mixed martial arts

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS (MMA)

History of Mixed Martial Arts

During the last decade and a half, the martial arts community has seen radical new developments in its understanding of the realities of hand-to-hand combat and its approach to effective unarmed training. Beginning in 1993, martial artists were given a medium through which to test the effectiveness of their respective systems of combat: the No-Holds Barred (NHB) or Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event. Both martial artists and the general public had their first large-scale opportunity to witness this type of spectacle on November 12 of that year, with the pay-per-view broadcast of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The advent of the UFC was not, however, the first attempt at pitting one combative system (or martial art) against another to determine stylistic superiority. Quite the contrary, similar events have long, albeit scattered, history in modern society. What ultimately made the UFC and other similar events unique was a by-product of their prolonged existence: the development of a new combative system based on what was observed to be effective (and ineffective) under the virtually no-rules conditions that these events provided. This still-evolving system is known as mixed martial arts (MMA). What follows is both a discussion of the history of mixed-style contests, and an examination of important milestones in the development of the art of MMA following 1993; a period after which these types of contests were here to stay. Brief analysis will also be made of why such an evolution in martial arts would have been impossible in previous eras.

Though a variety of social conditions may exist within a culture that either aid or constrain the potential staging of MMA contests, there is one simple prerequisite that makes their existence a possibility: the development of distinct systems of unarmed combat. Under such social conditions, debate inevitably arises among the adherents of these systems as to their respective merits. Within western culture, these debates have often resulted in the staging of contests (under mutually favourable rules) in hopes of settling the issue.

At the turn of the twentieth century, the world of hand-to-hand combative arts in North America was much less stylistically diverse than it was to become in the decades after the Second World War. Owing to a predominantly Caucasian population base that had little exposure to Asian martial teachings, there were really only two major systems of unarmed combat in the West: wrestling and boxing. The last few decades of the nineteenth century had seen the development and popularization of the catch-as-catch-can wrestling system, and the subsequent diminution in popularity of other ethnic wrestling styles such as Graeco-Roman, Cumberland-Westmoreland, and Collar-and-Elbow. Simultaneously, owing to the widespread adoption of the Marquis of Queensbury rules, boxing was being refined at into the exclusively fistic art that we recognize today. Both systems were developing their own distinct rules of play, canon of acceptable techniques and, importantly, base of followers. Inevitably, debate arose over whether boxing or wrestling, under relatively neutral conditions, was the superior system of unarmed combat.

Examples of boxer versus wrestler matches staged during the first three decades of the twentieth century are myriad. Debate over the issue reached its apex when a match was proposed between Jack Dempsey and Ed "Strangler" Lewis, heavyweight champions of boxing and wrestling respectively, in the early 1920's. Though the contest did not ultimately materialize, considerable press was devoted to the subject in the daily sporting pages of newspapers across the continent.

A third combat system entered the debate over stylistic superiority in 1904 and 1905: jiu-jitsu. Early pioneers in the art began to arrive from Japan in hopes of testing their skills against domestic competition (while earning a few dollars in the process). These individuals included Taro Miyaki, Kiyose Nakae and Mitsuyo Maeda. Much like today's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or submission wrestling matches, jiu-jitsu contests of the era were only won when one of the contestants was rendered unconscious or forced to concede defeat.

Jiu-jitsu was often billed as a deadly bone-breaking art, giving it an air of mystery that helped to attract paying customers to jiu-jitsu versus boxer or jiu-jitsu versus wrestler contests. Between 1904 and 1930, approximately 90 such contests are known to have been held in North America, though likely this number was considerably higher.

After 1930, though boxing continued to retain its popularity with followers of sport, jiu-jitsu largely faded from the public eye. Wrestling, at least at the professional level, was also being transformed into the athletic entertainment spectacle that we now see today, with emphasis being given to histrionics instead of legitimate mat skill. In Brazil, however, significant events were occurring that would have important ramifications in North America over 60 years later.

