Mixed martial arts, or MMA, is a sport that mixes several different styles of martial arts in a competition between two trained athletes, where the winner is determined by a knockout, a submission, or a judge's decision.  The standard combination of martial arts styles consists of one part striking (boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai) and one part grappling (wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu).  Just as there are several different leagues that represent the sport of American football (NFL, CFL, XFL, etc.), there are several different MMA "leagues" including UFC, IFL, Pride, EliteXC, Affliction, etc.  The UFC is probably the most well-known and recognizable, largely because of its expansion onto non-pay-per-view TV and reality shows. 

The UFC started in the early 1990s as a competition to determine the "best" style of martial arts.  To level the playing field, there were no rules (a.k.a. "no holds barred").  The sport quickly deteriorated into a spectacle and was condemned by detractors (especially Arizona Senator John McCain) as a brutal blood sport, comparable to human cockfighting.  Things went downhill until no state would legally sanction an MMA fight, at which point things went underground.  In the late 1990s, the UFC changed ownership and worked with several state athletic commissions (the legal bodies that either allow or deny sporting events to take place) to decide upon a universal set of rules for the sport.  The rules were minimal, but highly effective at minimizing serious injury and making the sport more of a sport and less of a show.  This change essentially paved the way for the sport's vast (though not total) public acceptance. 

Today, many newscasters and public figures still criticize the sport for being too brutal and barbaric, citing the "human cockfighting" argument from 15 years ago.  I've heard people say that we're a civilized society, so there's no place for a violent, bloody sport that looks like it's from ancient Olympic times.  People are even further outraged to learn that children can sometimes compete in MMA competitions.  Won't someone please think of the children? 

I'm personally a fan of MMA.  I think it's an entertaining sport that takes a lot of skill to practice, and I admire the men and women who do so.  When somebody can solve a math problem that I can't solve, I'm not that impressed.  But when somebody can take a punch and deliver a kick in return, I'm impressed.  The level of skill involved in MMA has grown exponentially from when it started, and the expertise and stamina of the athletes is nothing short of amazing.  It used to be that any old Joe could get in the cage and have at it.  But these days, competitors need to rise up through the ranks of the local and state competitions in the hopes of making it to the big leagues.  "Punching hard" or "being in shape" are no longer the only criteria for entry. 

On a more philosophical level, I feel that MMA is almost hard-coded into our genes.  Maybe not MMA specifically, but certainly some form of combat.  The varying accounts of our planet's first human beings always contain some sort of physical conflict.  Using the Bible's examples, Cain killed Abel, Jacob wrestled with God, and David slung a rock at Goliath.  I'm not saying that violence is a good thing, but it seems to be part of who we are.  The ancient Greeks were perhaps the first people to turn fighting into a sport, and this was the basis of the Olympic games.  But that fighting often ended in death, which isn't good for either competitor.  Only today have we taken the positive aspects of fighting -- the competition, the physical strength, the technique -- and turned it into an activity that's meant to be just that -- an activity.  It's a sport, not a fight.  It's a competition, not a death match. 

So to say MMA is barbaric and violent is to miss the point.  All sports are violent.  Only in American football do 300-lb athletes run into each other head first at full speed, only to do it again and again, hundreds of times per game.  Only in baseball are athletes permitted to throw a 5-oz ball 90 mph at an opponent and hope to hit a 2-foot wide target just to the left or right.  Only in soccer do athletes form a human wall 10 meters from the ball, using only their hands to protect their "vitals", in the hopes of stopping a 60-mph ball kicked by an opponent. 

My point is that all sports are barbaric in their own way, yet we love them.  Sports are a national pastime and even an identity in some places.  The fact that MMA's violence comes in the form of punches, kicks, joint locks, and strangle holds shouldn't detract from its value as a sport.  I will, however, concede that the sport is not for all spectators.  It's violent, bloody, and looks painful.  But once you understand the fact that it's an athletic competition and not a personal fight, you'll get a better idea of why it became a sport in the first place. #sports