In The Mix: The Most-Used Styles in MMA

Editorial by Colin Patterson

Mixed martial arts is unique. It's a combat sport that unites the advantages of several martial arts, and this makes it not only spectacular and fun to follow but exciting and entertaining as well. As its name clearly shows, it is "mixed", meaning that the athletes stepping into the ring are using a variety of styles combined in order to take down, knock out, and submit their opponents as efficiently as possible. The fights have three pretty distinctive stages - standing up, bringing down, and forcing the opponent into submission. Here are the styles most fighters use in every stage.

Stand up

Boxing is not only the most popular combat sports for betting but it's a vital component of many MMA fights. For many fighters, boxing is at the basis of their strikes, accounting for a large number of punches, knockdowns, KOs, and TKOs in their matches. Other combat sports that have lent many of their techniques to MMA fighters are Muay Thai boxing and kickboxing (developed from a merger of Muay Thai and karate). These are very versatile techniques that widely cover the use of all four limbs (all eight in the case of Muay Thai, including the knees and the elbows) at every range - short, medium, and long.

Groundwork

While today fighting on the ground is no longer as popular as it was in the earlier years of MMA, bringing the fight to the ground level is still a very important part in many fights. To do so, MMA fighters use techniques learned from several well-known martial arts like wrestling and Judo. Wrestling is a respected style in MMA because of its explosive movements and effective takedowns, aimed especially at the feet. Judo, in turn, is great at shoulder throws and grappling while standing up, and this makes them - and their variants, like Sambo (the Russian version of Judo), freestyle and American folk wrestling - popular among MMA fighters.

Submission

Judo and Sambo are also among the specialties of several successful MMA fighters. They are useful not only in bringing the opponent to the ground but in holding them there, forcing them into submission. Many MMA personalities hold degrees in them, and use them with success in the ring. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the basis of MMA - literally, as it is a combat sport that focuses especially on ground fighting. Figuratively, too, as Rorion Gracie, one of the co-founders of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, is a BJJ Grand Master himself. His brother Royce won the first and second UFC tournaments, shedding light on the importance of ground fight (and, indirectly, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) in a mixed martial arts fight.

Article views: 369
» Donate to this author

Editorial Staff
Tycoon Times Discussion

MMA Tycoon
MMA Chat Room
MMA Forum