Around 1914, Mitsuyo Maeda, a jiu-jitsu pioneer who had fought extensively in mixed-style contests, settled in Brazil as part of a program to help promote Japanese overseas colonization. Maeda began teaching his art of jiu-jitsu to residents of that country, and soon developed a sizeable body of students. One of his pupils was Carlos Gracie, who studied under the Japanese master for between two and four years. In 1925, he opened his own jiu-jitsu academy. Over the course of the next several years, Carlos and his brothers Jorge, Gastao, Oswaldo and Helio fought a number of mixed matches against boxers, wrestlers and other jiu-jitsu exponents. This tradition of mixed matches in Brazil continued for the next several decades, as new generations of the Gracie family, as well as their students, fought challenges against martial artists from a variety of systems. Other styles, geared toward this type of combat also developed in Brazil, the most notable of which was Luta Livre.

Back in North America, mixed matches were still held sporadically between boxers and wrestlers, though the outcomes of many of the matches may have been predetermined. On June 25, 1976, two mixed contests were held on the same day, one between Andre the Giant and Chuck Wepner in New York, and the other between Antonio Inoki and Muhammad Ali in Japan. Owing to the high profile of the contestants in the latter match, significant public attention was given to what would ultimately come to be considered one of the most boring match-ups in history.

Despite its lackluster outcome, the Inoki-Ali contest helped inspire members of the Japanese martial arts and wrestling community into developing a new fighting form that would be a precursor to present-day mixed martial arts: shootfighting. Unfortunately, shootfighting lacked a vehicle through which to adequately test its effectiveness. In the mid-1980's, a group of Japanese wrestlers with backgrounds in various combative arts founded the UWF "shoot" wrestling promotion for the purpose of staging authentic-looking bouts. Nevertheless, the results of these bouts remained predetermined, and an emphasis was still placed on ensuring drama in the matches. Several similar promotions also emerged in Japan between the creation of the UWF and the first broadcast of the UFC in November of 1993, though the authenticity of many of the matches they staged is likewise in question. It is important to note that these promotions did not focus on staging mixed-style matches per se, but instead on showcasing the new hybrid fighting style that was developing in Japan.

The modern era of mixed-style matches, of course, began with the staging of UFC I. The brainchild of Rorion Gracie, son of first-generation Brazilian jiu-jitsu pioneer Helio Gracie, the UFC sought to answer the dilemma that had been vexing martial artists since time-immemorial: Which system of unarmed combat, in an absence of (virtually) any rules, was the most effective? At the end of the night, following a single elimination tournament featuring representatives of kickboxing, sumo, shootfighting, boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ), the latter art, as practiced by Rorion's younger brother Royce, reigned supreme.

The UFC was widely criticized by members of the martial arts community on a variety of grounds. Some maintained that Rorion Gracie and UFC matchmaker Art Davie had 'stacked the deck' with sub-par competitors to ensure Royce's victory. Others attacked the octagonal ring itself, asserting that the soft flooring made it difficult for strikers to deliver their techniques. The more philosophically-minded claimed that such a display of physical barbarism was unbecoming of true martial artists. Through all the debate, however, one thing became apparent: the necessity of practical ground fighting skills in one-on-one combat. Each of Royce's fights had gone to the ground, and in every instance, his opponents had been rendered helpless and finished off with submission holds. Some, like the proverbial ostrich with its head in the sand, continued to deny the necessity of adding these skills to their repertoire, but thousands of others did not. By 1994, a jiu-jitsu craze was beginning to sweep across the martial arts world.

Early mixed martial arts events like Extreme Fighting and the World Combat Championship repeatedly re-enforced the seemingly invincible nature of BJJ. It wasn't long, though, before a second style of grappling rose to challenge jiu-jitsu's supremacy: wrestling. Despite lacking the submission skills possessed by their predecessors three generations earlier, top calibre freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers like Kenny Monday, Kevin Jackson, Mark Coleman and Mark Kerr quickly learned to thwart the arm bar and choke attempts of their BJJ rivals and deliver devastating "ground and pound" attacks. Soon, high ranking BJJ black belts including John Lewis, Amaury Bitteti and Fabio Gurgel were falling victim to the wrestler's wrath.

