Mixed martial arts

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Mixed Martial Arts ( English , for example: Mixed Martial Arts, MMA for short ) is a full contact martial art . MMA became popular in the early 1990s through the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the world's largest organizer of this type of tournament, and its broadcast on television.

The fighters use the punching and kicking techniques of boxing , kickboxing , Taekwondo , Muay Thai and karate as well as the ground fighting and ring techniques ( grappling ) of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu , wrestling , judo and sambo . Techniques from other martial arts are also used.

The main differentiator to other full-contact sports is that it is also possible to hit and sometimes kick in ground combat. This led to the ban on broadcasting MMA professional fights on German television in 2010, which was lifted in October 2014.

Principle and technology

Ground fighting

In this sport , which is still very young in Europe , all fighting distances - kicking, hitting, clinching, throwing and ground fighting are combined in a full contact sport, with as few restrictions as possible through rules.

The aim of MMA is to defeat the opponent in a fight until he gives up by "tapping", k. o. walks (passes out) or the referee breaks off the fight. A point win is also possible. In MMA, in contrast to classic wrestling, it is not important to fix the opponent with both shoulders on the floor. Even from the supine position you can still defeat the opponent.

In competitions , the fighters are divided into different weight classes.

Unlike many traditional kung fu or karate styles, mixed martial arts lacks forms or techniques that cannot be used directly in a fight. Likewise, because of the sporting nature, no pure self-defense techniques (finger stabs, hand edge strikes, nerve pressure, disarmament and weapon techniques) are trained.

history

Historical precursors

The wrestler Uffizi . A Roman copy of a lost Greek original. 3rd century BC
Pankratiast portrayed on a Roman relief. 2nd or 3rd century AD

From 776 to 720 BC The Olympic disciplines included mainly various types of running, until 708 BC. Rings was introduced. 688 BC Boxing was added to the Olympic disciplines. Boxing was a very popular sport in the Olympics and the question quickly came up: who is the best fighter? The boxer or the wrestler?

This question is the real birth of MMA sport. At first this sport was called pankration . In the year 648 BC This sport became Olympic (33rd Olympic Games). Pankration should finally answer the question of the best of all fighters, the best fighting styles. Pankration means something like "all the strength" or "all the strength". According to Greek mythology, Heracles and Theseus introduced this sport at the Olympic Games. However, some historians suggest that soldiers developed pankration as a kind of exercise for war. Other sources indicate that the Egyptians practiced pankration as early as 2600 BC.

The men were allowed to punch, kick and use all parts of their bodies when panking; also wrestle and continue the fight on the ground. From the beginning there were sporting rules. It was forbidden to stab or bite the eyes. The aim was to get the opponent to give up by all possible means. The fighting lasted until someone gave up by raising his hands, died, or the sun went down. Pankration fighters enjoyed a high reputation because the athletes had to master boxing and wrestling.

The first Olympic athletes were not amateurs, they were professional fighters. A pankration champion was paid very well, did not have to pay taxes, and was fed by the city.

In 393 AD, Emperor Theodosius ended the Olympic Games because they were incompatible with the Christian faith. In one form or another, however, the pankration battles survived. At different times by different names, the idea of ​​“finding the best of all fighters” lived on. In Provence, France, for example, there is a special type of wrestling called Brancaille , where punches are allowed. Such hybrid systems are also known from ancient Japan (with different Jiu-Jitsu styles), as well as the Luta Livre and Vale Tudo in Brazil .

Beginnings

Triangle

This long path led from ancient Greece via Brazil and the USA to Europe (around 1980). One of the first European countries where this sport (under the name Free Fight ) appeared was the Netherlands. Ten years later the MMA sport slowly began to become better known in Germany, also under the name Free Fight .

Differentiation from other martial arts

Guillotine choke

The development of MMA is closely linked to a series of Vale Tudo martial arts events in Brazil and the United States in the late 20th century. Competitions were held there to find “the best” martial arts and “the best” fighters. Fighters from a wide variety of fighting styles competed against each other, for example Jiu Jitsu , Karate , Taekwondo , Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu , Luta Livre or Muay Thai . These classic Vale Tudo events were fought without protective equipment and gloves. There was no time limit, scoring or weight classes in these fights.

