mixed martial arts
Also known as MMA
full-contact combat sport
AI overview
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact combat sport that combines fighting techniques from different disciplines. It matters because it has become a popular spectator sport and competitive arena where athletes test their skills across multiple fighting styles.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Wikidata facts
- Image
- UFC 131 Carwin vs. JDS.jpg
Sources (7)
via Wikidata · CC0
Article
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact combat sport based on striking and grappling, incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world.
In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place throughout Japan and the countries of East Asia. At the same time, in Brazil there was a phenomenon called vale tudo, which became known for unrestricted fights between various styles such as judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, catch wrestling, Luta Livre, Muay Thai and capoeira. An early high-profile mixed bout was Kimura vs Gracie in 1951. In mid-20th-century Hong Kong, rooftop street fighting contests between different martial arts styles gave rise to Bruce Lee's hybrid martial arts style, Jeet Kune Do. Another precursor to modern MMA was the 1976 Ali vs. Inoki exhibition bout, fought between boxer Muhammad Ali and wrestler Antonio Inoki in Japan, where it later inspired the foundation of Shooto in 1985, Pancrase in 1993, and the Pride Fighting Championships in 1997.