MMA is an acronym that has various uses. One of the most common appears in the field of combat sports and refers to mixed martial arts , an English expression that refers to mixed martial arts .
In MMA, therefore, techniques from different specialties are combined for the development of a sports or self-defense discipline. At a professional level, MMA is considered the most contact sport since it allows strikes with the hands, elbows, feet and knees, in addition to supporting holds and takedowns.
MMA, in short, includes movements and actions from boxing , karate , taekwondo , kickboxing , judo and wrestling , for example. There are those who claim that its origins date back to the Ancient Greek Olympic Games , although the modern version can be traced to competitions that, during the 20th century , began to be held in Brazil , the United States , Japan , and several European countries.
Kick boxing , for example, is a sport created by Kyokushinkai Osamu Noguchi , a Japanese karate master. It combines fist and foot attacks with techniques from karate and boxing, as well as the low kicks of Muay Thai, although it does not take the elbow blows from the latter.
Another popular MMA discipline is Brazilian jiu-jitsu , which originated from the foundations of judo and focuses on sleep fighting. Combines dislocation, surrender, immobilization and strangulation techniques.
As popularity grew and the practice became professional, MMA outlined its regulations to allow the development of the activity and protect the integrity of the fighters, although each fight can cause serious physical consequences for the participants.
MMA events are organized by different companies . One of the best known is the Ultimate Fighting Championship ( UFC ), which brings together the most famous fighters, such as Ronda Rousey , Fabricio Werdum , Rose Namajunas , Anderson Silva , Valentina Shevchenko , Conor McGregor , Joanna Jedrzejczyk , Randy Couture , Amanda Nunes and José Aldo .
UFC fighters are divided into nine MMA categories. Each match takes place in an octagon and can end by knockout , technical knockout , submission or judges' decision .
The rules of MMA are many and, as in any other field of sports competition, they evolve throughout history. Regarding the weight of the fighters, there are many categories, which group them into bands:
* fly : up to 48.7 kilograms;
* rooster : from 48.7 to 61.2 kilograms;
* boom : from 61.2 to 65.7 kilograms;
* light : from 65.7 to 70.3 kilograms;
* Welterweight : from 70.3 to 77.1 kilograms;
* medium : from 77.1 to 83.9 kilograms;
* semi-complete : from 83.9 to 92.9 kilograms;
* heavy : from 92.9 to 120.2 kilograms;
* super heavy : has no weight limit.
Within the framework of a competition, not only the rules that refer to possible movements must be respected but also all those things that should not be done, among which are the following:
* eye damage;
* bites;
* spitting;
* headbutts;
* hair pulling;
* put your finger in your opponent's mouth to move him from one side to the other,
* attacks to the groin;
* take advantage of an opponent's injury to harm him;
* downward blows with the elbow;
* blows to the back of the skull or back;
* liver kicks with the heel;
* blows to the throat.
As we can see, all these attacks are brutal and lack sporting ethics. The complete list includes many more, always along the same lines, with the aim of maintaining the competitions in a technical and equal field.
It should be noted, on the other hand, that MMA can refer to a Ministry of the Environment ; to the maximum authorized mass ; or to entities such as the Mobile Marketing Association .