What is MMA?

During the 33rd Olympic Games in 648 BC, the Greek Pankration was introduced. The Greek Pankration was a combat sport between two people without weapons and minimal rules. It quickly became the most popular sport and was considered one of the finest. The Pankration was said to be forbidden when Greece became was Christianized under Constantine I in the 4th century AD.

This information seems doubtful since the last original Olympic Games were held 276 AD. The last games ended in the year 396 AD.

There is evidence that the Pankration in its former style did not die out until the 1500s when Turkey invaded Greece.

The Pankration of the past and today’s MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) actually only have the combat factor in common. The Pankration of the past was finalized when one of the participants either gave up or died.

Today’s MMA fighters can win their match by 1) Points, 2) The participant gives up, 3) Knock-out, 4) The referee breaks up the match.

  1. The match has run its allotted amount of time, and the judges (usually three judges) determine the winner based on activity, techniques etc.
  2. The fighter gives up. The fighter will either tap the opponent’s body or mat as submission. The fighter may also give up verbally during an ongoing match or during the pause of a round.
  3. Knock Out. The referee determines that the fighter cannot continue after a count to ten.
  4. The referee stops the match. This happens either if the fighter has broken the existing rules time after time, or if the referee decides that the opponent is not able to continue safely.

There are of course more ways to win a match, depending on which organization holds the matches.

Today’s MMA has its roots in the Brazilian Vale Tudo tournaments in the 1920s, and the sport made an international breakthrough with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) held in 1993 in the US.

This text has been written from memory after having read hundreds of pages on MMA on the Internet and having followed the sport since the mid 1990s.

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