How MMA Evolved to Its Modern Form

The post is developed in partnership with BetterHelp.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a unique and innovative combination of several martial art forms. In MMA, individuals pit their fighting style against the alternative style used by their opponent, engaging in combat to determine which style is superior. Despite its chaotic origins, MMA has grown quickly, developing into a well-regulated sport enjoyed by people worldwide. This article will briefly examine the substantial history of MMA and explore how the sport reached the mainstream status it holds today.

Ancient origins

While the first formal MMA organization was founded relatively recently, in 1985, the sport can trace its roots back thousands of years. Ancient Greeks had a version of hand-to-hand combat similar to modern MMA called Pankration. Pankration, literally translated as “all powers,” required combatants to utilize many fighting styles to secure victory against their opponent. Wrestling, locks, chokes, punches, and kicks were all viable strategies to beat one’s opponent. The first Pankration competition took place over 2,500 years ago and remained a staple of the Olympiad for centuries.

The Chinese developed a similar combat system around 200 B.C., called Shuai Jiao. Shuai Jao combined elements of traditional martial arts like kung fu and wrestling, representing another example of diverse styles being used within the same competition. While ancient multi-disciplinary combat sports were brutal and poorly regulated, they form the core foundation of MMA that persists to this day.

The start of the modern era

Many people consider the early 20th century to be the start of modern MMA. In 1914, Japanese emissaries brought Kano Jiu-Jitsu (known as Judo today) to Brazil. The Brazilians adapted Kano Jiu-Jitsu to focus more on grappling and less on punches and throws, allowing the combat to continue even after a fighter has lost their footing. Eventually, the adapted form of Judo would become Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), a martial art style that remains popular to this day.

Part of the popularity is due to the early challenges issued by the Gracie family, who famously promoted BJJ as the most effective fighting style in the world. Fighters from across the globe representing a variety of martial arts traveled to Brazil to test their skills against BJJ. Because many lacked grappling and wrestling skills, masters of BJJ were often able to secure victories against those equally qualified in other disciplines.

The rise of mainstream martial arts was spurred forward by the rise of martial arts movies in the 1960s and 1970s. Many movies popularized style-vs-style combat, inadvertently popularizing the same core feature of MMA. As martial arts became further ingrained in popular culture, a new generation of fighters was introduced to the concept of pitting one martial art against another.

One of the first and most well-known MMA organizations, Shooto, was founded in Japan in 1985. Shooto was one of the first organizations to outline specific rules for a mixed martial arts competition that followed modern standards. While Shooto’s contributions are notable and extensive, many people point to 1993 as the official birth of modern MMA, the year the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was founded.

Today’s MMA

Throughout the 1990s, BJJ reigned supreme as the dominant fighting style in the UFC. As the new millennium approached, fighters from disciplines like wrestling, boxing, and kickboxing would adapt their strategies to counter BJJs superiority. In the mid-2000s, striking techniques adapted from Karate and Tae Kwon Do began to reemerge as the focus on grappling waned. Today, the most successful MMA fighters tend to incorporate four fundamental styles: wrestling, Muay Thai, boxing, and BJJ.

Today’s MMA differs not only in which fighting styles are represented but also in how they are regulated. Until the mid-1990s, MMA was considered brutal, a callback to the ruthless combat common in the Roman Colosseum. Public outcry against the sport was considerable, eventually leading to its prohibition in all 50 states. Between 1996 and 200, the UFC attempted to combat MMA’s most serious problems by instituting judges, introducing weight classes, adding a scoring system, and establishing rounds and time limits.

Professional MMA fighters achieved some standardization in their approach to training, allowing many community-based MMA gyms and training centers to open, further spurring the sport’s popularity. Athletes focused on both the physical and mental components of training, developing physical strength and dexterity in the gym and working with sports psychologists or therapy apps to help them improve. To find out how therapy apps can help with self-improvement, check out this article from BetterHelp, a provider of therapy and mental health resources:

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By around 2010, MMA was well on its way to becoming the popular, well-regulated sport it is today. The introduction of rules and regulations opened the door for sponsorships and monetization, allowing the UFC to further popularize the sport worldwide. Today, UFC is the undisputed leader of the MMA business, announcing a partnership with ESPN in 2019. While MMA may have had rocky and brutal origins, it is now a mainstream sport that adds rules for safety without detracting from the skill and showmanship of style-vs-style combat.