Online Gambling - Fights

MMA History

The history of mixed martial arts could be said to have derived from the Greek combat sport of Pankration, as Pankration featured techniques that were quite similar to those used for modern MMA. Linking modern MMA events to that ancient practice is not entirely honest, however, as while Pankration tournaments exist today, direct ties of ancient Pankration to the establishment of the UFC are tenuous at best. Comparing MMA to gladiatorial combat is also somewhat disingenuous, as gladiatorial combat was entirely about spectacle – a fair fight was not a necessary component of it being an entertaining fight to the ancient Romans. While the early UFC events certainly had an element of spectacle, the modern UFC as well as its rival promotions tend to focuso n the sport of MMA rather than the spectacle of combat. Essentially, the concept of pitting different styles of fighting against one another has been persistent throughout human history, both for armed and unarmed fighting. The modern take on indulging this curiosity takes form in the sport of mixed martial arts.

MMA in its current state too a very long time to develop, beginning with vale tudo bouts in Brazil. These vale tudo fights (vale tudo is Portugese for ‘anything goes’) were broadcast on Brazilian television, and they made the Gracie family of Jiu-Jitsu practitioners famed throughout Brazil for their skills. They also caught the attention from many hobbyists interested in fight sports.

One of the most important organizational figures responsible for the establishment of the UFC, and thus also important to the rise of MMA, is Art Davie. Meeting with Rorion Gracie in the early ‘90s, Art became Rorion’s student in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. After watching the Gracies in Action video series, Art became exposed to vale tudo and saw that it could be marketed to a much wider audience. He eventually proposed an early concept for the Ultimate Fighting Championship to the Gracie family, and specifically Rorion, as well as director John Milius. This eventually led to the beginning of WOW Promotions, which ran the early UFC events and partnered with Semaphore Entertainment Group (SEG) in order to get pay-per-view television coverage.

The early UFC events were elimination tournament format, with very few rules. This lack of rules and the repeated fights in one night meant safety concerns over the events provoked some public backlash. Early UFC events had a wider audience than the Gracie family video series had garnered, but the brutality of the early UFC was holding it back from a wider audience.

Perhaps the most important aspect of early UFC tournaments for the development of modern MMA fighting was how dominant the wrestlers and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu practitioners were. Most people thought that the strikers would have the advantage in an anything-goes context like the early UFC. How surprising it must have been when the now-legendary, then-unknown Royce Gracie took the first UFC tournament in style, seemingly with ease. The strikers just didn’t know what to do once the fight hit the ground and the pure wrestlers weren’t familiar with the submission holds of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. This got the ball rolling for mixed martial arts to develop.

It wasn’t just strikers who learnt that they needed more grappling skills, though. The grapplers found that once the strikers had picked up the bread and butter techniques of the ground game, they could remain dangerous even if taken down. Also, a new breed of strikers began to emerge, the ground-and-pounder. These fighters had excellent takedown defense and when they established a dominant position on the ground, they would pound their opposition into the mat. The best fighters expanded their game, and eventually a new generation of fighters emerged who had trained in striking and grappling for MMA tournaments from the outset.

After a few years of popularity due to public curiosity, the spectacle of the early UFC was losing its appeal. Flagging pay-per-view sales and political pressures looked to put the UFC out of business, even as it made changes to the events to make them less brutal and attained sanctioning from the New Jersey State Athletic Commission. When SEG were unable to arrange video releases for UFC events, they looked to sell their interest in it.

Enter Dana White. A former boxing promoter and aerobics instructor, White had also been managing incredible MMA fighters Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. When he heard that SEG were looking to sell the UFC, he contacted Lorenzo Fertitta to partner with him to buy the UFC. Frank Fertitta put his support behind the purchase as well, and Zuffa, LLC was formed to promote the UFC.

Greater cooperation with state athletic commissions and a change of focus from spectacle to sport meant that the UFC and MMA in general began to get a better name. This led to a return to pay-per-view television and greater popularity in the general public. A reality television show called The Ultimate Fighter, devised by Zuffa and shown on Spike TV is what would propel the sport into the public consciousness, culminating in an incredible fight between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar that left an indelible mark on the millions who tuned in for the first Ultimate Fighter finale.

Events other than the Ultimate Fighting Championship have also contributed to the rise of the sport of MMA. The Pride promotion is a particularly good example, though it is now defunct. The event was based in Japan, and showcased some of the best fighters in the world, though it never developed the following that the UFC commands. Many events that pit fighters from different striking arts against one another, like K-1 and Chuck Norris’ World Combat League, have also helped to broaden the kinds of events available for MMA and fight fans to watch, though these cannot be considered MMA in the modern context, as they forego grappling.

MMA has really only just begun to grow. While the American interest in the sport is well-established, it is nowhere near as popular in other major markets. The UFC has sought to address this with expansion into the UK and other promotions are following suit, looking for opportunities to succeed in establishing international organizations.