Mary Van Note

Article / Updated 09-29-2021

The rules of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) differ slightly from one promotion to the next because each fighting organization, such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), can create unique rules. Every event must comply with the athletic commission rules of the state in which the event is being held. MMA rules regulate weight classes, no-nos during fighting, and approved ways to end a fight. Athletic commissions from several states created the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, a set of rules that have been adopted by fighting promotions worldwide. These rules are the most widely used rules for MMA. Weight classes in MMA competitions No matter where you’re fighting, one of the most basic rules of MMA is that you must fight within your weight class. For instance, a male lightweight who weighs 150 pounds would never be matched with a male heavyweight who weighs 240 pounds. That kind of pairing is saved solely for cartoons. If you don’t make weight for a match, you can be disqualified and possibly fined by the promotion. The following tables are rundowns of the specific weight classes defined in the Unified Rules of MMA. MMA Weight Classes for Men Class Weight Range Flyweight Up to 105 lbs Super flyweight 105.1–115 lbs Bantamweight 115.1–125 lbs Super bantamweight 125.1–135 lbs Featherweight 135.1–145 lbs Lightweight 145.1–155 lbs Super lightweight 155.1–165 lbs Welterweight 165.1–175 lbs Super welterweight 175.1–185 lbs Middleweight 185.1–195 lbs Super middleweight 195.1–205 lbs Light heavyweight 205.1–225 lbs Heavyweight 225.1–265 lbs Super heavyweight Over 265 lbs MMA Weight Classes for Women Class Weight Range Flyweight Up to 95 lbs Bantamweight 95.1–105 lbs Featherweight 105.1–115 lbs Lightweight 115.1–125 lbs Welterweight 125.1–135 lbs Middleweight 135.1–145 lbs Light heavyweight 145.1–155 lbs Cruiserweight 155.1–165 lbs Heavyweight 165.1–185 lbs Super heavyweight Over 185 lbs MMA no-nos in fighting Although every MMA fighting organization has its own specific rules, some universal violations do exist. They’re listed in the Unified Rules of MMA, but here’s a quick look at what’s not allowed: No groin attacks. No knees to the head on a grounded opponent. No strikes to the back of the head or the spine. No head butts. (Sorry, soccer fans.) No eye gouging. No fish hooking. No fingers in an opponent’s orifices. (Eww!) No biting. No hair pulling. (Besides, that’s so second grade.) No strikes or grabbing of the throat. No manipulation of the fingers or toes. No intentional grabbing of the ring or cage. No intentional throwing of your opponent outside of the ring or cage. (That stuff belongs in professional wrestling.) Accidentally performing one of these actions in a fight earns you an automatic warning from the referee. If your opponent was injured from your accidental action, they'll get five minutes to recover. Approved ways to end an MMA fight An MMA competition can end in one of several ways: Decision. If a fight lasts all rounds, the outcome is decided by three judges. Each fighting promotion has its own unique point system. Disqualification (DQ). Think of this as a sort of “three strikes and you’re out” policy. Each time a fighter engages in an illegal move, they receive a warning. After three warnings, they're disqualified. A DQ can also be called if a fighter has been injured by an illegal move that seemed intentional. Forfeit. A fighter can announce a forfeit before a match begins if they're injured. Knockout (KO). A knockout is when a fighter loses consciousness thanks to their opponent’s strikes. No contest. If both fighters violate the rules, or if a fighter is injured by an unintentional illegal action, a no-contest call can result. No contest is rarely called in MMA fights. Submission. If one fighter achieves a submission hold, the fighter trapped in the hold can call defeat by tapping out on his opponent’s body or the mat, or by making a verbal announcement. Some defeated fighters fail to tap out and become incapacitated. In such cases, the referee calls an end to the fight. Technical knockout (TKO). A technical knockout, when a fight is ended by the referee, doctor, or fighter’s corner, can be called in a few ways. The referee can call one when a fighter is no longer defending themself, usually due to an effective attack by their opponent. A doctor can also call a TKO if it’s clear that continuing the fight could be dangerous. And finally, a fighter’s corner can throw in a towel to admit defeat, resulting in a TKO.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Like any sport, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) requires special equipment, largely to protect yourself during your training sessions. Important supplies and gear that you should gather before starting your MMA training include: Boxing gloves: Essential for working on strikes, such as jabs, hooks, and uppercuts. Handwraps: Good for protecting your hands when training or fighting competitively. Headgear: Used for sparring to protect the skull from harsh blows. Cup: Essential for male MMA fighters. Mouthpiece: Critical for protecting your teeth while competing and training. Try conditioning while wearing a mouthpiece to get used to wearing one. MMA gloves: Necessary for competitions. You should wear MMA gloves during sparring and grappling sessions as well so you can get accustomed to them. MMA shin guards: Helpful for protecting your shins when training or sparring. Stability ball: A great tool for working on your balance and control. Jump rope: Useful for warming up before training and a common tool for MMA practitioners. Thai pads and focus mitts: Good for using with a partner when you want to work on knees, kicks, and other strikes. Kettlebells: A cast iron weight with a handle; a favorite tool among MMA fighters for full-body conditioning. MMA attire: Can be worn inside and outside of the ring and includes T-shirts, hoodies, sweats, and shorts. MMA clothing tells people that you’re living the MMA lifestyle. It’s a conversation starter, and it may just stop someone from trying to push you around and steal your milk money. Most gyms specializing in MMA will have a lot of this equipment. As for schools, they usually suggest that you buy your own handwraps, mouthpiece, cup, and gloves. Look to see whether a school you’re interested in has some of the listed equipment available. A good school or gym has plenty of MMA gear and safety equipment (think mats and first aid kits).

