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Mixed Martial Arts, also known as MMA is a fierce, full-contact combat sport where opponents can strike as well as grapple with each other using techniques from various forms of martial arts. It is widely regarded as one of the more brutal forms of combat sport. Although the sport only burst onto the scene in the nineties, its meteoric rise to the top of the global sports market has been nothing short of sensational.
The sport gained eminence following the birth of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the premier organization in Mixed Martial Arts in the world; so much so that the uninitiated often confuse UFC and MMA to be the same. But how did the success come about? What draws people to this violent form of competition, making it one of the greatest sports of all time?
Over the years, with some changes in the rules of combat, MMA has evolved into a mainstream combat sport and urbanized itself into a tremendously flourishing industry, almost taking over the prestigious and widely renowned sport of boxing. Mixed Martial Arts is now globally regarded as one of the most popular and exponentially growing sports.
Let's take a look at the five reasons that made MMA the most followed combat sport in the world.
#5 The ‘gladiator’ connection
Historically, no form of physical competition is more glorified than that between the gladiators of Rome? The Colosseum was the ultimate venue of thrilling entertainment in Rome, and the masses thronged in thousands to witness the combat and the bloodshed that came with it. While they do not fight to the death, Mixed Martial Artists do remind us of the old gladiator age; two people using all their mental and physical resilience to come out victorious in the rawest form of competition ever known to man.
As humans, we are competitive by character and competing to find out who is better is a feature that has been a part of human society since time immemorial.
#4 The UFC exposure
The raison d'être behind the escalation and accomplishment of MMA has been the fact that the sport has enjoyed more exposure thanks to the UFC who organized the sport by revamping the rules and removing the less palatable elements of many of their fights, and introducing the five-minute rounds. Earlier, MMA was considered to be too violent and was banned in many states in the US. These changes allowed MMA to gain the required amount of exposure and also established it as a legitimate sport.
#3 An amalgamation of various Martial Arts
What gives MMA the vital edge over all other combat sports is the fact that Mixed Martial Arts, as the name suggests, combines various forms of martial arts and incorporates all of it in one sport. Essentially, MMA is a perfect blend of bare-handed martial arts and combat sports involving both standing and striking techniques along with grappling and fighting on the ground. The various martial arts disciplines an average mixed martial artist requires to learn involves Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, wrestling, judo, sambo, karate, etc. Fans are usually drawn to its incredible mix of athleticism and danger and the requirement to always be aware of one’s surroundings.
#2 Clever promotion and marketing
While the development of most sports is driven by the athletes and a governing body, MMA is essentially a media powered sport developed to appeal to mass audiences. The UFC has driven MMA into the mainstream, utilizing a proactive and aggressive strategy to cater the sport to new markets.
MMA follows the footsteps of boxing, promoting trash-talking between fighters to garner interest and publicize events. MMA is also marketed as the most brutal, challenging and raw form of combat between humans, making it sound like a huge spectacle to fight fans around the globe.
#1 The Mystic Mac
They say no man can be bigger than a sport, but surely Conor McGregor will beg to disagree. The Irishman single-handedly brought the UFC and modern MMA on the map. The mercurial and outspoken McGregor, apart from being a fierce fighter and an incredible competitor, also knows how to draw crowds. Leave alone fights, even his press conferences run to packed houses.
When competing, McGregor mints money for himself as well as the organization which makes unbelievable pay per view numbers whenever his name flashes on the card. Hate him or love him, you just cannot ignore the first two-division world champion in UFC history. Such is his charisma; he was able to successfully transcend from MMA to boxing, managing to secure a multi-million dollar pay-day and a debut dance with one of Boxing’s greatest, Floyd Mayweather.
Fans are attracted to his cocky predictions on the outcomes of his fights and his much-famed trash talk as he tries to get inside the head of his opponents. Many liken him to the boxing legend Muhammad Ali because of his skills on the microphone while some compare him to Martial Art great Bruce Lee thanks to his unorthodox fighting style inspired by Bruce’s ‘Jeet Kun Do’ form of combat.