Fighting techniques

In MMA / Vale-Tudo / Pancrase / Free Fight fights, knee and often elbow techniques up to head butts were and are allowed in addition to punching and kicking techniques. Even stamping kicks to the head of an opponent lying on the ground are usually not forbidden in the Vale Tudo. Only killing, attacking the eyes and / or genitals, biting and tearing the ears or nose is prohibited in almost all Vale Tudo fights. It is characteristic that the fight takes place both standing and on the floor. The modern MMA fights are similar to the ancient pankration fight. As with pankration, the traditional Vale Tudo also has the two options of winning the fight, forcing the opponent to surrender using lever or choking techniques, or k. o. incapacitate.

Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pride FC

Pride FC in Japan and UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) in the United States became known as the most professional events . In 2007 Pride FC was bought by the UFC owners and subsequently discontinued due to financial difficulties. In Japan, the more popular commercial events are now DREAM and Sengoku. While fighting in the boxing ring in the Japanese events, the fighting area of ​​the UFC is an octagon ( English octagon , octagon). Instead of ring ropes, the fighting area at the UFC is limited by a chain link fence. This type of fighting surface has prevailed in the majority of American MMA events. It is fought with thin gloves open to the fingers.

As a rule, the UFC fights three times for five minutes (five times for five minutes in title fights). In Pride, the first round was 10 minutes and the following rounds were 5 minutes each. There are weight classes and judges at these events. Many fights are, however, before the end of the entire fight time by lever or choke holds or by knockout or technical k. o. decided.

The athletes who compete in the MMA events today are all specialized in Vale Tudo or MMA fights. They train fighting while standing (mostly Thai boxing or Muay Thai ) as well as fighting on the floor (mostly Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu , wrestling ). Like professional boxers, professional fighters earn money through sponsors and advertising contracts. In recent years, the sale of T-shirts, sweaters and sportswear in particular has developed into a very profitable additional income for athletes.

Some of the better-known athletes who have signed up to MMA advertising companies include judoka Satoshi Ishii and wrestlers Randy Couture and Matt Lindland .

Development of the Shooto

A somewhat more restrictive variant of mixed martial arts fights is the Shooto , which originated in Japan . In the Shooto, the fighters wear thicker fistguards than, for example, in the UFC, and particularly injurious attacks are prohibited. The shooto has been enjoying rapidly growing popularity in Europe (especially in Scandinavia and the Netherlands) for several years, not least because the TV broadcaster Eurosport has broadcast some shooto events since summer 2005.

Shooto is a martial art that was launched by Satoru Sayama in Japan in the mid-1980s. Satoru Sayama, known to many under the name "Tiger Mask" from Japanese pro-wrestling, has spent most of his life playing martial arts such as muay thai, sambo, judo, karate and the so-called catch-as-catch-can-wrestling (Catch-wrestling) to train and study, and came to the decision to develop a global martial art that combines the most efficient techniques from the various areas. He called this martial art shooto. In 1986, the first amateur shooto event took place in Japan, and in 1989 Saturo Sayama was able to present the first professional fights to an interested audience.

"Shooto" consists of the Japanese words "shu" and "to" and translated means "learn to fight". Shooto matches take place in a ring, with two or three rounds of five minutes each. The number of rounds depends on the class of fighters. Shooto is divided into three classes:

  • Class A: professionals, 3 rounds
  • Class B: professionals, 2 rounds
  • Class C: Amateurs, only with protection

In 1996 the International Shooto Federation was founded. In the United States, Shooto matches are hosted by the Hook'n'Shoot and Superbrawl (Icon Sport) series of events.

MMA in Germany and Austria

Germany

The first MMA fights were organized in Germany around 1990/1991 as so-called Mix Fight Galas. Mix-fight galas feature different fighting styles, for example three boxing matches, followed by three kickboxing matches and three MMA matches in between.

The first MMA association was the Free Fight Association ; In 1994 it organized the first pure MMA event in Germany, followed by events in Austria and Switzerland. Since Free Fight is misleading as a name (because there were always rules), and since MMA was always used internationally, people in Germany also started using this name. The year 2000 was a new beginning for MMA. The adaptation of the rules to the Unified rules of MMA , which are used worldwide, began as a proposal for the local prosecutor of New Jersey, initiated by an accepted proposal for self-regulation by interested associations and companies.

