Mixed Martial Arts


The thrill of watching two athletes prime of their life engage in a martial art competition has been generating enthusiasm of people for thousands of years. Both audiences and spectators love watching a mixed martial arts event reigning the sports industry.

Each fighter has only one job when they enter the octagon, which is to dominate the opponent until they get knocked out.

After watching a spectacular fight many people get related to the fighters they see on screen or in real-life PPV events.

Once people pick their favorite fighter in the martial art event, then comes the cheering for their fighter until they overcome their adversary.

The evolution of mixed martial arts has been happening at an incredible rate, in fact always many people asking if mma will overtake boxing.

Even the people whose entire job was to track the rise of MMA in the modern world, have failed miserably. As no one in the entire world expected the sport to grow in an epic proportion as it is doing now. MMA is no longer the underground sport with a cult following.

Now it is as big as other combat sports in the field. While singular combat arts have been transformed and made their mark in the sports industry. But the rise of MMA is something extraordinary.

The perfect mma fighter

the perfect mma fighter

All the top fighters in MMA are highly qualified and talented sports individuals to step into the ring. They have incredible strength, dexterity, and perception to match the best in the world.

The skillset is another that gets the most amount of spotlight, whenever any commentators bring up the topic of mixed martial arts into the discussion.

People who have never seen a fight of MMA will have little to no idea of what is happening in the ring. And to some people, it may look like it is just a game of just hitting and dodging.

But when you look at the sports from an analysis perspective, you will learn the extensive knowledge these fighters portray in the field. From every jab, straight, hook, kicks, and submission, everything has a well throughout strategy behind it.

This is what makes the game more interesting to watch, especially for long-time watchers. On the surface, the sports may feel like basic combat sports with nothing happening in the background. But after you watch 10 -12 fights, you will soon learn the skills and knowledge that a fighter puts after every move they throw at their opponent.

Fighters in the MMA ring have amazing stamina and an arsenal of techniques that will put any normal human being into a state of shock. But when those techniques get applied to the real ring, this is where the knowledge comes in handy.

Unlike normal people, fighters will be able to break any defense with a solid move. In the octagon, it is all about one fighter applying proper techniques before every move they throw at their opponent. If the technique works, then they win the fight or vice versa.

The short history of MMA

HISTORY of mma in short

While the dominance of MMA can be felt in every media sector of your lives. But back then it was a training event to test the skills of warriors before battle.

The origin of MMA can be traced to the Olympic games of ancient Greece, the event combined boxing and wrestling and created Pankration.

Back then there were only a few rules, no time limits, and no weight division.  The matches were more brutal and fighters suffered a lot from injuries after the match.

Some of the injuries did permanent damage to their bodies.

The referee’s back then only stopped a fight if any of the fighters tried to use biting, eye-gouging, and groin shots.

Brutal fighting on Greece Time

Besides that, there were no other rules to keep the fighters safe from injuries. This was a frequent case in every fight, one contender will knock out another in brutal fashion with permanent damage on the body.

Which left the fighters incapable of ever entering the ring again.

But now the sport has come a long way from Greece to the whole world.

New Era For The MMA

new era more rules

Many organizations are now holding MMA events in their city, state and it garners the attention of people all over the world. Now every match is telecasted to the internet or cable networks. Where millions of people will see what the fighters are capable of on the stage. This is who the fighters become a public figure in front of your very own eyes. This is how they get their shot in the big league.

There is plenty of stuff and interesting things that come with the history of mixed martial arts. Covering the entire history of the sport will take over thousands of pages, the only important detail that you can take from the history of mixed martial arts, is the art behind it.

Now it is more finesse with fighters applying a large array of moves to dominate their opponent. Every move is well throughout and has a technique behind it. This is why the sports of MMA work in the mainstream.

People are fascinated with the fighting style and veteran watchers of mixed martial arts watch the sports for the knowledge and technique that gets used by fighters.

