Sport

Mixed Martial Arts

Combat Sports

Mixed martial arts, commonly abbreviated MMA, is a full-contact combat sport that allows a broad range of striking and grappling techniques drawn from boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, muay thai and other disciplines, contested in a caged or roped arena under a unified set of rules. The sport grew rapidly in popularity from the 1990s onward, led by organizations such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and is now sanctioned by athletic commissions in many countries though it remains outside the Olympic program. Its modern form traces back to early no-holds-barred style tournaments designed to test which fighting discipline was most effective against another.

Facts

Partially Attested

Originating Region

United States 1

Earlier related contact sport traditions are recorded in Brazil (vale tudo, 1920s) and Japan (shoot wrestling, 1970s); the codified modern sport began with the founding of the UFC in the United States in 1993, consistent with the origin-year already on file.

Origin Year

1993 1

International Governing Body

International Mixed Martial Arts Federation 1

Contact Level

Full Contact 1

Classification

Olympic Programme Status

Not an Olympic Sport 1

Connections

Associated With

Boxing

Source Mixed martial arts, Wikipedia

Judo

Source Mixed martial arts, Wikipedia

Muay Thai

Source Mixed martial arts, Wikipedia

Wrestling

Source Mixed martial arts, Wikipedia

Featured In

ONE Championship

Source ONE Championship (Wikipedia)

Pride Fighting Championships

Source Pride Fighting Championships (Wikipedia)

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Source Ultimate Fighting Championship (Wikipedia)

Played By

Ailín Pérez

Source Ailín Pérez (Wikipedia)

Aisling Daly

Source Aisling Daly (Wikipedia)

AJ Agazarm

Source AJ Agazarm (Wikipedia)

Alberto Mina

Source Alberto Mina (Wikipedia)

Alex Chambers

Source Alex Chambers (Wikipedia)

Alexa Grasso

Source Alexa Grasso (Wikipedia)

Alexander Volkanovski

Source Alexander Volkanovski (Wikipedia)

Alexandre Ribeiro

Source Alexandre Ribeiro (Wikipedia)

Alexis Davis

Source Alexis Davis (fighter) (Wikipedia)

Alistair Overeem

Source Alistair Overeem (Wikipedia)

Amanda Nunes

Source Wikipedia, Amanda Nunes

Amanda Ribas

Source Amanda Ribas (Wikipedia)

Amaury Bitetti

Source Amaury Bitetti (Wikipedia)

American Kickboxing Academy

American Top Team

Anderson Silva

Source Wikipedia: Anderson Silva

André Galvão

Source André Galvão (Wikipedia)

André Pederneiras

Source André Pederneiras (Wikipedia)

Antônio Braga Neto

Source Antônio Braga Neto (Wikipedia)

Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira

Source Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (Wikipedia)

Augusto Mendes

Source Augusto Mendes (Wikipedia)

B.J. Penn

Source B.J. Penn (Wikipedia)

Baret Yoshida

Source Baret Yoshida (Wikipedia)

Bas Rutten

Source Bas Rutten (Wikipedia)

Benson Henderson

Source Benson Henderson (Wikipedia)

Bibiano Fernandes

Source Bibiano Fernandes (Wikipedia)

Billy Evangelista

Source Billy Evangelista (Wikipedia)

Bob Sapp

Source Bob Sapp (Wikipedia)

Brent Primus

Source Brent Primus (Wikipedia)

Bryan Baker (fighter)

Source Bryan Baker (fighter) (Wikipedia)

Cain Velasquez

Source Cain Velasquez (Wikipedia)

Caol Uno

Source Caol Uno (Wikipedia)

Carlos Eduardo Rocha

Source Carlos Eduardo Rocha (Wikipedia)

Carlos Lemos (fighter)

Source Carlos Lemos (fighter) (Wikipedia)

Carlos Newton

Source Carlos Newton (Wikipedia)

Chalid Arrab

Source Chalid Arrab (Wikipedia)

Charles Oliveira

Source Charles Oliveira (Wikipedia)

Chris Weidman

Source Chris Weidman (Wikipedia)

Chuck Liddell

Source Chuck Liddell (Wikipedia)

Colleen Schneider

Source Colleen Schneider (Wikipedia)

Conor McGregor

Source Conor McGregor (Wikipedia)

Cristiano Marcello

Source Cristiano Marcello (Wikipedia)

Cyrille Diabaté

Source Cyrille Diabaté (Wikipedia)

Daniel Cormier

Source Daniel Cormier (Wikipedia)

De'Alonzio Jackson

Source De'Alonzio Jackson (Wikipedia)

Dean Lister

Source Dean Lister (Wikipedia)

Demetrious Johnson

Source Demetrious Johnson (Wikipedia)

Demian Maia

Source Demian Maia (Wikipedia)

Denis Kang

Source Denis Kang (Wikipedia)

Dillon Danis

Source Dillon Danis (Wikipedia)

Showing 1 to 50 of 151 in Played By, page 1 of 4.

In the Other Atlases

Found In

North America

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources

1. Mixed martial arts, Wikipedia

History section
the founding of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) promotion company in 1993
Infobox
On November 2025, seeking the olympic inclusion of MMA, founded the Federation of International Mixed Martial Arts as international governing body.
Modern MMA section, two origins
Modern mixed martial arts began in two places: the vale tudo events in Brazil in 1920s, and Japan's Shoot wrestling in 1970s.
Infobox: contact
Full contact
entity record, description (olympic-status)
The sport grew rapidly in popularity from the 1990s onward, led by organizations such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and is now sanctioned by athletic commissions in many countries though it remains outside the Olympic program.
Associated With: Judo, Lead paragraph
In Brazil there was a phenomenon called vale tudo, an early form of modern MMA, which became known for unrestricted fights between various styles such as judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, catch wrestling, Luta Livre, Muay Thai and capoeira.
Associated With: Muay Thai, Lead paragraph
In Brazil there was a phenomenon called vale tudo, an early form of modern MMA, which became known for unrestricted fights between various styles such as judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, catch wrestling, Luta Livre, Muay Thai and capoeira.
Associated With: Boxing, History, Bartitsu
Combining catch wrestling, judo, boxing, savate, jujutsu and canne de combat
Associated With: Wrestling, History, Bartitsu
Combining catch wrestling, judo, boxing, savate, jujutsu and canne de combat
In Group: Mixed and General Martial Arts, Lead
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact combat sport based on striking and grappling, incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world.

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