A widely misunderstood sport MMA is on its way towards becoming widely popular. As more and more people know about it, the need for time is to understand it better. With better understanding and knowledge, you would realize that it is indeed not a savage sport.
The notion of MMA being unruly and sportsmanship lacking game is faulty and baseless. It is a sport that is played with great discipline and a thorough understanding of the rules and fouls.
MMA or Mix Martial Arts gets its name from a combination of fight discipline. It is a full-contact combat game that uses at least two fighting types, such as beatboxing and Muay Thai. As it involves combat, MMA needs dedicated sportswear and equipment to perform in the ring.
It serves the purpose of protection against severe blows and attacks. Without further Ado, let’s take a look at some of the MMA-related facts that will blow your mind.
1) Bruce Lee: The Father of MMA
Several names shaped MMA into the sport as it exists today. One such word has fueled our childhood memories with his artistic expression of Martial Arts in movies. Mentored by the mighty IP man, Bruce, let’s face in Martial Arts, discipline and vigor is the driving force behind MMA today.
He is pioneering in differentiating all Martial Arts and believed that they should not be commonly regarded as MA. His techniques, professionalism, ability to see the opponent as a person, and not engaging in anger-driven combat are some of the basics MMA relies upon.
2) MMA as a Historical Sport
MMA is often thought to be a fighting genre that is newly made that does not have any historical ties. However, real facts state a different story. There is evidence of MMA-like sport in the time of glory of the ancient Greek Empire. An inhabitant of Greece laid the Olympic Games Foundation, started a marathon runner, and was also fond of combative sports.
One-on-one fights and high-intensity combats were considered a display of power with a broad audience that enjoyed it. One such play that shows similarity with MMA is thought to be the starting point of the sport. War techniques that also made their way to the Olympics were grappling and a hand fight. The savage play had only two rules, no eye gouge or bites.
3) Pop Culture and MMA
The rising popularity of MMA as a sport is also due to its rising representation in pop culture. Pop culture is popular culture and stands for movies, social media, series, and books accessible to the general population and popular among them. It results in high adaptability, and the idea becomes widespread. Fan bases form and people are attracted to it in mobs.
Some famous representations that depicted the MMA in the reel include Red belt, Locked down, Warrior, SouthPaw, Only God Forgives, and many more. Books, both fiction and biographies, have also been written that belong to the genre of MMA.
Some of these are Real and Consumed, and Why I Fight: The Belt is just an accessory. There have been researches that show pop culture representation associated with the proliferation and growth of Martial Arts. Video games and TV shows also add to the recognition of MMA as a legit sport.
4) UFC and MMA: a Common Misconception
The terms UFC and MMA are often used interchangeably. It leads to confusion among people and hence the faulty understanding of it. MMA is mixed martial arts, and UFC is an Ultimate Fighting Championship.
MMA is a sports genre, and as the name indicates, UFC is a tournament of MMA. It is an organization that organizes and promotes MMA fights. The two terms are very similar to football and FIFA. The words can be used in place of each other, but they are essentially not the same.
Thus, UFC is MMA fights, but all MMA fights are not UFC. There are several other organizations other than UFC that organize contests and tournaments. For instance, we have Bellator MMA, Pride Fighting Championship, Strikeforce, and many others. All of these names regularly organize MMA fights and championships.
5) The Only Super Heavyweight Fight Ever!
MMA is a sport that relies on weight-based criteria to organize the player into categories. That is because weight plays an important role and tends to give a competitive advantage. As all the fights have to be, and attributes should be equal, they are organized in the weight categories. The heaviest weight category is super heavyweight, and it comprises 250lbs-265 lbs.
To date, there has only been one fight in the heaviest category. It took place in November 2000 between Josh Barnett and Gan McGee. It resulted in Barnett’s win by TKO during the second round of the game.
6) The Bizarreness of Winner’s Belt
Another peculiar fact about MMA is its mysterious belt. Everyone has wondered one too many times about its material and making. To our and your shock! It is made of gold. The end of any tournament is a winning trophy, which in the case of MMA is a belt. It is not painted gold, nor is it made of cheap metal; the Winner receives real gold.
Another unusual thing is that for all the championships, the designer is the same. The belts in several tournaments, primarily UFC, are Dave Millican products and Javier Cortez’s painstaking efforts. Each carries a different design and costs thousands of dollars. For any enthusiasts that want to own a belt of their own, the price is around one thousand dollars or less.
7) The Rules and the Fouls
As a years-old fight tradition product, MMA often thought not to have any set rules and regulations. It is not entirely true. The rules are collectively known as, The Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, are utilized to organize a fight. These rules encompass head wrapping techniques, fight area of the ring, judgment methods, and fouls.
In addition to the rules, there are individual acts that are not allowed during the game. The use of foul techniques results in offensive play, which leads to the loss of points. There are about 25 officially listed fouls. It is always best to avoid them and depict true sportsmanship. Lewd conduct can use deduction of topics that are crucial to the win.
8) Some Famous Winning Streaks
Like any other sport, players of MMA also form winning streaks. Be it luck or fruit of mere hard work, and there are several mentionable names in MMA. The first one is Khabib, which is very popular in mass media and gained attention worldwide.
To date, he is undefeated and has the longest winning streaks of all time. Nothing can be said about how many more records he will break, as the bar is still active and going.
The second notable name is Barao. He has 32 wins and a long record in MMA with no fight lost. The streak spans nine-year with only one no-contest. Another description of the same number of wins is Igors. It lasted from 1996 to 2000. The streak has one draw and one no- contest.
9) Shooto: The Oldest MMA Organization
MMA’s origin is from the Greek land, but the departmental or organizational development did not occur on the same ground. The first-ever MMA organization that is still operational to date is of Japanese origin. Shooto was established in the year 1985. Initially, it wasn’t purely MMA, and did you practice the same rules and techniques?
It was based on the fight sequence from the shoot wrestling. Driven from the shoot wrestling, its players were known as Shooters. Over time, several techniques evolved and made their way to shoot wrestling. With that evolution, the organization began to practice pure MMA.
10) The Story of the Octagonal Ring
Lastly, we have the fact about the inspiration behind the octagonal ring. MMA fights use an eight-sided ring called Octagon. It was first used during UFC. Before the launch, there were several propositions about what the ring should be like. To attract the audience and add the thrill element, electric fencing was also one of the suggestions. Another one was to keep the circle round.
It is believed that the reason behind the Octagon came from the Chuck Norris movies. The Gracie family also contributed to designing the rings and some of the earliest developments of MMA as a sport. The cage-like ring was initially to add the effect of a street fight. Later it became something to protect the fighters in the ring. Wide angles of the Octagon prevent players from getting cornered.
Conclusion
MMA wins as one of the most rapidly growing sports all around the globe. Due to the recognition of plays and champions worldwide, the humble image crafting of MMA is underway.
The old beliefs related to savagery and MMA being a rash sport are vanishing. In addition to that, many people are starting to learn it for self-defense, discipline, and agility. Thus, there is a lot more to know and learn about this profoundly impacting sport.
