may use both standing and ground-fighting techniques such as kicking or punching their opponent.
MMA requires intense conditioning and will challenge your cardiovascular system as you alternate between aerobic exercise that keeps your heart rate high and anaerobic exercises that build strength in your muscles. The training will also help you improve your coordination and reflexes for all areas of combat.
Conclusion
Ultimate Fighting Championship, also known as UFC, is the world's largest mixed martial arts organization. It was founded in 1993 by Art Davie and Rorion Gracie. UFC has since held over 400 live events.
UFC is the most popular and most successful MMA promotion company in the world. The Ultimate Fighting Championship has developed fighters that are more athletic and better conditioned than any other fighting styles. The athletes are well-rounded, with skills in wrestling, judo, boxing, kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. UFC has changed the face of martial arts, not just the sport of mixed martial arts.
UFC will continue to bring martial arts to the masses, promoting fighter safety and sanctioning events with strict rules.
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