Ever caught yourself wondering about the rules observed by MMA artists? What is the difference between UFC and MMA? Here are some answers to queries MMA beginners often ponder upon.
An Intro to MMA
Mixed Martial Arts or MMA is a combat sport that allows full contact borrowing techniques from martial arts and other combat sports. The indoor sport is played amongst two competitors of same gender inside a fighting ring or a cage. The sport is acknowledged worldwide with thousands of gyms and media dedicated to the growth of MMA. Moreover to develop upon the fighters’ styles and techniques organizations such as PRIDE and UFC have evolved MMA more in the last decade than in previous 700 years altogether.
UFC – A Platform for Rising MMA Stars
A promotional body, Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC arranges fights amongst MMA fighters all around the world. Also referred to as fight nights, UFC provides a platform for best artists to showcase their skills in much speculated fight events. There are around 40 events each year and artists have a chance of face off their opponents with same of different weight divisions.
UFC’S history
Founded in 1993, UFC is the largest promoter of mixed martial arts globally. It arranges fights amongst the most prominent sport figures that wrangle each other in eleven weight divisions abiding to Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. Today UFC fights are accessible on mainstream media making it as the most significant factor in the development of the sport.
Different Weight Divisions in UFC
|
Weight Division |
Minimum Weight (lbs.) | Maximum Weight (lbs.) |
| Strawweight | None | 115 |
| Flyweight | Above 115 | 125 |
| Bantamweight | Above 125 | 135 |
| Women’s Bantamweight | Above 125 | 135 |
| Featherweight | Above 135 | 145 |
| Lightweight | Above 145 | 155 |
| Welterweight | Above 155 | 170 |
| Middleweight | Above 170 | 185 |
| Light Heavyweight | Above 185 | 205 |
| Heavyweight | Above 205 | 265 |
MMA’s Most Famous Stars
The sport seems to be getting bigger with every passing day. And since MMA is not restricted by repetitive moves, it continues to give its fans an array of excitement with its borrowed techniques that are adopted by global artists within different weight divisions. MMA has produced phenomenal starts out of which most notable are Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Ronda Rousey, Anderson Silva and Jon Jones.
Rules of the Game
Here are the main rules of the sport.
- The fight is conducted in a fenced area or a ring.
- The fighters cannot fight unless they wear the protective mouthguard.
- Male players are to wear a groin protector while female artists are to wear chest protectors.
- Contestants are to wear MMA gloves weighing not less than 4 ounces. The gloves shouldn’t weight more than 6 ounces.
- Each fight consists of 5 rounds with 1-minute rest period in between each round. Every round’s duration is 5 minutes.
- The fights will be analysed by three judges from different positions around the ring. The referee may not be included in the judges.
- The judgement is based on the techniques used by the fighters, the strength of their defence and attack, and how they control the area on the ring. Each round is assessed against a total score of 10.
- If repeated fouls occur during the fight, the referee can disqualify the fighter from the game. There are 31 types of fouls including pulling hair, spitting and kicking the grounded rival.