MMA in the present day

mma todays has more than 300 milions of fans

mixed martial arts is slowly taking over all the other forms of combat sports in the world.

While in the older days, mixed martial arts contained only fights from one gender.

Now women can also participate in mixed martial arts events and show their skills against top-ranked fighters in the world. (Take a look at: best martial arts for girls)

UFC has opened the doors to all kinds of people with talent to join their organization and take on fighters to make a name for themselves.

Once MMA had a cult following with only a few people knowing the existence of the art style. But now fighters are making name for the mixed martial arts on the grand stage. Where millions of people watch every move they make in the octagon.

The rise of fighters also led to the rise of fans for the show. The fan base of mixed martial arts has been growing at an incredible pace the likes of which nobody ever expected from MMA.

The development of MMA was challenging, if you look at the statistics of MMA of matches in the early 90s, you will see there was no hope for the sports to pull any large numbers or leave a lasting impact in combat sports. But it has done the impossible by changing a lot and adapting to the future changes.

Now the brand of MMA has its sponsors, cable shows, internet channels, streaming network, and many more to push the mixed martial arts to more people. This is the reason why the stronger fanbase is becoming part of mixed martial arts.

The Equipment of mixed martial arts

Equipment of mixed martial arts

MMA, according to many, is considered a sport of warriors. Art exploded all over the world in recent years.

But the fight itself follows plenty of rules and regulations from various athletic commissions to make the fight fair and safer for the fighter.

The addition of the rules made the fight more interesting to watch while keeping the fighter safe so they will be able to get back in the ring without any previous injuries stopping their MMA journey.

Some people may not like the rules being set up, but it is up to the athletic commission to see the best out of a fight rather than just entertainment. More priority is paid to the fighter’s health and well-being than the fight.

This makes the fighter safer than it used to be before. Using the approved combat rules gave the sport more credibility and a serious look from the people who wanted to become part of the mixed martial art organization.

It is the rules that made MMA events more sanctioned. Now in 2021, the mixed martial art events are sanctioned in 37 states.

Fight gear

Just like every combat sport, MMA fighters have their own gear and equipment. Here fighters need to put on:

  • MMA gloves
  • Hand wraps
  • Mouthpiece
  • Groin Protection
  • mixed martial art shorts and trunks

Hand wraps

Each one of the equipment serves a purpose in the fight. And make sure the opponent doesn’t suffer any heavy damage that can deal permanent damage to their body.

The hand wraps used to protect the bones in the hand and wrist. As most of the time fighters use their fist to knock each other out, the usage of hand wraps will do an excellent job in protecting the hands from severe damage.

MMA gloves

The next thing to focus on is the MMA gloves, compared to boxing gloves MMA gloves are lighter and weigh less than them.

People have the misconception about MMA gloves being dangerous, if you do the math, then the previous sentence will probably make sense.

Since MMA gloves are far lighter than boxing gloves, the damage output must be higher. But in reality, MMA gloves are safer to use than boxing gloves.

Yes, the power is much higher on MMA gloves compared to boxing gloves. But a knockout with MMA gloves will cause less harm to the head compared to the repeated strokes for a long period

MMA gloves are designed differently than boxing gloves, as MMA gloves will help the fighter grapple effectively. Which will come in very handy in submissions, tackling, BJJ, and many other techniques that deal with ground and pound action. Unlike boxing, MMA is more diverse in attack patterns, most of the attack techniques come with legs and body. The usage of leg and body will result in spectacular submission finishes.

Mouthpiece in MMA

The mouthpiece does an excellent job in retaining the fighter’s teeth.

Most of the knockout punches, if not all of them are brutal to watch.

We can’t even imagine how much they could’ve done to our faces. But the fighters in the ring have to take a lot of them to win the fight. Here the mouth groin helps them to protect their teeth from getting broken. That is the reason why, if you see a fighter’s mouthpiece drop on the floor accidentally, the referee will immediately stop the match until the fighter grabs the mouthpiece and puts it back inside the mouth.

