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MMA, Mixed Martial Arts, is a combination of various martial arts where fighters of different styles collide.
I learned about the existence of MMA thanks to Fedor Emelianenko, who lived in my hometown of Stary Oskol. This sport immediately sparked a genuine interest in me because it resembled wrestling, which I loved as a child – fights with almost no rules, but with a pre-written script. Of course, I didn’t know that as a child.
At that time, I didn’t have a computer or internet, so I had nowhere to watch fights. Therefore, I only followed Fedor’s results through the news. One day, I learned that UFC wanted to organize a fight between Emelianenko and their current heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, who previously performed in wrestling. That fight never happened, but since then, I have been closely following UFC news online and have not missed a single broadcast of major tournaments since 2015.
Why people can love MMA
Duels between the best of the best
You can love boxing, karate, sambo, and any other martial arts. But during the Olympics, for example, you will never see a fight between a boxer and a judoka for the title of the undisputed champion. MMA provides exactly this opportunity: the most popular promotion – as organizations that hold fights are called in the industry – was designed to determine the most effective martial art.
Russian fighters on the international arena
Over the past year, many world sports federations have terminated contracts with athletes from Russia or suspended them from major tournaments.
There is no such trend in MMA organizations: Russian fighters regularly get the opportunity to fight in title fights, and they are not required to compete under a neutral or foreign flag. Additionally, Russia has always been represented by strong athletes in mixed martial arts.
One of the most unpredictable types of sport
Of course, there’s always a favorite in any fight. But MMA is a sport where you can dominate for the majority of the fight, only to get hit once and lose. Are you a champion who has defended your title ten times in a row? No one guarantees that you won’t get beaten by some fresh-faced rookie in the eleventh defense. In this discipline, anyone – even the most accomplished athlete – is forced to prove their level anew every time. Past successes won’t help here.
This is a magnificent show
MMA is not just about sports. In most disciplines, competitions are organized by national and world federations, while MMA fights are organized by private owners – and their main interest is profit. The main revenue from competitions is the proceeds from ticket sales and so-called Pay-per-view, that is, paid broadcasts.
In order to increase audience interest, organizers try to turn every fight into a spectacular show. Weigh-in ceremonies, stare-downs, press conferences – there are enough events before, during, and after competitions to keep one interested.
The main rules
Mixed martial arts competitions are held under the auspices of various organizations – Bellator, One, Rizin, RCC and others. Each has slightly different rules and their own order of conducting fights. Fighters enter into exclusive contracts with promotions.
The most popular mixed martial arts organization in the world is the UFC, Ultimate Fighting Championship. Therefore, I will continue to talk about MMA using this promotion as an example.
Each bout involves two athletes who can be men or women – mixed fights in the UFC are not held. The fights take place in an octagon – an eight-sided ring with a diameter of 9.1 meters, surrounded by a 1.8-meter-high metal fence.
Fighting styles
MMA is mixed martial arts, which is why fights here are much more spectacular and diverse than in other disciplines. Globally, there are two types of conducting a fight:
- Striking in stand-up fighting. Any permitted strikes are used in this style to knock out the opponent. Athletes who prefer to fight in the stand-up position are often called strikers. Typically, these are former boxers, karateka, and so on. There is also a variation of stand-up fighting called “clinch” – from the English word “grasp”. This is when a fighter presses against the opponent and holds them with their hands to neutralize them. Knees, elbows, and shoulders are used for attacks in the clinch.
- Ground fighting, or grappling, is a form of combat that takes place while lying on the ground. Typically, it is practiced by wrestlers, judokas, and sambo practitioners. The main weapons in ground fighting are joint locks and chokeholds. Various takedowns, such as sweeps and throws, are used to transition into ground fighting. The Ground and Pound technique, which involves striking the opponent while in a comfortable ground position, is also popular. The term “Ground and Pound” perfectly describes its essence – “take down and strike.” The athlete takes a comfortable position on the ground and unleashes a barrage of strikes on the opponent.
Rounds
The fight consists of five-minute rounds. In title and main fights of the evening – usually the last fight of the tournament with the highest rated participants – the duration is five rounds, while in all other fights it is three.
The fight may be stopped early for one of the following reasons:
- Voluntary surrender. If a sportsman wants to surrender, he taps his opponent or the mat with his palm – and the referee stops the match.
- Knockout. The fight stops if one of the participants is in an unconscious state as a result of a legal blow.
A knockout can also be technical – in this case, the athlete does not lose consciousness, and the fight is stopped by a third party. There are three types of technical knockouts.
- Referee stoppage. For example, if the referee sees that one of the fighters is taking too many hits and is no longer effectively defending themselves.
- Doctor’s stop. At each competition, there is a medical worker who can decide that further continuation of the fight by one of the fighters puts his life or health at risk.
