MMA School

<span style="font-family:Franklin Gothic Medium">What is MMA?

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) came to America 1993 with the creation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It was a tournament designed to showcase Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu, namely the style created by the Gracie family in the 1920's. Fighters from a wide range of backgrounds, including wrestlers, boxers, karate masters and sumo wrestlers, competed in a single-elimination tournament to determine the best combat style. Biting and eye gouging were prohibited, and fights took place over five minute rounds until a winner emerged via knockout, tap-out or verbal submission, or referee intervention. Since the 1990's MMA has become more regulated and its popularity has spread worldwide. The rules have been heavily refined with the safety of the combatants of primary concern.


What are the rules?

Rules vary outside of the United States, but the following set of standards is a good general guideline:

<u>Fight Structure</u>

Professional MMA fights typically take place in a boxing ring or in a circular or octagonal cage. Fighters must remain inside the fighting area or risk a point deduction or outright disqualification.

Fights are generally divided into 3- or 5-minute rounds with at least a one minute respite between rounds. Regular bouts last three rounds, the idea being an odd number of rounds will most often result in an odd number of points distributed by the judges and, in the event of a decision victory, a winner can emerge on points. Championship fights typically last five rounds.

Combatants are usually restricted to weight classes. The most common weight classes are flyweight (up to 125 pounds + one pound), bantamweight (135lbs), featherweight (145lbs), lightweight (155lbs), welterweight (170lbs), middleweight (185lbs), light heavyweight (205lbs), heavyweight (265lbs), and super heavyweight (over 265lbs). Typically, a fight occurs between fighters in the same weight class, but sometimes "catch weight" fights can occur when a heavier fighter and a lighter fighter agree to fight at a weight between their respective classes. Some fighting federations, such as PRIDE and K-1, generally ignore weight classes, but this can often endanger the smaller fighter and, as such, is uncommon in the United States, where MMA is becoming more strictly regulated.

Fighters must wear approved garb in competition including padded gloves. Typical MMA gloves weigh five ounces. Boxing gloves are generally heavily weighted compared to MMA gloves, which are primarily designed to prevent hands, fingers and knuckles from breaking. Other approved clothing includes boxing shorts, knee and elbow pads, lightweight wrestling shoes, and mouth guards (required). Male fighters typically compete bare-chested, while female fighters are allowed to wear tight-fitting shirts with or without short sleeves. Traditional martial arts suits, or gi's, are not allowed in pro MMA competition under the unified rules but are sometimes permitted elsewhere, as well as spandex wrestling pants.

MMA fighters are subjected to third-party random drug testing after bouts by the athletic sanctioning body of the state or province, such as the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Any traces of controlled substances, even non-performance enhancing drugs such as marijuana, can result in the outcome of a fight being overturned and the fighter can face strict fines and suspensions. Title holders who test positive are normally stripped. Not every promotion has drug testing.

<u>Methods of Victory</u>

* Knockout
* Technical knockout (referee or doctor stoppage)
* Submission (tap-out or verbal, forefit, corner stoppage)
* Decision (ten-point must scoring system, judges decide winner based on points awarded)
* Disqualification

<u>Fouls</u>

The following list includes fouls noted by the Nevada State Athletic Commission:

* Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent.
* Striking downward using the point of the elbow.
* Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh.
* Grabbing the clavicle.
* Kicking the head of a grounded opponent.
* Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent.
* Striking the back of the head, neck or spine of the opponent.
* Hair pulling or groin strikes.
* Stomping a grounded opponent.
* Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck.
* Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent.
* Spitting at an opponent.
* Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent.
* Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area.
* Attacking an opponent on or during the break.
* Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee.
* Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat.
* Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee.
* Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.
* Interference by the corner.
* Throwing in the towel during competition.
* Holding or grabbing the fence or ropes.


What MMA organizations are there?

There is currently one major MMA federation, the UFC. It is the dominant brand in the sport and "ultimate fighting" has become so synonymous with MMA that the terms are interchangeable.

Smaller MMA promotions include PRIDE FC (Japan - defunct), DREAM (Japan), K-1 (Japan), Cage Rage (Britain), King of the Cage (North America), EliteXC (USA), International Fighting League (USA), TKO (Canada), Hardcore Championship Fighting (Canada), World Vale Tudo Championship (Brazil - defunct), International Vale Tudo Championships (Brazil - defunct), and YAMMA Pit Fighting (USA).


Who chooses who fights who?

Like in boxing, MMA promotions have matchmakers, agents, managers, and executives who are the architects of fight cards. Fighters are generally given three or four months between bouts to train and prepare.

