Combat Sport: Discovering Mma In 5 Questions

Mixed martial arts, or MMA, still relatively unknown in France, are generating incredible enthusiasm around the world. If you've never heard of this combat sport as revered as it is criticized, we offer to decipher this phenomenon in 5 questions.

What is MMA?

MMA stands for Mixed Martial Arts. It is also known as freefight, combat libre, or mixed martial arts in French.

This combat sport blends various disciplines such as Muay Thai, wrestling, judo, and jiu-jitsu.

The sport, first legalized in Brazil in 1993, has been gaining an increasing number of followers worldwide.

What are the rules of MMA?

As their name suggests, mixed martial arts combine different fighting techniques. However, contrary to what one might sometimes imagine, not all strikes are allowed in this form of free fighting.

The rules of this sport are quite simple since two opponents face off in an octagonal cage, using kicks, punches, knees, and elbows. However, biting, headbutting, strikes to the spinal column, or hair pulling are not permitted.

Each fight consists of three to five rounds of 5 minutes each. The fight ends in case of a knockout, submission, or by the referee's decision.

What is the history of MMA?

This mixed discipline emerged in the second half of the 20th century, but was not legalized in France until June 2019.

The first men's tournament called the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC was held in Brazil in 1993. It was also during this time that the first rules were established, with prohibitions on eye gouging and biting.

It wasn't until 2012 that the UFC, the largest global organization in this discipline, introduced a women's category.

In just three decades, this combat sport, still little known in France, has become one of the most popular in the world. Fighters have a strong presence on social media with stars like American Jon Jones and Frenchmen Cédric Doumbé and Ciryl Gane.

What are the different weight classes in MMA?

In the early days of this sport, fighters would face off without any distinction of specialty or weight class. This lack of regulation sometimes led to unbalanced fights between competitors of different sizes.

That's why MMA fighters are now divided into weight classes like in most combat sports. They must weigh in the day before a fight to confirm the category in which they will compete.

In this combat sport, the following weight classes are recognized:
• Flyweight: under 57 kg.
• Bantamweight: under 61 kg.
• Featherweight: under 66 kg.
• Lightweight: under 70 kg.
• Welterweight: under 77 kg.
• Middleweight: under 84 kg.
• Light Heavyweight: under 93 kg.
• Heavyweight: under 120 kg.
• Super Heavyweight: no weight limit.

There are 8 categories for men and 4 for women, while there are 18 recognized in both men's and women's boxing.

What is the difference between boxing and MMA?

If you think MMA is like boxing, you're completely wrong! There are indeed several differences between these two sports.

While boxing is practiced with gloves, mixed martial arts fighters use mitts that don't cover the fingers. They don't compete in a square-shaped ring but in an octagonal cage.

But above all, the style of fighting is very different in these two sports. In boxing, hitting below the belt is prohibited. In mixed martial arts, this is allowed during judo throws or submission holds.

Because it blends many disciplines, with kicks and punches, wrestling, and ground strikes, MMA requires great technical skills and an extraordinary physical condition. It's a sport that is much more demanding and subtle than it appears.