- Stop “corner”. Fighter’s seconds can ask to stop the fight if they see that their athlete is losing without a chance and want to preserve his health.
Forbidden techniques
There are a number of prohibited techniques in UFC, deliberate use of which can result in the fight being stopped and the fighter being disqualified. The rules prohibit biting, pinching, scratching, spitting at the opponent, or pulling their hair. Also prohibited are, for example, headbutts, strikes to the groin, spine, throat, and back of the head.
A prohibited strike can also be unintended. If the opponent is unable to continue after such an accidental hit, the fight may be declared unsuccessful. And if a significant part of the fight is already behind, a so-called technical decision can be made – when the winner is determined based on the judges’ notes.
Referee notes
In addition to the main referee, every fight is judged by a team of three judges. They are appointed by the athletic commission of the state or country where the tournament takes place. After each round, each judge gives points to the fighters: the more successful fighter receives 10 points, while his opponent receives 9 or less. After the tournament, the judges’ notes are published on the UFC website.
Most often, if there was no serious dominance of one of the opponents, the judges evaluate the round by a score of 10:9. It is taken into account who landed more accurate strikes, controlled the opponent, inflicted more damage. If the fight was not ended prematurely, all the points awarded are added up into three overall scores. Based on these results, the outcome of the match is announced – the victory of one of the athletes or a draw.
Depending on the judges’ opinions, the result can be determined:
- Unanimously. The easiest and most obvious option. In this case, all three judges award victory to one of the fighters or record a draw.
- By a separate decision. In this case, there is a contradiction between the judges in determining the winner. If one arbitrator voted for one fighter, and the other two voted for another, the latter wins. Thus, a draw can also be recorded – if the opinions of two judges are opposite, and the third considered the fight equal.
- By majority decision. The judges’ opinions are also divided here, but only one fighter is given preference. If two referees award victory to one athlete, and the third records a draw, victory is awarded by majority decision. If two out of three judges believe that the opponents were equal, then the fight ends in a draw.
Weight categories
Since the athlete’s dimensions, weight, arm reach, and other parameters can directly impact the result, all fighters are divided into weight categories. The division does not oblige the athlete to perform only in one weight category – he can periodically “cut” weight, gain and lose weight to perform simultaneously in two adjacent divisions.
| Category | Weight, kg | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | 93—120 | Male |
| Light heavyweight | 84—93 | Male |
| Middleweight | 77—84 | Male |
| Welterweight | 70—77 | Male |
| Lightweight | 66—70 | Male |
| Featherweight | 61—66 | Male and Female |
| Bantamweight | 57—61 | Male and Female |
| Flyweight | 53—57 | Male and Female |
| Minimumweight | 48—52 | Female |
Ratings
For each weight category, there is a ranking. It includes the current champion – who does not take a place on the list – as well as the top 15 fighters in the division. Based on the ranking, matches are planned: organizers try to match participants of roughly equal level against each other.
There are no formal obstacles for fights between athletes of any rating: a champion can agree to fight against a fighter who is not even on the list. But the drawbacks of such an approach are obvious: viewer interest will be lower, a victory in such a fight will not give anything to the favorite, but a possible defeat will seriously hit his authority and ambitions.
According to UFC information, rankings are compiled based on a survey of journalists. However, neither the survey results nor its participants are published – there is an opinion that places are distributed based on the personal preferences of the promotion management. The Irishman Conor McGregor, one of UFC President Dana White’s favorites, remained in the top 15 of the lightweight division for a long time, having three losses in four fights since October 2018. He only disappeared from the rankings in December 2022.
After the competition, the ranking is updated. There is a rule: after a face-to-face fight, the winning athlete overtakes the losing one in the ranking. For example, in October 2022, Russian fighter Petr Yan, who was in first place in the bantamweight division, lost to Sean O’Malley, who was eleventh at the time. In the updated ranking, O’Malley became first, and Yan became third.
There is also a concept of “interim champion” in UFC. When the current leader, for reasons beyond his control, is unable to defend his title for a long time, for example due to recovery from injury, the organization holds a fight between the best athletes in that weight category. The winner becomes the interim champion and also receives a championship belt. As soon as the current champion is able to fight, a bout will be held between him and the interim champion to “unify the belts”.
There is also the so-called P4P, Pound-for-pound, which is a rating of fighters regardless of weight category. Of course, it is quite difficult to objectively compare the achievements of athletes competing in different weight categories. However, being at the top of the P4P ranking is considered very prestigious.
Equipment
Athletes fight without shoes, in shorts, and women also wear a sports bra. In addition, gloves with open fingers are strictly regulated: they must contain at least 2.5 cm of padding material around the bones to avoid serious injuries. The use of a head guard and protective cup for the groin is also mandatory.
How are the competitions going?
