Mixed Martial Arts is a full-contact combat sport that allows athletes to compete at a high level using all forms of fighting, including stand-up fighting, takedowns, and ground fighting.
MMA has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years. It’s no longer just for cage fighters and backyard Muay Thai practitioners; it’s now taken off like wildfire across the globe.
Let’s take a quick look at what Mixed Martial Arts is, and different questions you might have about MMA-related topics.
What is MMA?
MMA which is the shorter version of Mixed Martial Arts is a discipline that involves the practical application of different martial arts that includes grappling, striking, and self-defense techniques.
People who attend MMA competitions can decide for themselves, what individual martial arts they choose to practice.
Choosing different martial arts for different purposes is popular among MMA fighters. One could choose Brazilian jiu-jitsu for ground fighting, whereas someone might take wrestling.
There are as many MMA martial arts combinations as there are practitioners. One might choose regular boxing, whereas someone else likes traditional martial arts more, such as Wing Chun. (There have been rumors about Wing Chun being banned from MMA, here is a post talking about Wing Chun in MMA)
What is MMA fighting?
MMA fighting is typically a cage fight with a referee and judges. MMA includes all the different aspects of fighting. This means the fighters should have skills in stand-up fighting as well as in ground fighting.
MMA also allows kicking. Therefore, previous training in kickboxing or Muay Thai can be really useful in MMA.
MMA fight ends when one of the two participants gets knocked out, they tap out, or the time runs out. If the time runs out, the judges decide who wins the fight. There can also be disqualifications if one of the fighters violates the rules of MMA.
Even though you should not start by practicing multiple martial arts at once, MMA offers a great way to practice all the different aspects of fighting at once.
What is an MMA fighter?
MMA fighters can be considered anyone who has been practicing MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) and preferably has been competing as well.
MMA as you might know is a form or discipline of fighting, where you can mix different martial arts the best you like. You should choose a martial art for standup fighting, as well as for ground fighting.
Usually, MMA gyms do teach these different forms of fighting in a more general form. On top of that, you can practice something that specializes more in a specific fighting style such as boxing or Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
What martial arts are in MMA?
MMA contains all forms of fighting, including punches, kicks, takedowns, and ground fighting. If you join an MMA gym, you will practice all these things at a more general level.
On top of that, you can practice any martial art of your choice, to further sharpen your skills in a specific field of fighting.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is really popular among MMA fighters since it is a great option for ground fighting.
Other martial arts you can practice to become better in MMA are for example:
- Boxing
- Muay Thai
- Wing Chun
- Judo
- Kickboxing
- Karate
There are really no limits on what you can and can not practice. However, some martial arts do include some moves and techniques that are illegal in MMA. Martial arts such as Krav Maga and Wing Chun do have techniques, that are forbidden in MMA.
You can still practice them and use only a part of the techniques in MMA. However, you would be using your time learning something you can not use while competing.
The forbidden techniques are designed for self-defense and survival at all costs. Those techniques can be targeting eyes for example, which is against the rules of MMA.
How to become an MMA fighter?
The easiest and most simple way to become an MMA fighter is to join an MMA gym. Then you just keep showing up and following the instructions. Learning MMA and becoming a good fighter takes a lot of time and discipline.
The first visit is often free without any obligations to pay or continue. You can see if MMA is the right sport for you, as well as whether the gym is right for you.
Here are some tips for choosing the best MMA gym for your needs.
You can also build your own home MMA gym if you for some reason don’t want or can not join a regular MMA gym. I have made a full guide on how to build a home MMA gym.
Is MMA expensive?
MMA can be quite costly, depending on the gym you attend.
On top of the monthly gym fees, you need some basic training equipment to get started.
I have created a full post about why martial arts are so expensive, where we go through the different costs of running a martial arts gym, as well as the equipment needed.
What does MMA stand for?
MMA stands for Mixed Martial Arts. Like the name says, MMA practitioners train in different styles of fighting and they can add different martial arts to their fighting style.
If you want to find out how long it takes to learn to fight, check out this post.
Is UFC the same as MMA
MMA and UFC do not mean the same thing. MMA is the sport, Mixed Martial Arts, whereas UFC is an organization that hosts MMA fights.
UFC is so a big player in the MMA industry, a lot of people get confused when talking about these two different things.
MMA and UFC have slightly different weight classes. In this post, we go through everything you need to know about UFC weight classes.
Final thoughts
In short, MMA is one of the most popular forms of martial arts. This is because of the variety MMA offers to practitioners.
When you practice MMA, you don’t have to worry about different fighting styles. MMA includes them all on a more general level.
MMA is also a great option for self-defense.
Hopefully this was helpful, have a wonderful day!
