Mixed martial arts is a full-contact sport. Practiced in a similar fashion to wrestling, MMA allow a variety of martial arts to be used in each fight. The most popular MMA today is the Ultimate Fighting Championships, UFC. When founded in 1993 the goal of UFC was to find the most effective martial art form for unarmed self-defense. Since then, it has become one of the most viewed forms of wrestling on TV and live in the US. No-holds-barred events have taken place throughout human history, but combining fighting forms did not happen until Bruce Lee popularized his "mixed martial arts" in the 60's. UFC gained popularity in its first competition in 1993 when Jiu Jitsu fighter Royce Gracie (of the famous Brazilian Gracie fighting family) took out 3 challengers in 5 minutes. Though a popular spectator sport for years, MMA was only recently legitimized as it's own style. In November 2005, the US Army began to sanction mixed martial arts at its Combatives Championships. In many w ays, mixed martial arts are more like wrestling than traditional Asian fighting forms. The UFC's heavyweight championships sit along side the biggest boxing matches of all time as the biggest PPV sellers. Some rules do exist for the safety of fighters: there are weight classes, open-finger gloves are worn, rounds are restricted to 5 minutes, and if fighters are not advancing in the round the referee can stand them up. No elbow policies exist for amateurs, and head butts are universally banned. The judges or the referee can declare a victor when time has elapsed, a competitor can no longer defend himself, or there is an injury strong enough to call the doctor. Of course, throwing in the towel is an automatic loss, and a knockout guarantees a win. UFC commentators, fans, and participants claim that martial arts have evolved more in the last 15 years than in the hundreds preceding them. Many argue, however, that mixed martial arts are not actual martial arts at all. They are su rely combat techniques, but nothing about MMA can qualify as art. Get MMA and other martial arts trophies for all your champion fighters!
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