Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA for short, is a full-contact combat sport that includes both standing and on-ground striking and grappling. MMA was created from “Vale Tudo”, which is also a full-contact combat sport practiced in Brazil which helped elevate martial arts to a new level in the United States and in other countries. In a traditional MMA fight, there are five rounds that each last five minutes with one-minute rest periods in-between rounds. Fighters win from one of three ways: knock-out, tap-out, or points. Points are accumulated from how well you do each round; landing jabs takedowns, defending, and technique all get you points.
Sanctioned title matches have a one-minute rest period in between rounds and there are five rounds that last five minutes each. Non-title matches are normally three rounds, but the governing commission can grant five rounds. A round can be stopped at anytime a fighter taps out, forfeits, or is knocked out.
First, you start training and specialize in a certain fighting style like Muay Thai or Jiu-Jitsu, then you join an MMA gym. After training vigorously, you start doing local fights and win your way into a televised title or non-title match.
MMA stands for Mixed Martial Arts and is a full-contact sport that involves striking and grappling while standing or on the ground. As the name implies, there are multiple techniques that a fighter can use from martial arts and various combat forms.