On October 3, 2009, a commission of international martial arts experts, MMA and K-1 organizers and doctors developed the International Rules of MMA with the associated guidelines on the basis of the FFA regulations and became the standard for all official MMA amateur events in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, France and Switzerland. In addition to the scientific work of Holger Hoffmann (investigation of aggression values ​​taking into account sociological and sports-pedagogical aspects in fighting styles with hit effect) , the requirements in terms of rules, trainer and judge training also take into account the study of the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine.

The rules and experiences of the WKA, the MTBD, the WKN, the IPTA, the GBA, the Austrian MMA Association of the FFA, the FFA Swiss, the Shidokan-Karate and various other boxing associations were also taken into account.

The International Rules of MMA have been the standard for MMA events in the professional and amateur sector since 2009.

Through UFC events such as UFC 122 “Marquardt vs. Okami ”and the success of German series of events such as the Respect Fighting Championship , German MMA Championship (GMC), We Love MMA and, since February 2014, the Fair Fighting Championship (Fair.FC), after which Alan Omar and Nick Hein entered the UFC were appointed, as well as the regular participation of German athletes in the M-1 Challenge , KSW - Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki and Bellator Fighting Championships , the sport in Germany has received increased public interest since 2005 and has received increased media attention. Well-known German athletes are Nick Hein, Dennis Siver , Peter Sobotta (all UFC), Daniel Weichel (Bellator), Aziz Karaoglu (KSW) and Max Coga as well as Stephan Pütz (both M1).

The German Mixed Martial Arts Federation was founded in 2014 as the German representative of the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF).

Austria

In 1999 the Ettl brothers and Gerhard Dexer (the first Austrian MMA fighter) organized the first public MMA event. Then as now, in Austria the name “Free Fight” is preferred to “MMA” for chargeable events. This event in the Graz exhibition center with around 1000 spectators was one of the so-called old school events , that is, the three main fights were held without gloves and protective equipment. The fights were fought by Predrag Krsikapa, Gerhard Dexer and Michael Ettl.

In Austria there are currently four active organizations in MMA matters, on the one hand the Ettl brothers (Graz), who have become known especially recently as the organizers of the Cage Fight Series , Ismet Mandara (organizer and trainer in a sports school in Linz), the ISKA (a kickboxing association that has also been offering MMA since 2007) and the FFA-Austria. On October 3, 2009 in Cologne, the International Rules of MMA were established as the standard for all official MMA amateur and professional events in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, France and Switzerland (see also “Development in Germany”). In February 2010, seven organizers decided to use their own set of rules based on the International Rules of MMA and their own title structure in Austria. This structure can be found in the MMA Association Austria founded by Gerhard Ettl, Fritzreiber and Stefan Helmreich .

criticism

Violence and brutality are key words in the general criticism. The martial arts Free Fight is also controversial among martial arts associations, as the Rundschau of Swiss television reported. Roland Zolliker, the central president of the Swiss Karate Association, told the Rundschau: “There is nowhere to beat an opponent who is practically defenseless. I don't know any sport that allows that. That crosses a line. "

In an interview with Spiegel TV the chairman of the sports committee of the Bundestag, Peter Danckert , compared this type of fighting, which he would not call sport, with the "gladiator fights in ancient Rome during the persecution of Christians ".

Sam Vasquez died on November 30, 2007 , 42 days after falling into a coma from injuries sustained in a fight. This was the first death related to an MMA fight on United States territory. Two days after a fight in Kiev without a preliminary medical examination, American Douglas Dedge died on March 18, 1998 from serious brain injuries. A total of three people have died in this sport from the injuries suffered so far.

The fact that Nazi symbols were to be seen at MMA fight evenings in East Germany in particular , according to an article in Jungle World in Germany, the entire sport was discredited. As part of an extensive report, the journalist Karim Zidan judged: "Mixed martial arts provides a unique platform for white supremacists to promote their ideology and recruit new members."

Boxing commentator Werner Schneyder told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that “this madness” must be forbidden and otherwise “crippling and death consequences” should be accepted. Schneyder also explains to Stern-TV that this new sport came about only through the "failure of the protagonists". In addition, there is no precise limit to when a fight is over with "Ultimate Fighting".

