This guide covers what you need to understand MMA, follow it or start training. Each section links to a more detailed page.
What is MMA?
Mixed martial arts is a combat sport that allows strikes with the fists, feet, knees and elbows as well as grappling: takedowns, control on the ground and submissions. Two fighters meet in a cage, the Octagon in the UFC, or in a ring depending on the promotion.
What sets MMA apart is the transitions. A fighter has to strike at range, wrestle when pressed against the fence, get back up or attack once the fight hits the mat. A single weak area is enough to lose.
Where MMA comes from
Mixing styles is an old idea. Pankration at the ancient Olympics combined wrestling and striking. In Brazil, vale tudo, “anything goes”, pitted jiu-jitsu practitioners against wrestlers and boxers from the 1920s onward, often driven by the Gracie family.
Rorion Gracie co-founded the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which held its first event in Denver on November 12, 1993. His brother Royce, the lightest man in the bracket, won by submitting all three opponents, proving that a ground specialist could beat a bigger striker once the fight hit the mat.
The early years were rough: few rules, no weight classes, and a reputation that led many U.S. states to ban events. The sport survived by regulating itself, with gloves, rounds, weight classes and eventually the Unified Rules around 2000 and 2001. In 2001 the Fertitta brothers and Dana White bought the UFC for about 2 million dollars. The Ultimate Fighter reality show, launched in 2005, brought the sport to a mainstream audience, while PRIDE drew huge crowds in Japan before being bought out in 2007.
The disciplines behind MMA
| Discipline | What it brings |
|---|---|
| Wrestling | Takedowns, top control, takedown defense |
| Brazilian jiu-jitsu | Submissions and ground work |
| Boxing | Punch combinations, footwork, head movement |
| Muay Thai | Kicks, knees, elbows and the clinch |
| Kickboxing and karate | Footwork, distance, fast kicks |
| Judo and sambo | Throws and upper-body control |
Wrestling has long been the most effective base in the UFC, because it lets a fighter decide where the fight takes place. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev built championship careers on that principle.
Our Academy breaks down the fundamentals: the double leg takedown, the single leg, the sprawl, the closed guard and the rear naked choke.
Rules and weight classes
Three five-minute rounds, five for a title. You win by KO, TKO, submission or on the scorecards, with each round scored on a 10-point system. Headbutts, eye pokes, groin strikes and blows to the back of the head are illegal. Details are on our MMA rules page.
Fighters are split by weight, from 115 pounds at women’s strawweight to 265 pounds at heavyweight. The full chart is on our MMA weight classes page.
The major promotions
| Promotion | Based in | What stands out |
|---|---|---|
| UFC | United States | The largest, with most of the world’s best fighters |
| PFL | United States | Bought Bellator in 2023 |
| ONE Championship | Singapore | Its own rule set, strong in Asia |
| KSW | Poland | Europe’s leading promotion |
| Rizin | Japan | Carries on the PRIDE tradition |
| LFA | United States | The main feeder league to the UFC |
| Dana White’s Contender Series | United States | Weekly tryout show for UFC contracts |
Current standings in every division are on our UFC rankings page.
MMA in the United States
Modern MMA started in the United States. UFC 1 took place in Denver on November 12, 1993, as a no-rules tournament between styles. Pressure from state regulators pushed the sport to adopt weight classes, rounds and the rule set that New Jersey wrote down in 2001 and that became the Unified Rules of MMA. The Ultimate Fighter reality show, and the Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar finale in April 2005, brought the UFC to a national cable audience.
New York was the last state to legalize professional MMA, in 2016, and UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden followed that November. Since 2026, every UFC event airs on Paramount+, with selected numbered cards on CBS. The path to the UFC usually runs through U.S. regional promotions such as LFA and through Dana White’s Contender Series. The full list of Americans on the roster is on our American UFC fighters page.
Following MMA
The UFC runs an event almost every Saturday. Our pages keep track of it all:
- the next card and start times: UFC tonight
- every date of the season: UFC schedule 2026
- the latest results: UFC results
Starting MMA
MMA gyms take beginners of all ages with no background at all. The first months are about stance, movement, falling safely and basic techniques, with no mandatory sparring. Contact comes gradually. Starter gear is short: MMA gloves, a mouthguard, shin guards and a cup. Our buying guides cover MMA gloves, mouthguards and starter kits.
Frequently asked questions
What does MMA stand for?
MMA stands for mixed martial arts, a combat sport that combines striking and grappling.
What is the difference between MMA and the UFC?
MMA is the sport; the UFC is a promotion that stages MMA fights. It is the largest, alongside others such as the PFL, ONE Championship and KSW.
Who is the best MMA fighter in the world?
According to the official UFC pound-for-pound rankings of September 19, 2026, Islam Makhachev, ahead of Alexander Volkanovski and Justin Gaethje.
Can you start MMA with no experience?
Yes. Most people start with no combat sports background, and beginner classes start from zero with no mandatory sparring.