| The Mixed Martial Arts or MMA is a very new sport. In | | | | terms of safety rules. An example was when the |
| fact the first UFC or Ultimate Fighting Championship | | | | Japanese started getting involved. Later additional |
| event didn't take place until 1993. Never the less, this | | | | safety rules were added so the mainstream would be |
| sport is growing at an amazing rate, and fighters are | | | | more accepting to the sport. Rick Blume in 1995 was |
| joining MMA Competitions now that have backgrounds | | | | the person who originally came up with the term Mixed |
| in a wide array of other Self Defense disciplines, from | | | | Martial Arts. Now the sport can even be watched on |
| Muay Thai, Kempo, American Kickboxing and | | | | Pay Per View and rivals sports like Boxing and |
| Wrestling. So MMA is a mix of all disciplines and is | | | | Wrestling. |
| considered a full contact combat athletic event. | | | | MMA started because true Martial Artists wanted to |
| Full Contact combat sports events have been | | | | perfect a discipline to be used for real battle scenarios |
| recorded as early as 648 BC in the Olympic Games | | | | when no weapons were available. So what turned |
| put on by the Greek Pankration. Eventually in the | | | | from this quest is now an International Sport and is |
| 1800's, England started their own MMA Competitions. | | | | now respectively a form of Martial Arts in and of itself. |
| People use grappling and striking techniques with the | | | | In November of 2005 even the U.S. Army Got |
| Mixed Martial Arts. Also various contests between the | | | | involved. The U.S. Army Combatives School held their |
| Pacific Rim, Europe and Japan took place in the early | | | | first annual Army Combatives Championships. The |
| 1900's. Brazilians used to publicly engage in this as a | | | | IFFCF does have specific rules to be followed in this |
| form of circus act. However they didn't get paid much | | | | sport, however they can vary somewhat between |
| and just did it because they loved the sport so much. | | | | competitions. |
| When Mixed Martial Arts started there was little in | | | | |