What Exactly is MMA?

Sometimes people ask me, “what exactly is MMA?”

As a huge MMA fan my response is usually pretty simple : MMA means mixed martial arts. Ok, so what is mixed martial arts? Mixed martial arts is a combination of several different fighting disciplines. The more common of these fighting disciplines are, karate, kung-fu, jiu jitsu, judo, muay thai, boxing, wrestling, and kickboxing. A professional mixed martial arts fight is very similar to a street fight minus the obvious rules of no growing shots, eye pokes, biting, there being a time limit, etc. It’s basically a full contact fight with very small gloves while barefooted. You’re allowed to punch, kick, knee, elbow, grapple, slam, and ultimately destroy the opposing combatant. Becoming  a well trained mixed martial artist can lead one to becoming a successful professional MMA fighter.  Nowadays, as a professional fighter, one can make a decent income, which is one of the reasons practicing MMA has grown so popular today. Some people naturally love to fight, so what better reason to get better at fighting if there’s a payday involved for being a good fighter?  However,  easier said than done if you can’t take a punch to the face, a knee to the stomach, or a cutting elbow to the cheek. Not to mention the random submission attempts, which would include, but not limited to, being strangle by the neck due to a rear naked choke. Losing or winning an MMA fight can result to a dramatic visit to the ICU. It’s definitely not a sport for the average person or even the average martial artist. In most MMA organizations, the fighting takes place inside a cage or a ring.  The duration of the fight is usually three , five minute rounds and five rounds when its a championship or headlining fight, depending on the organization. For those five minutes of each round there’s really just one main goal : kill or be killed. And that’s what makes this sport so great and fun to watch. What can be more entertaining than a good ol scrap between two well trained killers? The idea of one on one hand to hand combat has been around since the early ages. Mankind has always been attracted to violence and always will be. Growing up in school, the minute a fight broke out everyone ran over to watch. For most people, including myself,watching someone knock another person out cold is far more entertaining than any slam dunk, home run, or touchdown.