Fighters generally compete every three months, though they can wait longer between fights if required. Fighters are generally under contract with the promotions they compete for. Typical contracts are by number of fights rather than time frames.


What techniques are used?

In MMA, stand-up striking typically follows the Muay Thai kickboxing system, otherwise known as The Art of Eight Limbs. Striking includes punches and kicks, as well as knees and elbow strikes. Headbutting is disallowed. Palm strikes and karate chops are not typically used as the padding on an MMA glove restricts the effectiveness of such blows. Striking downward with the point of the elbow, otherwise known as going from 12-o'clock to 6-o'clock, is also disallowed. As with all striking disciplines, MMA striking relies on timing, breath control, technique, power, swiftness, and combinations.

When standing, fighters want to avoid taking punishment from strikes (kicks, knees, punches, and elbows) by getting in tight with their opponent. They do so by grabbing onto arms and closing the distance between them. The common clinch holds you'll see in MMA include:

* Underhooks (single/double): putting your arm underneath your opponents arm and holding his midsection or upper body; two underhooks is called double underhooks and clasping your hands together behind your opponent's back is called a body lock. Using double underhooks enables you to maneuver your opponent and possibly slam him.
* Overhooks (single/double): putting your arm over your opponents arm, typically at elbow level, and holding his midsection or upper body; two overhooks is called double overhooks and clasping your hands together can lead to a bear hug. Generally, overhooks are less advantageous than underhooks and are primarily used as a defense mechanism against double underhooks.
* Pinch grip tie: one of your arms goes under your opponents arm, the other over his shoulder, with both hands clasped together behind his back, also known as the over-under body lock. Both grapplers can achieve this position simultaneously. It is useful for bullrushing and forcing your opponent down onto his back. The over-under position is the same as the pinch grip tie, except without having the hands clasped.
* Collar tie (single/double): grasping the back of your opponents neck; a double collar tie, otherwise known as a Thai clinch or plum, involved clasping your hands together behind your opponents trapezius muscle. Where your opponents head goes, his body follows, making the double collar tie a valuable grappling hold. A double collar tie is especially useful in pulling your opponents head down for knee strikes, effectively doubling the force of the knee.
* Headlock: wrapping one arm around the neck of your opponent and holding his head between your side and arm. By grabbing your other hand you can tighten the lock, possibly achieving a blood or air choke. On the mat a headlock can turn into a guillotine choke either from your back or in the mounted position.
* Back control: a body lock from behind, usually consisting of double underhooks.

Some fighters are more comfortable operating on the mat, but getting the fight to the mat can be a challenge. Martial artists rely on throws and take downs to force the fight to the ground. Some common take down techniques are:

* Single-/double-leg take down: in wrestling, a single-leg take down is, simply, grabbing one of your opponents legs at the thigh with both arms and driving forward, knocking him onto his back. The double-leg take down is more effective, with your arms wrapped around both his thighs, pulling his legs together and knocking him over as you drive forward. Lifting while performing this take down can increase effectiveness and also helps to direct your opponent towards where you want to go, be it towards a cage wall or into the middle of the fighting area. Some fighters like to lift their opponent onto their shoulder using the double-leg maneuver and then slam them.
* Trip: the most common trip you will see occurs when your opponent has you in a body lock. He will step forward, putting his front leg behind your leg, and trip you up with it, sending you falling backwards with him chest-to-chest while you tumble. Sometimes your opponent will fall forward in order to ensure you will trip over his outstretched leg and foot.
* Throw: there are a variety of throws in MMA and martial arts in general. The most common is the hip toss, which is similar to the trip. You hold onto your opponent and step into him, partially putting your back to him while twisting. As you do so you pull your opponent over your outstretched hip, sending him spiraling over your midsection and onto the ground on the other side of your leg. Advanced practitioners don't let go of their opponent during his motion and can transition seamlessly into an armbar or another similar submission position. Some MMA fighters utilize Judo throws, but the issue with Judo in MMA, similar to Jiu-Jitsu, is that the gi is not permitted. Many Judo and Jiu-Jitsu techniques rely on being able to grab onto your own gi or your opponents. Some fighters have trained in these disciplines extensively without gi's in order to overcome that obstacle.
* Pulling guard: Jiu-Jitsu fighters are often more comfortable fighting off of their backs than anywhere else. Sometimes instead of engaging their opponent in a stand-up war, or attempting to take their opponent down and mount them, they pull guard. Pulling guard means to grab onto your opponent and pull him down into your full guard. This is uncommon in MMA as it practically requires cooperation on the part of your opponent to get into this position.
* Flattening out: your opponent can ground you by taking your back and then flattening you out. He does so by jumping onto your back and snaking his feet inside your legs and around your thighs. By stretching out his body he is able to spread your legs and put pressure on your upper body, eventually leading you to fall to the mat and possibly lay flat on your stomach with your legs outstretched.

