Can anybody tell me how the mixed martial arts competitions got started? ?

Jeraldo R

Feb 11, 2009 at 3:21 am

well basically pple were getting fed up watching guys jump around and punch each other in the face, aka boxing. They wondered who would win in a REAL fight.

cailano

Feb 14, 2009 at 5:20 pm

In Brazil there was the long standing Vale Tudo style bareknuckle fights. There were no weight class, no time limit and very few rules brawls to determine who the toughest guy around was. The art of Gracie Jujitsu was forged in these matches, and in their street rules challenge to anyone in the world. Helio Gracie (RIP, Professor) actually took out ads in the newspaper challenging all comers. Something along the lines of if you want to get your face beat, and your bones broken, call this number. - Seriously.

Decades later, Helio’s son Rorion wanted a way to bring the excitement of this style of fighting to the USA, mostly as a way to promote Gracie Jujitsu. So together with a small number of partners he put out ads for the World’s Best Fighter Competition in martial arts magazines and schools all over the country. The resultant competition was eventually renamed The Ultimate Fighting Championship. The first one was held in 1993.

What happened was amazing. Sumo wrestling vs. Savat. Kenpo vs. Kickboxing, Boxing vs. Jujitsu, etc. All in an eight man, bare knuckle open tournament. It was like pulling the veil back on the age old question of which style was better.

But as the competitions continued, it became clear that a lot of styles had something to offer. That the best fighter was a versatile combination of striker and grappler, that conditioning was as important as technique.

And as the sport was derided as barbaric and unsafe, rules were added to protect the fighters (and the promoters.) In UFC 6 Tank Abbot hit the ring wearing the now familiar fingerless gloves, and delivered a knockout like the UFC had never seen. Turns out that the head is a lot harder than the knuckles and for real power striking you need to protect your hands.

Dana White and Zuffa stepped in and rescued a nearly bankrupt UFC, adding marketing skills and a standardized rules system that could pass the gauntlet of the various state boxing commissions.

With the addition of the Ultimate Fighter TV show, and with fighting camps opening up all over the world, modern MMA competition had finally arrived. Now it is the fastest growing sport in the world. IMHO, it will soon eclipse all other combat sports. In fact, you could make an argument that this has happened already.