Groin Protection

Groin attacks are illegal in the game of mixed martial arts and in fact some of you can ask if mma fighter wear groin protection.

Any fighter that pulls a move like that will immediately get points taken off their overall match record. In some cases, this will lead to immediate disqualification.

If the groin attack was intentional then the match will end with a losing record for the fighter who violated the rule. If you have ever seen a UFC fight in recent times, you will notice these events of groin attacks are rare.

Accidental hits to the groin area are more frequent than an intentional hit to the private region. The accident kicks to the groin area will take out the fighter’s ability to have children in the future. This is why having groin protection is important for the fighter to be safe from any permanent damage to their groin.

Mixed martial art shorts and trunks

Shorts and trunks need to be marital art-related. The fighters are allowed to wear MMA shorts or kick-boxing trunks. Anything else is prohibited from mixed martial arts organizations.

The rules specifically mention these gears to be worn before the main fight.

These are the main key gears of any mixed martial arts event in the world.

Doesn’t matter what kind of MMA show you watch in the world, all of them will follow the same rules for their body. Some rules might differ, as athletic commissions have different systems to their rules and regulations. This is why the rules from one organization can not be applied to the rules of another. The gears are important for the fighter to have on, not only they will make them look professional but also at the same time more secure.

Rules of mixed martial arts

Rules of combat sports may differ from one organization to another ( as for bellator and ufc what is the difference ?)but the basic principle stays the same, which is to keep the fighter from hair harm.

Compared to other sports or professions, UFC or mixed martial arts(Is MMA And UFC The Same Thing?) is one of the fields that require the fighter to be in one of the most vulnerable states before the fight.

Any illegal kick will leave permanent damage on the body. Something that we saw before when fighters can throw illegal strikes at their opponent without facing any criticism.

As the case of MMA punch drunk

The fewer rules allowed the fighter to resort to illegal moves to win the match. Time has made the ruling system behind every UFC fight much more easier and reliable for both fighters.

Illegal moves on mixed martial arts

Fighters are strictly prohibited from performing any intentional head butt, eye-gouging, orbiting their opponents.

Or these moves will be counted as fouls. Striking to the spine or back of the head will be considered an illegal move. There are various other moves that rules specify to be illegal to use for any professional fight in any match.

List of illegal move in mma

  • Kicks to the joints
  • Attack to the fingers, wrist, and toes.
  • Clawing, pinching, or grabbing the clavicle
  • Throwing the opponent out of the ring
  • Slamming the fighter on their head or neck
  • Holding onto the fence for better defense against submission moves.
  • Holding onto the opponent’s gloves or trunks.
  • Striking downwards with the point of elbow.
  • Kicking in the head while the opponent is on the ground.
  • Stomping on the opponent.
  • Kicking the opponent in the kidney with a heel move.

These are the illegal movies that prohibited fighters from winning the match. While accidental slip-ups will deduct a point from the scoreboard. But multiple uses of the attacks will result in disqualification. Other unsportsmanlike conduct from any fighter will be prohibited.

This type of behavior will result in disqualification too. Spotting on the opponent, using bad language, disregarding the instruction of the referee, and any interference in the fighter’s coroner will be seen as unsportsmanlike behavior that will not get tolerated and the match will end with a no-contest.

Rules are strong in MMA, and the fighter must follow all of them if they want to win the match without any intrusions. This happens a lot in a mixed martial art match, but keeping it professional is the way to go in the match without facing any score change or disqualification.

Winning the match

The most important aspect of MMA for any fighter is to win the match as fast as possible to score bonuses and popularity amongst fans(top 10 fighters with more wins in UFC). This is why MMA is more fun to watch for anyone who is into the combat-related sport.

There are a number of ways a fighter can win an mma bout ring, each one of them is different from the last and leaves more impact on the opponent and the fans watching the show.

