First off, I will explain a little bit about the sport and answer some common questions.
[SIZE="2"]What is MMA?[/SIZE]
MMA, which stands for Mixed Martial Arts allows a wide variety of fighting techniques including traditional martial arts, and other fighting styles such as boxing and wrestling. The rules allow the use of striking and grappling techniques, both while standing and on the ground.
The most common styles that fighters have had success with so far have been: Muay Thai, Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, Judo, and Boxing. Some fighters such as Lyoto Machida and Georges St. Pierre have also had success incorporating Shotokan and Kyokushin karate.
[SIZE="2"]So is MMA the same thing as UFC?[/SIZE]
Yes and no. The UFC is not a sport, it is an organization that puts on MMA events. The same way that you wouldn't ask someone "so do you play NFL?", you shouldn't ask "so you do UFC?"
Are there really no rules?
This is a common misconception about MMA. While it is true that there were almost no rules at UFC 1 (in 1993), a long list of rules have been added since then. The UFC was sold to Zuffa in 2001, and they added several new rules in hope of making it into a legit sport. Now, all fights are sanctioned and regulated by the state's athletic commission.
What are the biggest MMA promotions?
The UFC is currently the largest MMA promotion in the world. Other notable promotions are Strikeforce, Dream, Affliction, and WEC. Pride FC, which was a Japanese organization, was at one time one of the most popular organizations in the world. After it was taken over by Zuffa, they stopped putting on events and it eventually died. Many of the creators of Pride went on to try to replace PRIDE FC by starting a new organization called Dream, which is still running today.
If you are interested in getting into MMA, you should take note of the WEC. The WEC showcases lighter weight fighters, and they hold free events that you can watch live on TV.
Do they use a cage or a boxing ring?
The UFC, WEC, and Strikeforce use octagonal shaped cages for their fights. Dream, Affliction, and most of the Japanese organizations use boxing rings.
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[SIZE="4"]Upcoming Events[/SIZE]
If this thread is successful, I will bump it whenever there is a big fight coming up and then I will post gifs the day after the fight. Obviously if not enough people are interested, I'll just let the thread die.
The next big MMA event is UFC 98, which is taking place this Saturday (tomorrow).
Rashad Evans (the light heavyweight champion) is taking on the currently undefeated Lyoto Machida.
Undercard fight to watch for: Pat Barry vs Tim Hague. Pat Barry is a highly accomplished kickboxer that recently switched over to MMA and he has looked very impressive in his first few MMA fights.
