Mixed Martial Arts: These Web Sites Will Knock You Out
Bruce Lee played around with the idea of mixed martial arts (MMA) and fused elements of kung fu, street fighting, and American boxing to create his own style, called Jeet Kune Do. MMA has skyrocketed in popularity since then, and the more recent success of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has spurred the formation of a number of different MMA leagues. As a result, the Internet is sprawling with MMA Web sites for news, commentary, blogs, forums, and equipment. This guide helps you make sense of it all and highlights the sport’s best online resources.
Although the idea of MMA is not new, the popularity of the sport is certainly a recent phenomenon. MMA began to generate popularity in the 1990s but it wasn’t until the introduction of standardized rules that the sport shed its barbaric image and became a widespread phenomenon. The sites we’ve included in this section show you how MMA has evolved and how the rules have brought legitimacy to the once-underground sport.
- Sites devoted to some aspect of the history of this sport are plentiful. But everyday people who have a passion for the sport create the great majority of these sites and as a result, you won’t always find the professional polish you may be used to seeing in many Web sites for other sports.
- Because MMA is a combination of the various martial arts, many of the Web sites you would encounter in a martial arts search contain information on MMA. For more information on martial arts, and potentially more resources on MMA, read the findingDulcinea Martial Arts Web Guide.
- Official League Web sites, listed in the next section, should each have a section detailing the specific rules for that league.
For an introduction to MMA …
CBS News’ 60 Minutes
covers the foundations of the sport and the controversy surrounding its violent image. This feature includes interviews with two of the sport’s founding fathers, Renzo Gracie and Pat Miletich, and an accompanying video.
SI.com
is the online home of
Sports Illustrated magazine. An article called “The New Main Event” reveals the surging popularity of the UFC. The article focuses on the men behind the scenes—not the fighters, but those with the sharp business acumen who saw that MMA would be the next NASCAR. This is a lengthy article but well worth the read.
NPR
has this insightful story about the rising popularity of the sport. The article notes that there is much controversy surrounding MMA as many people still consider it to be nothing more than a spectacle that unleashes the brutal aspect of human nature. But UFC executives argue that it is probably safer than sports like boxing
and is no less of a sport.
For the history of MMA …
International Fight League
The International Fight League traces the sport’s history back to the ancient Greeks and explains some of its basic moves. Click on the link for a specific martial art, like Jeet Kune Do, for a history of that martial art and, in some cases, some “notable practitioners.”
Grapplearts.com
provides an extensive overview of MMA history and the legal battles faced by the UFC. The text is a section from a college student’s thesis; Part 1 details with the evolution of MMA, while Parts 2 and 3 address constitutional issues that might not be useful for the average MMA fan.
For MMA rules …
The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board
created the unified rules of mixed martial arts that helped to legitimize the sport. These rules cover weight classes, equipment, size and shape of the fight area, and other aspects of the sport.
The International Fight League
explains some FAQs about the League and the rules of their team-oriented version of MMA. Scroll down to find the “Rules Guide” near the bottom of the page.
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