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

Mason Fowler

Source Mason Fowler (Wikipedia)

Mats Nilsson

Source Mats Nilsson (Wikipedia)

Matt Serra

Source Matt Serra (Wikipedia)

Max Holloway

Source Max Holloway (Wikipedia)

Megumi Fujii

Source Megumi Fujii (Wikipedia)

Mei Yamaguchi

Source Mei Yamaguchi (Wikipedia)

Miriam Nakamoto

Source Miriam Nakamoto (Wikipedia)

Mohsen Mohammadseifi

Source Mohsen Mohammadseifi (Wikipedia)

Murilo Bustamante

Source Murilo Bustamante (Wikipedia)

Nate Diaz

Source Nate Diaz (Wikipedia)

Nick Diaz

Source Nick Diaz (Wikipedia)

Niklas Bäckström

Source Niklas Bäckström (fighter) (Wikipedia)

Oli Thompson

Source Oli Thompson (Wikipedia)

Pat Miletich

Source Pat Miletich (Wikipedia)

Petr Yan

Source Petr Yan (Wikipedia)

Rafael dos Anjos

Source Rafael dos Anjos (Wikipedia)

Rafael Fiziev

Source Rafael Fiziev (Wikipedia)

Rafael Lovato Jr.

Source Rafael Lovato Jr. (Wikipedia)

Randy Couture

Source Randy Couture (Wikipedia)

Ray Sefo

Source Ray Sefo (Wikipedia)

Renan Barão

Source Renan Barão (Wikipedia)

Renato Sobral

Source Renato Sobral (Wikipedia)

Renzo Gracie

Source Renzo Gracie (Wikipedia)

Ricardo Almeida

Source Ricardo Almeida (Wikipedia)

Ricardo Arona

Source Ricardo Arona (Wikipedia)

Ricco Rodriguez

Source Ricco Rodriguez (Wikipedia)

Richie Vaculik

Source Richie Vaculik (Wikipedia)

Rickson Gracie

Source Wikipedia, Rickson Gracie

Rodolfo Vieira

Source Rodolfo Vieira (Wikipedia)

Rolles Gracie

Source Rolles Gracie Jr. (Wikipedia)

Ronaldo Souza

Source Ronaldo Souza (Wikipedia)

Ronda Rousey

Source Ronda Rousey, Wikipedia

Roy Nelson

Source Roy Nelson (Wikipedia)

Royce Gracie

Source Royce Gracie (Wikipedia)

Saulo Cavalari

Source Saulo Cavalari (Wikipedia)

Saulo Ribeiro

Source Saulo Ribeiro (Wikipedia)

Sayaka Shioda

Source Sayaka Shioda (Wikipedia)

Sergei Kharitonov

Source Sergei Kharitonov (Wikipedia)

Shinya Aoki

Source Shinya Aoki (Wikipedia)

Stipe Miocic

Source Stipe Miocic (Wikipedia)

Talita Alencar

Source Talita Alencar (Wikipedia)

Tank Abbott

Source Tank Abbott (Wikipedia)

Tito Ortiz

Source Tito Ortiz (Wikipedia)

TJ Grant

Source TJ Grant (Wikipedia)

Tom Niinimäki

Source Tom Niinimäki (Wikipedia)

Tony Ferguson

Source Tony Ferguson (Wikipedia)

Travis Fulton

Source Travis Fulton (Wikipedia)

Vagner Rocha

Source Vagner Rocha (Wikipedia)

Yair Rodríguez

Source Yair Rodríguez (Wikipedia)

Yoel Romero

Source Yoel Romero (Wikipedia)

Showing 101 to 150 of 151 in Played By, page 3 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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