Sports: MMA

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact, combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques from a mixture of martial arts traditions to be used in competitions. The rules allow the use of striking and grappling techniques, both while standing and on the ground. Modern mixed martial arts competition emerged in 1993 with the founding of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Based on finding the most effective martial arts for real unarmed combat situations, competitors of various arts were pitted against one another with minimal rules or concern for safety.