A Brief History of Modern MMA
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a full contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques and skills (from a mixture of martial arts traditions and non-traditions) to be used in competition. The rules allow the use of both striking as well as grappling techniques, both while standing and on the ground. Such competitions allow martial artists of different backgrounds to compete.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competitions were introduced in the United States with the first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 1993. The sport gained international exposure and widespread publicity in United States in 1993 when Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter Royce Gracie handily won the first Ultimate Fighting Championship tournament, subduing three challengers in a total of just five minutes, sparking a revolution in the martial arts. Meanwhile Japan had its Shooto tournaments where fighter Rickson Gracie won in 1994 and 1995. These dominant performances maintained continued interest in the sport resulting in the creation of the Pride Fighting Championships in 1997, where again Rickson participated and won.
As a result of an increased number of competitors, organized training camps, information sharing, and modern kinesiology, the understanding of the combat-effectiveness of various strategies has been greatly improved. UFC commentator Joe Rogan has claimed that martial arts have evolved more in the ten years following 1993 than in the preceding 700 years. The early years of the sport saw a wide variety of traditional styles—everything from sumo to kickboxing—but the continual evolution of the sport saw many styles prove ineffective, while others proved successful on their own.
In the early 1990s, three styles stood out for their effectiveness in competition: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, amateur wrestling and submission wrestling. The fighters who combined amateur wrestling with striking techniques found success in the standing portion of a fight, whilst Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu stylists had a distinct advantage on the ground.Those unfamiliar with submission grappling proved to be unprepared to deal with its submission techniques. As competitions became more and more common, those with a base in striking became more competitive as they acquainted themselves with takedowns and submission holds, leading to notable upsets against the then dominant grapplers. Subsequently, those from the varying grappling styles added striking techniques to their arsenal. This overall development of increased cross-training resulted in the fighters becoming increasingly multi-dimensional and well-rounded in their skills. The changes were demonstrated when the original UFC champion Royce Gracie who had defeated many opponents using Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fought the then UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes at UFC 60 and was defeated by a TKO from ‘ground-and-pound‘. The sport had now come full circle, and MMA athletes were from then on not unlike decathletes – having to be well versed in numerous modern fighting styles to progress to the highest level.
MMA at Renegade.
At Renegade it is our aim to have every base covered when it comes to MMA training and conditioning. We open the doors with top quality BJJ and Wrestling coaches available at the facility every day. As we continue to grow we intend to bring a wide range of striking styles into the fold, making our fighters the complete athletes they should be before even thinking about stepping into the cage.
We also have a fully functional MMA strength and conditioning weights gym, made for fighters, by fighters.
So, if you are serious about what you do, you know where you need to be – at RenegadeMMA of course. Renegade is a full-time fighters gym, and whether you want to compete, just get fit, or be involved in the world’s fastest growing sport, we have everything you need to get there.