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

The history of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) dates back to the Olympics of ancient Greece. Mixed Martial Arts fights originated as hand-to-hand combat performed as a sport called pankration, from the Greek words pan and kratos, meaning “all powers.” The Greek competitors had only two rules: no biting and no eye gouging. Pankration was a popular event, and the competitors became heroes and the subjects of legends. The teachings of ancient Greek pankration spread to India thanks to Alexander the Great and his habit of recruiting athletes as soldiers because of their strength and combat knowledge. A Buddhist monk traveling through India picked up on aspects of pankration and brought that knowledge to China, where it birthed Asian martial arts such as kung fu, judo, and karate. As people branched into new lands, they took these arts and built on them, often creating a new style or form of martial art. For example, an expert in judo traveled the globe and ended up in Brazil to spread his teachings, an act that gave birth to the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. As martial arts spread, so did the idea of mixed-style competitions. Often a practitioner of one martial art challenged a practitioner of a different one for ultimate bragging rights. These mixed-style competitions took place worldwide for several decades, eventually gaining intense popularity in the United States. Participants in these competitions learned from their opponents and began to realize that in order to become well-rounded fighters, they must study any combative art form that could give them an edge in the game. For instance, if a kickboxer was matched with a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, the kickboxer would realize that he must become more adept at defending takedowns, thus prompting him to train with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters. (Jiu-Jitsu ground fighting incorporates various submission holds, such as joint and compression locks and chokes.) From that point forward, competitions were no longer between athletes who focused on a singular martial art but between two mixed martial arts athletes.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighting styles can be a mixture of any combative discipline, but some of the prominent types of MMA fighting styles that have helped make it what it is today include: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The guard position and many of the various submission holds, including joint locks, chokes, and compression locks, come from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Collegiate wrestling. Clinches and takedowns entered the MMA repertoire thanks to collegiate wrestling. Judo. The hip toss and other throws are judo’s gift to MMA. Muay Thai. Kicks, as well as knee-and-elbow moves, in MMA are attributed to Muay Thai. Muay Thai is referred to as "The Art of Eight Limbs," as the hands, shins, elbows and knees are all used extensively. Submission wrestling. Position flows and submission combinations, such as the head and arm hold and various mounts, come from submission wrestling. Western boxing. The strikes used in MMA (jab, uppercut, cross, and hook) may look familiar if you’ve ever watched a traditional western boxing match.