  • Knockout
  • Tap out
  • Referee stoppage
  • Doctor stoppage

Knockout

ko in mma

In knockout, the entire job of the fighter is to knock out the opponent cold. This can happen in various ways, a strike to the head is how one strikes a knockout win in the octagon.

Unlike in boxing, where people can use only their fist to clinch the knockout victory over their opponent, here in MMA, a fighter can lend both fists and kicks to get a knockout win.

Any elbows are allowed to strike knockout in an MMA match. The elbow knockout sometimes is wonderful to watch, as fighters planned the technique before they execute a spinning elbow to the face. Any sort of knock makes the fighter defenseless for a short amount of time.

Most fights end with one strike to the head but sometimes when the knockout occurs in the ground pound, the fighter throws 2 or 3 more strikes to the face to make sure the opponent is several out.

Here the referee will put an end to the match, and it is very important to have the right timing to stop the match, in fact there are some of the most famous mma referees, that are able to do it in the best manner possible.

Once he sees the fighter on the ground unable to move or react to the ground and pound action. Things get a bit more complicated in the ground & pound as compared to the boxing aspect of the MMA sports. A well-placed knee or elbow will create a knockout victory.

Tap out

tap out and winning of nate diaz in mma match

MMA athletes are also allowed to perform various submission moves to get their opponent down and finally make them give up the match.

Submission takes planning and perfect execution in the defensive game if the opponent is low or they run out of fuel to defend themselves in the ring.

Here the fighter will take advantage of this situation and put the opponent in the submission move. In the submission move, the opponent will have a hard time controlling their limbs and saving energy for the rest of the fight.

This is where the ending move comes when the fighter learns that their opponent has no stamina left or left a space on their body for submission.

Then the fighter will perform the submission of their choice to take out the opponent. These submission moves can be rear-naked choke or triangle choke.

The job of these submissions is to render the opponent’s body completely defenseless. Up to a point, where they will have no control over their activities and fall into a short sleep.

This happens so quickly, in most matches, you will see fighters waking up after submission with an energetic reaction to their movements. In their head, the match is still going on, as they will quickly grapple the referee. Submission is another weapon MMA fighters use to score a victory over their adversaries in the ring.

Referee Stoppage

When both fighters are unable to move or physically tap, the ultimatum of the match will be on the referee.

A referee might call the fight over and put a stoppage to the actions if the verbal tap is seen, if the opponent is in the disadvantageous position, then the entire match will get called out by the referee.

When the opponent taps out of the submission, the fighter who is using the move should pull out. Otherwise, they will get a score deducted from their board.

The referee will put a stop to the fight and the match to be over. Using the submission move after the referee calls the match over will be considered an illegal move.

When the referee calls out the fight, he must separate the fighters from each other. This is the time to let the opponent know that he or she lost the fight.

The match can not continue because the referee saw the fighter tap to the submission. Sometimes if one fighter lays heavy attacks on the other opponent, where the opponent appears to be in a disadvantageous situation and seems vulnerable, the referee will have to make the quick decision and call the fight to be over.

Many of the ground rounds lead to a referee call out, as they will know if the fighter on the ground is taking more attacks to the point where they can not even defend themselves from the attacks.

Any further attacks will lead to injury that can have a permanent effect on the fighter. The referee will local out the fight to be over. Here are some of the cases where the referee will call the fight to be over

  • If the fighter suffers from unconsciousness due to a submission move or a chock.
  • If the fighter is unable to defend themselves from repeated strikes.
  • If the fighter received significant injuries that can create a negative effect on the fighter’s health.

These are the cases where the referee will have to end the match and declare the winner.

Doctor Stoppage

If one fighter receives extensive damage to their body, then it is time for the doctor to step in and perform an inspection on the damaged part of the body.

If the doctors see the injury as grave and life-threatening then the entire match will be over and the winner of the match would be declared.

Normally, when a fighter gets a nasty cut on their face, and it starts to bleed heavily, then the doctors have to see the injury and make a judgment on the danger of it.

Any injury in the ring the fighter receives can be brutal and life treating. Some injuries come later when the fight is over.