When the fight goes to the ground it becomes a war of positioning. Some positions are much more advantageous than others, but it all depends on the skill, experience, and comfort level of the fighter. The following are the typical ground positions in an MMA fight:

* Full guard: you are on your back with your opponent between your legs at waist level, sometimes known as the missionary position. The most important part of this position is holding onto the back of the neck, the wrists, or bear hugging your opponent to control his movement. It is essential to keep him from improving his position because otherwise you will leave yourself open to ground and pound attacks and possibly submission attempts. A "closed" guard means your legs are crossed at the ankles over his back, while "open" means your legs are not entangled.
* Rubber guard: full guard, but you twist your leg so your foot is facing your opponent, and you grab your ankle with the hand on the same side, trapping his arm and shoulder between your arm and leg. An effective rubber guard can lead to omaplata and gogoplata submission holds.
* Mission control: like rubber guard, only you cross your other hand across your opponent's back and grab your ankle.
* Crackhead control: BJJ legend Eddie Bravo calls mission control with two hands instead of one crackhead control. Many of these names are deliberately bizarre so they can be called out by coaches during a BJJ match without the opponent recognizing them.
* Butterfly guard: full guard, but your feet are planted on your opponents thighs, preventing him from posturing up and getting past your guard into a more dominant position.
* Half guard: similar to full guard, but your opponent has one leg to your side, with the other between your legs.
* Side mount: otherwise known as side control, your opponent is chest to chest with you with both of his legs to one of your sides.
* Twister: a cross between side control and half guard, twister involves facing your opponents feet while in half guard, putting your hand on your opponents knee and creating space to spin into full mount.
* Full mount: the most dangerous position for the bottom fighter to be in. Your opponent is sitting on your chest straddling you with one leg to each of your sides. Low mount is when he is sitting on your abdomen, high mount when his knees are in your armpits. What makes the position dangerous is that it is difficult to buck your opponent off, roll or sweep him. In the meantime he will likely come down with hammerfists and elbows, or work for a kimura, arm triangle, armbar, or choke hold.
* North/South position: your opponent is chest to chest with you but in reverse, with his head facing your feet and your head facing his feet, sometimes known as 69. The point of this position is that your opponent can try to sink in a choke directly or use a "[alli]gator roll" to get his arms around your neck (and arm).
* Back control: your opponent is sitting on or straddling your back. When his legs are wrapped around you, especially with them tangled between your legs and locked at the feet, this is called "having hooks in". He can also perform a body triangle by folding the back of his knee over the other leg, cinching tightly to restrict your breathing.

Submission wrestling is a major aspect of MMA. When the fight goes to the ground, experienced practitioners of submission wrestling styles such as Jiu-Jitsu have a marked advantage. Small joint manipulation is disallowed. Some of the major submission techniques include the following:

