Origins of MMA Part 1: Beginnings of the UFC

Fighting is a constant throughout human history, however single combat has been closely defined by social norms and expectations throughout the ages, from the Pankration of the ancient Olympics to the duels of Master Swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.

In MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) we have a combat sport which has gained a share of notoriety, is widely popular and is knocking on the door of mainstream acceptance.

Originally designed as a medium of pitting differing styles of combat against each other, MMA has metamorphosed into its own recognised form of fighting, which involves elements from a number of Martial Arts including: Boxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling, Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and Sambo.

Top fighters today have normally mastered one of these disciplines but have a solid foundation in the rest. Add to that top-notch athleticism, five-minute rounds, a ring or cage and you have a fast-paced sport which is watched by many millions each year and boasts a number of fighters who are genuine stars and household names.

But how did this happen, how long has this form of fighting been taking place for and how did it develop? For that we have to look back to the turn of the 20th century.

Modern combat sports as we know them trace much of their lineage back to either the late 19th or early 20th centuries, with Boxing (1867), Judo (1882) and Karate (1902) popularised around this time. With students and masters looking to advance their skills in their chosen art, the concept of inter-style fights became rarer and less practiced.

The main exception to this took place in Brazil, where BJJ grew from a Japanese Judoka (Mitsuyo Maeda) who settled there and opened a school around 1917. The most famous of his students were the Gracie brothers, who famously challenged anyone from any style to fight them. Though they were certainly not alone in this attitude, they were certainly the most high profile and would become the pioneers of globalising both BJJ and MMA throughout the 1990s.

That is not to say however, that such matches were exclusively taking place in Brazil. One-off style versus style matches were beginning to pop up around the world. Popular examples of this include Mohamed Ali’s famous match with Japanese pro wrestler Inoki in Tokyo and Judoka Gene Lebell’s bout with boxer Milo Savage in the USA (see link below).

Unfortunately, these fights were seen as gimmicks and did not lead to an expansion of style versus style match-ups, it would take something much bigger to raise the profile of inter-style bouts.

Though events like Shooto and Pancrase in Japan were already running events, it was the advent of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) in 1993 which heralded the increase in exposure for Mixed Martial Arts. Spearheaded by Rorion Gracie, the UFC’s mission statement was to make money through exciting matches, but also to popularise and publicise his family’s style of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as the preeminent form of Martial Combat on the planet.

This proved to be hugely successful on many fronts as his brother, Royce, won most of the initial events, and the popularity of BJJ exploded and the UFC events themselves, promoted with a “There Are No Rules” tagline proved to be extremely profitable.

Of course it was not a simple road to mainstream acceptance for MMA. Detractors like maverick Senator John McCane would attempt to have the sport banned, branding it a “blood sport” and labelling it “human cockfighting”. This would come later though, as MMA, lead by the UFC, attempted to bring this new brand of fighting to mainstream acceptance.

Coming Soon
Origins of MMA Part 2: The Fall and Rise of Worldwide MMA