In these cases, fighters will receive a permanent injury that will affect how they will play in the octagon. A doctor has to decide whether the injury is grave or not.

If not, then the fight will continue without any issue. If there is a problem with the wound, then the match will be over for both fighters. In the old days, no doctors were waiting outside the ring to check up on fighters, recent rulings have made sure the priority of fighter health comes first before anything else. The safety of the fighters has been raised to its highest degree by making the doctor present outside the ring.

MMA rounds

mma-round-in-mma

Every fight has specific rounds and time attached to them. The fighter has to win the fight before the time expires. Each championship match or normal match has a timer attached to them.

Running out time will end the round The timer on the championship matches differs a lot from average matches. Here are the timers and rounds within bouts in the MMA ring:

  • Championship bouts have – 5 rounds – Each one of them will have 5 minutes – Total – 25 minutes (Doesn’t include the break time)
  • Average bouts will have – 3 rounds – Each round will have 5 minutes – Total – 15 minutes (Doesn’t include the break time)

Each round will have a 1 minute resting period. Which will push the overall flight for the championship bout to 29 minutes and non-championship matches to be at 17 minutes. The ruling and round system was different in the old days, where matches had no time limit, the winner would get declared to the last man standing.

But now the commission has applied plenty of rules to make sure the fight goes on for a specific amount of time.

For more information read (How long does a UFC round last?)

Decision Making in MMA

Decision Making in MMA

The decision comes after the rounds when fighters push the match to its ultimate fifth round.

Here the decision will go to the judges to rate the fighter based on the performance they gave in each round.

The winner has to get 10 points and the loser will get 9 or fewer points. If both fighters receive 10 points to each round, then the match will be considered a draw. Here is the list of decisions that judges reach after a match.

  • Unanimous Decision
  • Split Decision
  • Majority Decision
  • Draw

Unanimous Decision

Here if all the judges pick one fighter over another. If all the score supports only one fighter then that fighter will win the match based on Unanimous Decision.

Split Decision

If two judges favor one fighter and the third judge prefers the second fighter, then the fighter who received the support of 2 judges will be declared as the winner based on the Split decision.

Majority Decision

Here if two judges count one fighter to be a winner and the third one prefers the match to be a draw, then the match will go to the fighter who received the most support from judges, and then it will get counted as a win by Majority Decision.

Draw

A fighter will be considered as a draw if one judge thinks fighter A won the match, and the inter judge thinks it is fighter B that took the match, and the third judge scores the entire match to be a draw, then the match will get considered as a draw.

These are the decision-making that goes outside the ring. Most Of the time it is up to the judges to decide if the match went to the first fighter or the second based on their performance in each round. This is a far better model of the judging system than what it used to be. Now each fighter will know where and when they lacked in attack power and defense.

MMA Weight Classes

Unlike the older days of MMA, now every fighter has their own weight division that they can participate in to enter the ring of mixed martial arts.

Now each fighter will know where to go and what to do to get into their favorite weight division. In older days, all fighters would have to share the same ring with the same weight division.

That means you will see a featherweight fighter in the ring with a heavyweight. This sort of disadvantage pushed many of the fighters out of the game to other sports (this is why there are weight classes in combat sports).

The addition of sports weight division has led to the inclusion of many well-known fighters that we see today.

Currently, UFC has five weight classes for their fighters. If anyone interested in joining the MMA world must have these specification right, if they want to jump into their favorite division- Here are the five weight classes in the MMA ring –

  • Heavyweight Division – The minimum weight requirement is 205 pounds and the maximum is 265 pounds.
  • Light Heavyweight Division – here the minimum is 185 pounds and the maximum is 205 pounds.
  • Middleweight Division- the fighter has to have 170 pounds to a maximum of 185 pounds.
  • Welterweight Division- Here the minimum is 155 pounds and the maximum is 170 pounds.
  • Lightweight – the minimum is 145 pounds and the maximum is 155 pounds.

