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

Dricus du Plessis

Source Dricus du Plessis (Wikipedia)

Dustin Poirier

Source Dustin Poirier (Wikipedia)

Elvis Sinosic

Source Elvis Sinosic (Wikipedia)

Erik Paulson

Source Erik Paulson (Wikipedia)

Fabrício Werdum

Source Fabrício Werdum (Wikipedia)

Fedor Emelianenko

Source Fedor Emelianenko (Wikipedia)

Francis Ngannou

Source Francis Ngannou (Wikipedia)

Gabriel Gonzaga

Source Gabriel Gonzaga (Wikipedia)

Garry Tonon

Source Garry Tonon (Wikipedia)

Genki Sudo

Source Genki Sudo (Wikipedia)

George Sotiropoulos

Source George Sotiropoulos (Wikipedia)

Georges St-Pierre

Gina Carano

Source Gina Carano (Wikipedia)

Glover Teixeira

Source Glover Teixeira (Wikipedia)

Hayato Sakurai

Source Hayato Sakurai (Wikipedia)

Holly Holm

Source Holly Holm (Wikipedia)

Ilia Topuria

Source Ilia Topuria (Wikipedia)

Islam Makhachev

Source Islam Makhachev (Wikipedia)

Israel Adesanya

Source Israel Adesanya (Wikipedia)

Jacob Malkoun

Source Jacob Malkoun (Wikipedia)

Jarred Brooks

Source Jarred Brooks (Wikipedia)

Jeff Monson

Source Jeff Monson (Wikipedia)

John-Olav Einemo

Source John-Olav Einemo (Wikipedia)

Jon Jones

Source Wikipedia, Jon Jones

Jorge Gurgel

Source Jorge Gurgel (Wikipedia)

José Aldo

Source José Aldo (Wikipedia)

Josh Barnett

Source Josh Barnett (Wikipedia)

Julija Stoliarenko

Source Julija Stoliarenko (Wikipedia)

Justin Gaethje

Source Justin Gaethje (Wikipedia)

Kade Ruotolo

Source Kade Ruotolo (Wikipedia)

Kamaru Usman

Source Kamaru Usman (Wikipedia)

Katja Kankaanpää

Source Katja Kankaanpää (Wikipedia)

Kayla Harrison

Source Wikipedia, Kayla Harrison

Ken Shamrock

Source Ken Shamrock (Wikipedia)

Kenny Florian

Source Kenny Florian (Wikipedia)

Khabib Nurmagomedov

Source Wikipedia, Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khamzat Chimaev

Source Khamzat Chimaev (Wikipedia)

Kōji Kitao

Source Kōji Kitao (Wikipedia)

Lana Stefanac

Source Lana Stefanac (Wikipedia)

Lucas Barbosa

Source Lucas Barbosa (martial artist) (Wikipedia)

Luke Zachrich

Source Luke Zachrich (Wikipedia)

Lyoto Machida

Source Lyoto Machida (Wikipedia)

Makwan Amirkhani

Source Makwan Amirkhani (Wikipedia)

Mamed Khalidov

Source Mamed Khalidov (Wikipedia)

Marek Bujło

Source Marek Bujło (Wikipedia)

Mário Sperry

Source Mário Sperry (Wikipedia)

Mark Coleman

Source Mark Coleman (Wikipedia)

Mark Kerr

Source Mark Kerr (Wikipedia)

Mark Robinson

Source Mark Robinson (martial artist) (Wikipedia)

Masakazu Imanari

Source Masakazu Imanari (Wikipedia)

Showing 51 to 100 of 151 in Played By, page 2 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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