Mixed martial Arts (MMA) as a combat sport

The term Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is also the name of a few-rules full contact fight sport. MMA is a combat sport in which two competitors attempt to achieve dominance over one another by utilizing a wide variety of permitted martial arts techniques. These techniques generally fall into three categories: striking (punches and elbows, kicks and knees), grappling (clinches, takedowns, throws and ground fighting), and finishing holds (joint locks and chokeholds). Victory is normally achieved through knock-out, submission (one fighter concedes victory to the other by tapping the mat or his opponent with his hand), stoppage by the referee, the fight doctor or a competitor's cornerman, or a decision by judges who score the fight. Previously MMA was also known as No Holds Barred (NHB) but this term is no longer used as it is not an accurate description of the modern competitions which utilize a list of rules necessary for the fighters' safety. Modern fighters usually train in a mixture of three broad styles:

• amateur wrestling (such as Greco-Roman, folkstyle and freestyle, focusing on clinches, takedowns and positional dominance);
• submission wrestling (such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Judo, focusing on submissions and positioning, defending, and attacking on the ground from an otherwise disadvantageous position such as from underneath the opponent);
• stand-up (such as kickboxing, Muay Thai, boxing and karate, focusing on striking).

Fighters learn techniques from stand-up oriented fighting styles, at least some grappling, and as well as submission techniques and how to defend against them. Boxing and Muay Thai are the most popular stand up fighting styles because of their proven effectiveness. These styles have to be adapted slightly for use in the sport. For example, many boxing stances are ineffective because they leave fighters vulnerable to leg kicks or takedowns. Stand-up oriented fighters must learn how to defend against takedowns so that they can keep the fight standing. Fighters also learn how to effecitvely fight from their backs and to use submission holds, as well as defend against them. Jiu-Jitsu is popular in this area since it is a submission-oriented fighting style.