Competitions in UFC are called events and they take place almost every week. The tournament is conditionally divided into two parts. First, there are prelims – warm-up fights involving non-ranked fighters. Then the main card takes place – usually consisting of five or six fights featuring more well-known athletes. There are numbered and non-numbered events.
Non-numbered tournaments are held among fighters with not the highest rating and on modest arenas, so they don’t attract much attention. Although sometimes they turn into a media event. For example, in October 2022, one of the richest people in the world, Mark Zuckerberg, bought all the tickets for the Fight Night tournament and watched it in the company of his wife and the head of UFC, Dana White.
Winter disciplines and holiday tournaments: what competitions to watch in January.
Numbered tournaments are usually held once a month. Competitions take place in large stadiums and top fighters of the organization participate in them. Almost always the main event is a championship bout in one of the weight divisions. Sometimes two title fights can be held in one evening.
Of course, such events attract maximum interest. If Zuckerberg’s appearance at UFC Fight Night was a surprise, then celebrities in the stands at numbered tournaments are commonplace. For example, actors Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Chris Hemsworth, Matt Damon, Mickey Rourke, and others often end up on camera at various competitions.
After the tournament poster has been approved, the organization promotes the upcoming fights to the maximum extent possible. Different information events are used, such as personal animosity between the fighters or a rematch after a controversial referee decision in the previous match. Fighters and their mutual trash-talk, insulting comments about each other in interviews or on social media, help to promote any event.
Arguably, the most well-known trash-talker in the UFC is Conor McGregor. One bright example of his provocative behavior was at UFC 229, when before the lightweight title fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov, McGregor insulted the opponent’s wife and parents, and made jokes about his religion. Many people did not like this, but the ratings for the tournament skyrocketed – viewers purchased approximately 2.4 million subscriptions before the start of the fight, which was a record for the organization.
Before the tournament, a weighing ceremony takes place. The fighters take turns standing on the scales and check that their weight corresponds to their weight category. In non-title fights, a half-kilogram overweight is allowed, but in title fights, one must be exactly within the weight category.
At UFC 274, lightweight champion Charles Oliveira was supposed to defend his title against Justin Gaethje. However, Oliveira did not make weight and lost his champion belt. The fight still took place – only Gaethje could win the belt. As a result, Oliveira won in the first round, but the title remained vacant.
After weighing, athletes engage in a staring contest: they face each other and look into each other’s eyes for some time. For organizers, this is an excellent opportunity to further fuel interest in the competition, and for the fighters themselves – to exert psychological pressure on their opponent. Conflicts often occur during the staring contest, so security guards are on duty nearby, and President Dana White stands between the fighters.
The next day a press conference is held with the participants of the main fights of the evening. Journalists ask uncomfortable questions, athletes try to provoke each other – all of this makes press conferences no less spectacular than battles of gazes.
During the event, in addition to the fights themselves, attention should be paid to the fighters’ entrance into the octagon. It is always accompanied by music, lighting effects, and cheers from fans. And some athletes go further and create a separate show from their appearance. In my opinion, the most vivid fighter in the UFC in this regard is New Zealander Israel Adesanya – he makes each of his entrances interesting and different from the previous one.
Bruce Buffer deserves a special mention – the longstanding ring announcer for the UFC, the man who introduces the fighters before the fight. He participated in the first events of promotion at its inception, but became an official figure thanks to the popular sitcom “Friends”. In 1997, Buffer played himself in the series, after which the UFC management offered him a permanent contract.
Since then, the “voice of the UFC” has not missed practically any numbered tournaments – according to various reports, he receives from 50 to 100 thousand dollars per event. Today, Buffer is one of the most famous ring announcers in the world. And his signature phrase “It’s time!” before the main event of the evening has truly become legendary – thousands of fans shout it out along with him.
What is the result?
MMA, Mixed Martial Arts, is a combination of martial arts. It is one of the most unpredictable and dynamic forms of combat, characterized by its entertainment value and high level of competition.
Fights take place between men or women in different weight categories. The main goal of each athlete is to win by knockout, submission of the opponent, or judges’ decision. MMA fighters of different styles participate in matches – from boxers to judokas, so they use different tactics. Globally, two can be distinguished: stand-up fighting and wrestling in the ground, i.e. the lying position.
MMA is often referred to as fights without rules, but that’s far from the truth: all official fights have strict requirements for equipment, as well as a list of prohibited strikes and techniques. Each organization has its own regulations.
MMA competitions are held by several organizations, the most famous of which is the UFC, Ultimate Fighting Championship. A ranking is formed in each weight category, based on which opponents of similar level are paired up. At big tournaments, in addition to fights between the top 15, fights for the championship belt are regularly held, in which the contender faces the leader in their category.
In MMA, it is interesting to observe not only the fights themselves, but also the events around them. Organizers turn each rivalry into a full-fledged show with a weigh-in ceremony and a stare-down, while fighters build up tension with clashes and mutual insults in interviews and social networks.
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