* Rear naked choke: the most common submission in MMA is the rear naked choke (RNC), which can be applied when you have your opponents back to you. One of your arms wraps around the neck of your opponent and clasps the bicep of your other arm, forming a reverse L-shape. This choke is more effective when your legs are wrapped around the waist or torso of your opponent in the same fashion. This is a blood choke, as it restricts blood flow to the carotid arteries and can induce a loss of consciousness within seconds.
* Guillotine choke: the opposite of the RNC is the guillotine choke. In this maneuver, you are facing your opponent and you have your opponent in a headlock standing or on the ground with hands clasped together. The choke can be applied more effectively by pulling down on the head while squeezing. Advanced practitioners are able to apply this choke from guard (on your back) or from mount (sitting on your opponent).
* Armbar: otherwise known as the cross lock, an armbar is a joint lock that hyperextends the elbow joint. Most often you will see it applied as follows: Your opponents arm is trapped between your legs and you hold it either by the hand or the wrist with both of your own hands. You apply pressure by stretching out your body, pressing against his body with your legs, which can be intertwined at the ankles, using his upper body and your groin to increase leverage.
* Keylock: a keylock can apply pressure to the shoulder or elbow of your opponent, depending on how it is applied. It involves holding the forearm and using it to twist the arm. Depending on the direction the arm is twisted in, the standard keylock can become a reverse keylock.
* Kimura: similar to the keylock is the kimura, which is a very basic submission hold that everyone knows. It is simply bending your opponents arm and pulling it in an unnatural direction, putting intense pressure on the elbow or shoulder joint. The hold can be applied from a variety of positions, but is mostly done in side control. The hold is named after the Judoka who originated it.
* Americana: similar to the keylock and kimura is the Americana. This move involves creating a triangle with your opponents arm and your own. With your opponents arm bent at the elbow, palm up, near or above his head, your arm goes underneath from the bottom and grabs his wrist, 'painting' downwards.
* Kneebar: similar to an armbar but with the leg being pulled in such a fashion that the knee is being bent against its natural joint fold.
* Omaplata: this is a more advanced hold that I'll let wikipedia explain for me: "by placing one leg under the opponents armpit and turning 180 degrees in the direction of that leg, [the leg] moves over the back of the opponent and entangles the opponents arm. By controlling the opponent's body and pushing the arm perpendicularly away from the opponents back, pressure can be put on the opponent's shoulder."
* Gogoplata: more from wikipedia: "it is usually executed from a rubber guard, where the legs are held very high, against the opponent's upper back. The fighter then slips one foot in front of the opponent's head and under his chin, locks his hands behind the opponent's head, and chokes the opponent by pressing his shin or instep against the opponent's trachea."
* Triangle choke: you'll usually see the triangle choke applied from guard, where the man on the bottom traps his opponents head and one arm between his legs, with one leg tightly overlapping and trapping the other at the back of the knee. One or both of the hands can be used to pull down on the head of the opponent locked in the hold to increase pressure.
* Heel hook: one of the nastier submission holds is the heel hook. It is difficult to train to defend heel hooks and other leg locks because there is a fine line between pain and damage. The heel hook can be applied in different ways but always involves twisting the foot and knee while using your legs to keep your opponent from rolling.
* Toe hold: like the heel hook, but with a focus on the foot and ankle, directly twisting the foot by holding it with one hand at the toes and the other at the achilles tendon.
* Anaconda choke: otherwise known as an arm triangle, the anaconda choke consists of trapping one of your opponents arms with an underhook and clasping hands on the other side of his neck, squeezing his neck and arm together to cut off air supply. It is most effective when you are on top of your opponent to the side of his trapped arm, with the reverse being called the D'Arce (Dark) choke.
* Can-opener: virtually the only submission that can be applied in your opponent's guard, a can-opener entails putting both of your hands behind his neck as with the Thai plum, and pulling his head towards you. This submission is usually applied to open your opponent's closed guard, though it can lead to a submission against an injured, tired, or inexperienced fighter.
* Crucifix: from side control you pull your opponents arm between your legs and cross your legs, locking it there, and with one hand you pin down your opponents other arm, allowing your free arm to punch and elbow his unprotected head.
* Ground and pound: having someone in your guard can work against you, especially when your opponent can posture up and rain down fists and elbows. Ground and pound is the art of attacking in your opponents guard while continuing to improve position to gain the full mount. Ground and pound techniques include hammer fists, punches, elbow strikes, forearm strikes, and shoulder strikes. Ground and pound can lead to the victim submitting due to pain or damage inflicted.


Who competes in MMA?

MMA fighters come from a wide variety of backgrounds.

UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy "The Natural" Couture was once an alternate for the US Olympic Skiing team. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic is a former anti-terrorism policeman and currently serves in the Croatian parliament in addition to being a full-time fighter. Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson was a professional bodyguard for pornographers before starting his MMA career.

In general, MMA fighters are people who have excelled in high school or college sports such as wrestling who have finally found a professional avenue in which to continue their athletic careers, or are long-time practitioners of martial arts who have decided to compete professionally.


Who pays? What do fighters make?

Since there is no union for MMA fighters, shows and promotions vary greatly in pay structure.

The highest level fighters, typically champions with the largest promotions, can make upwards of a million dollars for a fight. They often make a cut of PPV revenue and can receive bonuses on top of the pay they would earn via their contracts. The lowest level fighters are often forced to negotiate their own pay and will often earn little for their efforts. On a UFC card, the lowest paid fighters typically earn between $2500 and $5000 for a bout. Smaller promotions pay less.

The promoters are responsible for paying the fighters and are held liable depending on the contract a fighter and his or her representatives have arranged.


Who are the best MMA fighters?

Sportstwo has an ongoing fighter ranking system that can be found here. The system is inter-promotional, meaning fighters from any major MMA federation can qualify.

There are always five to ten fighters generally regarded as the best pound-for-pound (P4P) MMA fighters on the planet. Pound-for-pound is a boxing term used to distinguish the top fighters regardless of weight class based largely on the level of competition they have defeated.