In the same broadcast, high school teacher Gregor Herb, representing the MMA fighters, accused the critics of “not really having dealt with the sport.” He is not surprised that boxing fans in particular look critically at “Ultimate Fighting” because they are in the USA meanwhile MMA fights are more popular than boxing.

safety

Risk of injury

In a meta-analysis of the available injury data from MMA carried out in 2014 , the injury rate was calculated as 228.7 injuries per 1000 athlete exposures, with one athlete exposure corresponding to one athlete and one fight.

It is significantly higher than in other full contact martial arts such as judo (44.0 injuries per 1000 athlete exposures), taekwondo (79.4 injuries per 1000 athlete exposures), amateur boxing (77.7 injuries per 1000 athlete exposures) and professional boxing (171.0 injuries per 1000 athlete exposures).

Type of injuries

Injuries to the head (66.8% –78.0% of recorded injuries) and wrist or hand (6.0% –12.0% of recorded injuries) occur most frequently. Most injuries are superficial wounds (36.7% -59.4% of recorded injuries), followed by fractures (7.4% -43.3% of recorded injuries) and concussions (3.8% -20.4% of recorded injuries) .

Deaths

Main article: Fatalities in mixed martial arts contests

There have been six deaths in MMA fights since 2007.

The first was the death of Sam Vasquez on November 30, 2007. Vasquez broke shortly after a knockout by Vince Libardi in the third round of a fight on 20 October 2007 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, together. Vasquez had two surgeries to remove blood clots from his brain. Shortly after the second operation, he suffered a stroke and never regained consciousness.

The second was the death of Michael Kirkham . On 28 June 2010 he went on his first professional MMA fight knockout and did not regained consciousness. Two days later he was pronounced dead in the hospital.

The third was the death of Tyrone Mims on his amateur MMA debut on August 11, 2012. After a technical knockout in the second round, he stopped responding; he died in the hospital an hour later. However, it is unclear whether his death was a direct result of the fight, as there was no evidence of brain trauma or a concussion.

The fourth was the death of Booto Guylain . On February 27, 2014, he was knocked out in the last round by an elbow hit and was hospitalized for treatment. However, he did not recover and was pronounced dead after a week.

The fifth was the death of João Carvalho . On April 9, 2016, he was defeated by a technical knockout and a short time later admitted to hospital. He was operated on immediately, but died two days later.

The sixth was the death of Donshay White on July 15, 2017. After a technical knockout in the second round, he collapsed in his locker room. A short time later he was pronounced dead in the hospital. The cause of death was not disclosed.

Outstanding athletes or world champions

  • Fyodor Jemeljanenko (* 1976, Russia) - multiple heavyweight world champion
  • Brock Lesnar (* 1977, USA) - former UFC heavyweight champion
  • Anderson Silva (* 1975, Brazil) - longtime middleweight world champion of the UFC
  • Georges St-Pierre (* 1981, Canada) - fighter with the most victories and long-time welterweight world champion
  • Cain Velasquez (* 1982, USA) - two-time heavyweight world champion of the UFC
  • Ronda Rousey (* 1987, USA) - three years world champion in bantamweight
  • Mirko Filipović (* 1974, Croatia) - famous in Japan as an MMA and K-1 fighter
  • Jon Jones (* 1987, USA) - two-time light heavyweight world champion of the UFC
  • Conor McGregor (* 1988, Ireland) - the first UFC champion to hold two titles at the same time and to achieve the fastest knockout in the history of UFC championships
  • Khabib Nurmagomedov (* 1988, Dagestan, Russia) - Unbeaten in 28 fights, reigning lightweight champion and first Russian UFC champion
  • Mamed Khalidov (* 1980, Grozny, Russia) - middle and light heavyweight world champion of the KSW

literature

  • KM Ngai, F. Levy, EB Hsu: Injury trends in sanctioned mixed martial arts competition: a 5-year review from 2002 to 2007. In: British journal of sports medicine. Volume 42, Number 8, August 2008, pp. 686-689, doi: 10.1136 / bjsm.2007.044891 , PMID 18308883 .
  • R. McClain, J. Wassermen, et al. a .: Injury profile of mixed martial arts competitors. In: Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. Volume 24, number 6, November 2014, pp. 497-501, doi: 10.1097 / JSM.0000000000000078 , PMID 24451695 .