Sometimes we will see fighters cutting down weight before the weigh-in PPV event.

Many times there is a difference in weight when the fighters show up at the weigh-in and the main PPV event.

Most of the weigh-in part of the PPV takes place 24 hours before the main event. This will allow athletes to drop their weight before the main fight.

These are the basic preparation fighters have to go through to enter the ring of MMA. now comes the difficult part of them all, which is training.

MMA training

mma-training

Any normal human being wants to last seconds let alone 25 minutes in the octagon with the best fighter the MMA world has to offer and needs to train both physically and mentally.

Now fighters use both tactics to win the match before it even begins. The mental fight goes on behind the scenes and the physical fight happens in the ring.

If the fighter is defeated beforehand, the physical fight is easier for the opponent. This is why training for MMA is crucial and important.

Too much UFC training is the most grueling workout routine that anyone can follow.

The focus and concentration on the game over anything is difficult for any person, but the fighters here train day and night to keep their mental state in order.

The fighters here will have to take training seriously otherwise they will get a knockout in the ring.

Because the opponent is taking the training seriously. There is no easy route to finish the training session without working hard and dropping both blood and sweat in the ring.

The mind has to be psychologically ready before the fight. This will give fighters a much-needed confidence boost that they will need for the night. The entire time they will be in the ring, the attacks will be relentless with no pause or stop of any kind.

This section of the article will cover the gruesome training aspect of the fighter. A fighter must take part in a training session if they ever want to see the ray of victory in the MMA stage.

Check here How often do ufc fighters fight

Mental Training of MMA

High-level athletes in the sports world will have stories about how they prepare their brains before getting into the physical aspect of the body.

There is a reason why they say the mental aspect of the fight is more critical and important than the physical aspect of it.

The world of MMA is no different than the sports of other fields. The athlete here has to be mentally ready to tackle the challenges without any slowdown. To many people, the face of the fighter will reveal a lot more information than their physical stance. The psychological battle of minds is what happens before the match.

A strong opponent must endure the mental battle, which is needed for him or her to grab the championship belt.

The higher you go in the fighter ladder, the more strong the opponent that you will get it to face. Their dedication to work is something that cannot be comprehended by a normal human behind.

The fighter who wants to win must overcome a lot of fear, which includes the fear of getting hit on the face and body. This only gets done when the fighter gets pushed to the uncomfortable zone. Here all their vulnerabilities will get revealed for them to work on.

The weakness aspect of fighters must get tackled in the mental training. Slaying that demon is how a fighter maintained their natural presence in the ring without any weak showing to people and the opponent.

Mental behavior For a Winning mma fighter

A fighter must read the face, if they want to win the battle, they must inject fear into the opponent’s mind, when they see the opponent is pushing back or scared of the fight. Then the game plan worked.

The mental training also focuses on the fighters to be in a calm state and have a peaceful mind before the fight.

The entire MMA fight can be seen as a wild roller coaster of going through all the emotion in your brain. The only way a fighter can grab the win is by having a strong mental position before the fight.

Physical Training of MMA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgCIv6bp3XM

After the phase-in metal training, comes the part of physical training.

If the fighter has said some tough words in exchange with their opponent, they must have the strength and techniques to back up their claims. The body will receive all sorts of damage to get it ready for an average fight.

The training will differ for a championship round, where a match will go one for 25 minutes compared to a non-championship match where it will last for 15 minutes.

Every minute matters to the fighter and the amount of fuel they can burn-in. The physical training will help the fighter to learn how to use their strength properly in each round, so they will use the round based on techniques rather than just wild strength.

A fighter must be ready for everything. The chances are careless that they are going to win by knockout in the fire round. They have to be prepared for everything, matches can go on for 5 minutes or 25 minutes. Having that much strength will help the fighter to grab the victory.

●Cardiovascular Fitness

Here the fighters will have to develop endurance that pushes the body to last for 25 minutes of offensive and defensive action.

