Introduction to MMA/UFC
Overview:
I will provide an overview of the sport of Mixed Martial Arts as a whole & when it comes to a specific instance, I will refer to the UFC which is the biggest & most recognized MMA promotion.
MMA:
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is true to its acronym, it is a mixture of multiple sports combat disciplines including but not limited to Boxing, Wrestling, Muay Thai, Karate, Judo… the list goes on however the ones mentioned are the most popular.
Rules/Governance:
All combat sports including MMA, Boxing, and Bare Knuckle Fighting are regulated by the individual state that they are held in when it pertains to the United States. When events occur Internationally depending on the country, there is either a commission in place or in very rare cases an organization would self-regulate.
The three main areas of an MMA match are Striking, Grappling, & Clinch. In the striking component a legal strike consists of using punches, kicks, knees & elbows. There are multiple ways to use this variety of strikes on your opponent excluding illegal areas which include strikes to the neck, throat, spine, kidneys, joints, groin/testicles, knees and below.
When utilizing kicks & knees, you are not allowed to kick or knee your opponents head if he is in a ground position. It is also illegal to use stomp kicks.
Illegal moves also include eye poking, fish hooking, & downward point to ground elbow strikes.
Weight Classes/Divisions:
There are separate divisions for Men & Women & in the UFC they utilize 8 weight classes for each division, they include:
Heavyweight: 265 lb (120.2 kg)
Light Heavyweight: 205 lb (102.1 kg)
Middleweight: 185 lb (83.9 kg)
Welterweight: 170 lb (77.1 kg)
Lightweight: 155 lb (70.3 kg)
Featherweight: 145 lb (65.8 kg)
Bantamweight: 135 lb (61.2 kg)
Flyweight: 125 lb (56.7 kg)
Strawweight: 115 lb (52.5 kg)
Fighters typically must weigh in the day before the fight & be under the limits for their weight class. In some states, there are same day weigh-ins & in some states there is a second weigh in the day of the event where fighters must be under a {7cfdf048d63d1634c4ebc39e44c17f1aa9d4d8c4f009b1c668289627fc77fa83} threshold of their weight.
Match Time:
UFC matches are three (3) rounds of five (5) minutes unless it is a Main Event or Title fight in which they are five (5) rounds of five (5) minutes.
Cage/UFC Octagon:
MMA matches are fought in a multi paneled cage structure. The UFC is the only organization to utilize an 8-sided octagon which is patented. The UFC utilizes two different cage sizes dependent on the venue/arena. The 30ft cage in arenas and large venues & the 25ft Octagon at the UFC Apex & smaller venues.
Scoring:
The UFC as well as most MMA organizations utilize a ten-point must system which you may recognize from Boxing. The round winner is awarded 10 points while the round loser is scored a 9, 8 or very rarely a 7 depending on how dominant the round was for the winner.
The fight can end anytime via Knockout, Submission, TKO, or Disqualification due to an illegal technique or strike.
If the fight does not end early & makes it to the judges’ scorecards at the conclusion of the time limit, the scores are added up and the fight winner is determined by the highest total score. In some cases, the numbers are equal which would result in a draw. In this case, there is no winner & is a “tie.”