Web links

Commons : Mixed martial arts  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ What is MMA? In: groundandpound.de. February 27, 2014, accessed January 7, 2017 .
  2. ↑ Broadcasting ban imposed: Ultimate Fighting too brutal for television. In: n24.de. March 19, 2010, accessed January 7, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Court declares UFC television ban unlawful. In: ufc.com. January 8, 2015, accessed January 7, 2017 .
  4. ↑ NAC: CHAPTER 467 - UNARMED COMBAT. In: leg.state.nv.us. Retrieved January 7, 2017 .
  5. ^ Clyde Gentry: No Holds Barred: Ultimate Fighting and the Martial Arts Revolution . Milo Books, 2005, ISBN 978-1-903854-30-3 (English).
  6. ↑ http://www.welovemma.de/mixed-martial-arts ( Memento from October 11, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  7. ^ Michael B. Poliakoff: Martial arts in antiquity . Patmos Verlag GmbH + Co.Kg, 2004, ISBN 978-3-491-69110-0 .
  8. ↑ http://www.real-fight.org/mma.php ( Memento of December 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  9. ^ Official homepage of DREAM (Japanese).
  10. ↑ Mixed Martial Arts Unified Rules of Conduct (English)
  11. ↑ "Members" . IMMAF. Retrieved November 26, 2017
  12. ^ "Ultimate Fighting": Dispute over brutal event in Cologne. In: Spiegel Online Video. Retrieved January 7, 2017 .
  13. ↑ MMA fighter Vasquez this weeks after fight
  14. ↑ Joe Hall: The Death of Douglas Dedge. In: sherdog.com. December 7, 2007, accessed January 7, 2017 .
  15. ↑ Knud Kohr: knee to the skull. In: Jungle World , May 7, 2009.
  16. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/sep/11/far-right-fight-clubs-mma-white-nationalists
  17. ↑ FAS: “You have to forbid this madness”. In: FAZ.net . May 19, 2009. Retrieved January 7, 2017 .
  18. ↑ Stern-TV, May 27, 2009, 10:15 p.m.: Discussion on Ultimate Fighting: Brute force or pure martial arts?
  19. ↑ Brute force or pure martial arts? ( Memento from May 30, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  20. ^ A b Reidar P. Lystad, Kobi Gregory, Juno Wilson: The Epidemiology of Injuries in Mixed Martial Arts . In: Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine . tape 2 , no. 1 , January 22nd, 2014, ISSN  2325-9671 , doi : 10.1177 / 2325967113518492 , PMID 26535267 , PMC 4555522 (free full text).
  21. ^ A b Reidar P. Lystad, Henry Pollard, Petra L. Graham: Epidemiology of injuries in competition taekwondo: A meta-analysis of observational studies . In: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport . tape 12 , no. 6 , November 1, 2009, ISSN  1440-2440 , p. 614–621 , doi : 10.1016 / j.jsams.2008.09.013 , PMID 19054714 ( jsams.org [accessed June 7, 2020]).
  22. ↑ a b Joseph J. Estwanik, Marilyn Boitano, Necip Ari: Amateur Boxing Injuries at the 1981 and 1982 USA / ABF National Championships . In: The Physician and Sportsmedicine . tape 12 , no. 10 , October 1, 1984, ISSN  0091-3847 , p. 123-128 , doi : 10.1080 / 00913847.1984.11701972 , PMID 27177376 .
  23. ^ A b Injury Risk in Professional Boxing. Retrieved June 7, 2020 (American English).
  24. ^ A b Reidar P. Lystad, Kobi Gregory, Juno Wilson: The Epidemiology of Injuries in Mixed Martial Arts . In: Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine . tape 2 , no. 1 , January 22nd, 2014, ISSN  2325-9671 , doi : 10.1177 / 2325967113518492 , PMID 26535267 , PMC 4555522 (free full text).
  25. ↑ Amateur MMA fighter Donshay White dies in Louisville after collapsing in locker room. In: MMA Junkie. July 17, 2017, accessed June 7, 2020 .