Each action they perform on the stage will take a severe toll on their body.

If this training is incomplete, then the fighter will run out of stamina for the fight pretty quickly.

A typical fight will go on for 15 minutes, a fighter has to train to handle all the minutes in the three-round fight if they ever want to last in a match without any suffering.

MMA Weightlifting and Resistance Training

The fighter needs to develop muscle groups for combat. They have to build strength to pack a slam after every move. All the fighters follow a normal weight lifting routine before the match. But most of them prefer to go through strength exercises to boost their condition.

Strongman exercise focuses on the entire body of the fighter. It is all about maintaining a perfect balance and focusing the power in the right direction.

If a fighter prefers wrestling or submission moves to take down their opponent, then they will need to get their upper body region up and ready. They will need strength to tackle the opponent to the ground without spending most of the fuel doing it.

●Flexibility Training

Here the fighters learn how to control their body effectively. That is why almost most of the fighters learn yoga to gain flexibility in their movement.

This will raise the defensive power of a fighter to take on wrestling and submission moves effectively without getting wound up in them.

An excellent defensive game will put fear in the opponent, as all of their attempts of submission and grabbing will fail miserably.

These are the training that boosts the strength, dexterity, and endurance of the fighter. Learning all of them will allow the fighter to execute their moves without showing any signs of tiresome or weakness on the face.

Controlling the body is how anyone wins the match, every move must be determined beforehand. The amount of energy must be decided before using it to execute a technique.

Disciplines of MMA

Skills are going to push the fighter to the edge. MMA is said to be the mix of Wrestling, Judo, Boxing, and various other sports to perfect the field. Mastering in MMA requires the fighter to learn major combative arts of mixed martial arts.

●Boxing

Executing proper punches with precision comes from boxing. Boxing also affects the stand-up game of a fighter, where they will learn about their position in the ring.

It also teaches the fighters to develop new skills for effective strikes without running the fuel. Another art a fighter learns from boxing is the art of dodging.

Moving away from an attack is how a fighter conserves fuel rather than taking all the hits on the body.

●Wrestling

Many fighters have a background in amateur wrestling because it teaches the fighter to control their body and observe the opponent’s body movement.

Mastering in wrestling will make the fighter’s defensive ability better and at the same time, they will be able to tell spaces in the opponent’s stance that can be used for a takedown.

Submission moves rely on wrestling to approach the target. Wrestling is to find the right time to strike and then the fighter can execute their submission move to force the opponent to tap out.

●Judo

Using the strength of the opponent against them is what Judo is all about. This is very much effective in grappling the opponent and performing submission moves. The knowledge of controlling the weight of the opponent to take them down on the ground is the art of judo teaches the fighter.

Judo helps the fighter to learn about balance and timing to perform certain techniques. A well-timed execution will put the fighter into a state of unconsciousness.

● Muay Thai Kickboxing

The art of dealing with devastating damage through kicks and knee attacks comes from this martial art style.

A well-executed kick to the body will leave a devastating strike and mark on the opponent’s skin. Muay Thai teaches fighters to deal with an effective strike that stuns the opponent.

Then using the stun time to deal more damage to the opponent until they hit the ground. Many fighters in the UFC have won the fight based on one muay Thai kick to the face of the opponent.

●Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)

BJJ is one of the popular variants of martial arts in the world.

Almost all the fighters grab the BJJ belt before stepping into the MMA ring. Many of the well-known legendary fighters have BJJ under their training session.

BJJ has a wide array of submission techniques that will put the opponent into a blackout for a short time.

Martial art is a game of execution of the right techniques at the right time.  Here the fighters will learn about armbars, leg locks, shoulder locks, and chocks to take over the opponent.

Conclusion

These are the rules and discipline that a fighter has to follow every single day before the fight. Mastering them is the only way fighters will be eligible to enter the fighting arena and win the match from the best of the best.

All the fighters who made it to the top league or are trying to break into that spot go through all the points mentioned above to get ready for what is about to come.

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