Today MMA is a popular, expensive and spectacular sport that has easily conquered the world
It is undeniable that MMA is by far the most popular, expensive and spectacular sport that has conquered the world. Essentially, “mixed martial arts” – MMA, is a sports fight using various wrestling techniques and power punches and kicks. It is still not clear what attracts the attention of fans and fans more – a bloody ruthless show, an uncompromising fight or a sporting excitement. Whatever it is, here are some interesting facts prepared by the MMAONLINE portal from the history of MMA.
1. The origins of MMA
This enterprise was conceived and created in the 90’s and was advertised as fighting without any rules. The exceptions were literally a few bans. In the minimum set of restrictions were stipulated trivial bites and intentional damage to the eye sockets. It may seem surprising, but until 1912, competitors were not divided by weight characteristics, that is, there were no weight categories.
The first tournament, created by the famous UFC, was held in America in 1993. The prize money of the winner was fifty thousand dollars and attracted more than three thousand fans in the hall. The fights were broadcasted on TV and gathered quite a sum for those years. Little by little the UFC reforms removed the total bloody brutality in this martial art form, the fees and popularity increased, and we ended up with a new sport that is governed by strict rules for fights.
2. The first fatality after the fight
Statistically, not a single MMA fight has ever ended in the death of an athlete in the octagon. However, there was registered the first death of American fighter Sam Vasquez in 2007, after he was knocked out. After losing consciousness, he was rushed to the hospital, where he stayed for a month. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to save 35-year-old Sam’s life. However, this fatal knockdown was, unfortunately, only the first, but not the last in the history of UFC tournaments. More than once medics diagnosed the athletes with brain hemorrhages due to craniocerebral injuries, strokes or sudden cardiac arrest.
3.New York is the last state in America to resist MMA
Interestingly, in the country where this type of martial arts emerged, New York was the only state to impose a ban on competitions at the height of MMA’s popularity in 1997. This was due to the fact that the authorities saw the athletes’ martial arts as promoting violence. It took almost 20 years to adopt some changes in the competition rules to eliminate the bloodshed and the extreme cruelty of the fights. It concerned the bans on kicking the head of the opponent who had fallen to the ground, as well as blows to the groin.
Not without reason at the time, fights were compared to “cockfights. And now, in 2016, after certain measures were taken during the fights, the restriction of this sport in the state was lifted. As studies conducted by experts have shown, injuries to athletes in MMA fights after the introduction of strict rules, are no higher, and in some cases, significantly lower, than in other, long-standing sports (e.g., boxing and wrestling).
4.The highest-paid MMA fighters in 2018 according to the UFC
Currently, the list of the richest MMA athletes is confidently headed by Irish fighter Conor McGregor. For each appearance in the cage, the average fee of “Notorious” (that’s his nickname in sports circles) equals approximately one million dollars. For the lost fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor’s cash reward was three million.
The next MMA fighter literally breathing down the winner’s neck is Khabib Nurmagomedov. “Eagle” was supposed to get two million dollars for the fight he won with the Irishman, but because of the incident after the fight, the amount of the fee may be reduced by up to 20%.
5.The emergence of women’s MMA
Due to the emergence of some severe restrictions in the rules of the fights, the beautiful half of the sport also became interested in the sport. It became an alternative to the previously existing purely female sports and attracted a large number of spectators. Strength and femininity went side by side. Women’s fighting brought grace and beauty to the sport. It lasted until the Brazilian competitor Cristian Santos appeared in the cage. As popular sports publications wrote about her, “a rumbling mixture of a woman and a fighting machine all in one”. The nickname she was given, “Cyborg”, was quite justified. In the summer of 2009, the 24-year old Christian was crowned champion and has since been considered the unrivaled leader among women in MMA combat sports.
6.The main paths that will lead to victory in MMA
Surrender of the opponent, which consists in refusing to continue the fight. This can be a reluctance to suffer a serious injury, an inability to endure the pain through force, when the last strength is running out and the opponent confidently starts a series of knockout blows. The refusal or termination of the fight may be declared by the fighter himself, members of his team or the referee, when the defeated fighter is unconscious.
The technical knockout, which is usually announced after three knockdowns, also leads to the termination of the fight.
Fighting in the first position, imposing his opponent’s version of the fight.
