Combat Sports

Intro to Combat Sports

Combat sports is defined as the competitive contact sport where two individuals engage in physical combat with the aim of defeating their opponent according to specific set of rules. This includes striking, wrestling, and submissions with victories coming via knockout, submission, decision, doctor stoppage, no contest, or disqualification.

Combat sports is said to have evolved from ancient rituals and different forms of military training. Combat sports as we know it could be creditted to ancient Greece which had "Pankration", A mix of boxing and wrestling, boxing, and wrestling in their Olympic games. Most of our combat sports today derived from the military martial arts of different regions including Japan, China, Thailand, Brazil, Greece, Russia, and many more. Throughout the history of combat sports since its orgins, combat sports was still used for military training, self-defense, and competition. More rules started being applied to some of these combat sports, for example the use of weight classes in wrestling and boxing matches. With access to better equipment, training methods, and sports science, combat sports and their athletes have continued to progress generation after generation.

Combat sports like kick-boxing, BJJ, and MMA were all adapted forms of martial arts transformed into a combat sport. Kick-boxing derived off of Karate, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu orginated from Judo, and Mixed Martial Arts is exactly that, a mix of all martial arts and their techniques to not only see what style is most effect but also produce the best fighters.

Peak of prizefighting, Boxing

The art of Boxing has came a long way since being formalized and included in the Olympic games in 688 BC. Boxing is currently the largest combat sport in the world with some of the best history of any combat sport as well. Boxing utilizes soley the fighters fists as weapons and as their defense. Throughout it's extended history, boxing has continued to grow and fighters continue to outshine the boxers of yesterday. Boxing has continued to make strides for fighter safety by included many rules and regulations, weight classes, and ensurance of a fair fight. From being a fringe sport mostly associated with gambling and outlawed prizefighting, boxing is not a multi-billion dollar sport giving the fighters opportunities unimaginable from the iconic fighters that formed boxing.

Boxing stands today as the highest paying combat sport for fighters, this is for the top boxers in the world, not for the regional or local boxers. Boxers must endure restless training, rough sparring sessions, endless cardio and endurace training, tedious pad and heavybag work, draining weightcuts, and deal with promoters, managers, and training parters whom of which may not always have your best interest at heart. They endure these things in order to be prepared and confident going into their fights. Boxers have a reputation of being the toughest fighters, in comparison to other striking combat sport athletes/fighters.

Art of eight limbs, Muay Thai

One of the most brutal yet honorable and tradional combat sports in the world, Muay Thai's roots were traced back to roughly 650 AD. Muay Thai fighters specialize in all strikes using their fists, elbows, knees, and shins. Muay Thai is now international but for majority of it's existence has been in Thailand. In Thailand, Muay Thai has become such a tradition and respected that it is extremely common to see kids start competing at ages of 6+ to bring money home for their families. Certainly, there are strikes that generate more force, but the techniques mastered by the Thai fighters led to the most devasting roundhouse kicks, knees and elbows, and leg kicks of any combat sport. Sometimes watching a Muay Thai fight can look a pendululm as the fighters trade combination for combination and go back and forth.

Muay Thai is a striking combat sport, like boxing, kick-boxing, taekwondo, and savate. However, Muay Thai also has extensive clinch work, sweeps, and trips acting as great counters to opponents attacks and good ways to establish control. In comparison to other combat sports, Muay Thai pays the least. There is a relatively new promotion to Muay Thai, One Championship, which has allowed Thai fighters to reach the highest level and compete at the world stage and make money accordingly. Majority of Thai fighters fight in Thailand and only plan on competeing in Muay Thai which limits how far they can go and how much money they can make in combat sports. Muay Thai truly transcended above a mere combat sport in Thailand, its a staple of the national and is engraved in their culture.

Mixed Martial Arts

Mixed Martial Arts is the youngest yet already one of the biggest combat sports in the world. MMA's orgins can be traced to roughly 1985 with the foundation of "Shooto" then later adapted in "Pancrase" in 1993 and "Pride Fighting Championship" in 1997. MMA today is almost indisinguishable from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, because of what the UFC was able to do with the sport. MMA started by being criticized by boxers, politicians, and media members calling MMA a bloodsport and "human cock-fighting". Mixed Martial Arts blends the techniques of all combat sports into one, leading to the most dangerous fighters in the world. Trained with the striking of Muay Thai, and incorperates Judo, Wrestling, and BJJ apart of it's grappling. From it's humble beginnings, MMA is the fastest growing combat sport with fighters all across the world competing with the hopes of making to the biggest stage. MMA fighters tend to specialize in one or two combat sports and are well rounded in the rest, examples may include: Khalil Roundtree's Muay Thai, Charles Oliveria's BJJ, Ilia Topuria's Boxing, Islam Makhchev's Sambo, or Stephen Thompson's Karate. All of those fighters have made it to the top of the UFC and are incredibly skilled fighters.

MMA training is the hardest out of all combat sports. All combat sports must undergo extensive endurance training in order to be in "fight shape", but MMA fighters have the most techniques to learn and have to always be ready for whereever the fight goes. I believe that all combat sports are extremely physically demanding but MMA offers slightly more mental challenges and the fighters tend to have more options for how they can win their fights. MMA is currently the best combat sport to pursue from a monetary perspective, the lower level MMA fighters will on average make more then the lower level fights of other combat sports, and for the highest level fights, MMA is second only to boxing currently. The top fighters will make millions each time they fight, and in MMA the longest a fight can last is 25 minutes (5 five minute rounds). With how popular MMA has become, you can train MMA in majority of established countries in the world.

Contact

If interested in or have further questions about anything combat sports related, whether it be combat sports not mentioned or explained in depth about, questions about fighter/athlete pay, or where and how to train different combat sports. Please fill out the contact form and leave your questions or messages below!

Elements

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