Clearly, the first few years of the MMA revolution were categorized by grapplers, be they jiu jitsu players or wrestlers, having a virtual monopoly on victory. Stand up striking skills, it was generally believed, had very little place in the mixed martial arts arena, being easily neutralized by quick clinches or takedowns. If a single individual can be credited with reversing this erroneous view, it was world kickboxing champion Maurice Smith. With three successive victories over grappling experts Marcus "Conan" Silviera, Kazunari and reigning UFC champion Mark Coleman, Smith proved that, provided they learned enough of the grappling game to weather the submission attempts or 'ground and pound' attacks, strikers could be extremely effective in the MMA arena as well.

By the end of the 20th century, athletes looking to compete in mixed martial arts events, having absorbed the lessons of seven years of exposure to this new medium of combat, were realizing that a well-rounded game consisting of solid wrestling skills, jiu-jitsu, boxing and kickboxing (particularly of the Thai variety) was the key to consistent success. The original concept of style-versus-style competition had become obsolete, as athletes incorporated specific elements of these different combative arts into their own personal fighting system. This new fighting system is now generally referred to, like the competition that spawned it, as mixed martial arts.

Though mixed martial arts competitions of varying forms have existed for many decades, the question that begs asking is why, given such a long history, did the distinct art of MMA only begin to evolve after 1993? Several possible explanations present themselves, though for the purposes of this discussion, attention shall be given to a single factor: technology. First, though mixed-style contests were held throughout the twentieth century, they occurred on an irregular basis and in a variety of geographic locales. After 1993, dozens of independent events and promotions, inspired by the success (and notoriety) of the UFC's international pay-per-view broadcasts, began holding regular cards across North America, Japan and Brazil. This gave interested persons a huge wealth of data from which to assess the efficacy of different fighting styles and strategies. They were aided in this regard by the ready availability of taped recordings of these events, allowing the type of detailed analysis that was impossible in the days before television, vcr's and dvd players. The popularization and expansion of the internet also aided in 'shrinking the world' so that anyone wishing information on training for mixed martial arts, could have ready access to it. Without such innovations, MMA as we know it today, would have been an impossibility.

Selected Sources and Suggested Reading

Burns, Martin. Physical Culture Wrestling, Omaha, Nebraska: Farmer Burns School of Wrestling, 1914.

Danaher, John and Renzo Gracie. Mastering Jujitsu. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics, 2003.

Hewitt, Mark.. Catch Wrestling: A Wild and Wooly Look at the Early Days of Pro Wrestling in America. Boulder, Colorado: Paladin Press, 2005.

Howe, Lilia. 'Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in Action,' in Inside Karate, California: CFW Enterprises, December 1998.

Howe, Lilia. 'Gracie Jiu-Jitsu: The Most Effective Martial Art in the World?' in Inside Karate. California: CFW Enterprises, January, 1989.

Jones, Halford E. 'Ju-Jitsu vs. Boxing and Wrestling,' in Strength and Health. York, Pennsylvania: Strenth and Health Publishing Company, 1972.

Jordan, Pat. 'Bad,' in Playboy Magazine, California: Playboy Enterprises, 1989.

LeBell, Gene, et. al. The Godfather of Grappling. Santa Monica, California: Gene LeBell Enterprises, 2003.

Pelligro, Kid. The Gracie Way. Montpelier, Vermont: Invisible Cities Press, 2003.

More Trivia

One of the earliest known Mixed-Style matches in North America pitting

American wrestling champion Frank Gotch against Jiu-Jitsu fighter Aoyagi

Bellingham Washington 1904

Jiu-Jitsu versus wrestling Winnipeg 1923

Jack Taylor was the Canadian heavyweight wrestling champion,

Taro Miyaki a leading exponent of Jiu-Jitsu who. ten years later fought

Helio Gracie in Brazil