The man widely considered to be the best P4P MMA fighter is Brazillian Thai-boxing expert Anderson "The Spider" Silva, a middleweight fighter competing for the UFC.

For the current MMA champions, SportsTwo has an ongoing index here.


What makes a fighter great?

MMA is arguably the most difficult professional sport. It is an individual sport, meaning that while you have trainers and sparring partners, when the fight is on, it is a one-on-one competition. It is extremely physically demanding and requires intense training to maintain conditioning and expertise. Injuries during training and during sanctioned bouts are commonplace, though major injuries and deaths are extremely rare in MMA (most work-a-day jobs have a higher mortality rate).

The best fighters usually fall into one or both of two categories: dominant at one style or extremely well-rounded.

Fighters who are dominant at one style are able to draw their opponents into their chosen type of fight. An excellent example of this is former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell. Liddell is an accomplished wrestler, but his primary strength is counter punching. His skill set is designed to keep the fight standing and his game plan is usually to back away and let his opponent charge into his counter strikes. Liddell has beaten a variety of fighters with this design encompassing the gamut of MMA styles.

Fighters who are well-rounded may still excel at one skill set but are very versed in every aspect of MMA, be it in striking, wrestling, or submissions. Current UFC lightweight champion BJ "The Prodigy" Penn is arguably the most well-rounded fighter in MMA. He is an excellent boxer and is a black belt in Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu. He is comfortable in a stand-up fight, he has had success against wrestlers, and he is a submissions expert. His versatility makes it difficult for his opponents to come up with a game plan to defeat him.

Fighters who are dominant at one style and extremely well rounded are rare. They combine expertise in one style with a high level of skill in all others. Former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko is a superior fighter when he is on his back, but is tremendously skilled everywhere else. His resume reads like a list of the top fighters in the world and he has beaten all of his opponents.


When/where do fights happen?

Promotions plan out events well in advance in order to give fighters time to prepare, and also to secure a venue for the event. Larger promotions hold their events in arenas with thousands of seats and often broadcast the event on pay-per-view or cable television. Sanctioning varies from state-to-state, country-to-country. Recently, France and Britain have joined the countries that universally sanction MMA in their territory.

Like boxers, fighters typically cannot compete more than once every two to three months. It takes a great deal of training and preparation to get ready for a fight, in some cases including losing water weight (cutting) in order to qualify for a weight class. Many fighters compete in weight classes ten to twenty pounds lighter than the weight they walk around at in order to maximize their size and strength advantage. Weigh-ins normally occur 24 hours prior to an event. At a weigh-in, a fighter must qualify for the weight class in which he is competing. For example, a fighter wishing to compete at welterweight must weigh no more than 170lbs + one pound at the weigh in. Frequently fighters cut water weight by drying out in a sauna and depriving themselves of liquids in the days leading up to the weigh-in. Immediately after the weigh-in fighters rehydrate as quickly as possible to regain their strength. Cutting weight is extremely dangerous. Major MMA promotions schedule major events every four to six weeks, with smaller events offset in between.

In some cases fighters compete more than four times a year. Travis "The Ironman" Fulton is a heavyweight fighter who has competed in 240 professional bouts and counting since 1996, averaging more than one fight per every two weeks. This is usually possible only by jumping between smaller promotions. Large promotion fighters are typically on exclusive fight contracts that pay them more money so they can afford to fight only a handful of times a year.


Where can I see MMA?

Live events take place all over the world. Keep an eye out for events in or near your area if you are interested in watching live.

Major promotions have television and pay-per-view deals. The UFC puts on 12 pay-per-views a year in addition to live and prerecorded shows on SpikeTV. The IFL, EliteXC, Hardcore Championship Fighting, and other promotions have television deals as well.

EliteXC has recently signed a contract that will put them on network television during prime time three or four times a year, so watch for that if you aren't interested in paying extra for MMA.

Live events, televised or not, sell tickets. If you're interested in going to a live show, hit up TicketMaster or contact the promotion you want to see for ticket information.</span>

 

I think Joe Rogan said it once on a PPV broadcast. I'd have a hard time mixing up wrestling and skiing.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>CHILDHOOD DREAM: “I wanted to be an Olympic skier. My mom put me in ski lessons when I was five. I skied all through high school. My best friend was on the U.S. elite team. Skiing is just what I always wanted to do. I ended up in wrestling in junior high school. Took to it quickly. The sport just seemed to fit to me. Been doing it ever since.”</div>

I think maybe I am mistaken and it was the Elite ski team and not the Olympic ski team, but either way...

 

There are a lot of techniques and positions and things I've left out. Feel free to mention them so they can be added, guys.