Introduction to MMA
What is MMA?
Well it is all in the name! MMA = Mixed Martial Arts. Almost all the practitioners are skilled in multiple arts. One popular combo is Muay Thai for the stand up, Wrestling for takedowns and takedown defense and brazilian jiu jitsu for ground fighting and submissions!
But there are other combo's too, like boxing for stand up, Judo instead of Wrestling and Sambo. There is even a guy (Machida) that has a combo of traditional Shotokan Karate, Muay Thai, Sumo and BJJ.
In this day of age a fighter must be a master of multiple disciplines. A guy who is only good at striking will be taken down and neutralized. A ground specialist is going to be KTFOd.
Stand-up, ground fighting, wrestling, what the hell are you talking about?
Well the stand-up part of the fight is easy to understand. Both guys are standing and they try to strike (kicking, punching, kneeing elbowing) each other, or close the distance.
If fighters get real close to each other they start to hug. This hug is called a clinch, because that sounds more manlier 
. There are various option here. You can knee or elbow from the clinch, you can try to take your opponent down or you could prevent to be taken down if you prefer to stand.
There is also a different way to take down an opponent, by shooting. Shooting is basically diving towards his leg to topple the guy. If the opponent does not see it coming, he will be on his back.
The last one is ground fighting. This is slower and more methodical. Trying to get a position to submit your opponents with various techniques, like armbars, chokes, leglocks, etc. This techniques are designed to choke someone out or break his limb. To prevent that a fighter submits before this happens. This can be by tapping or verbally submitting.
There is also another option on the ground, and that option is striking. Also known as ground and pound. In other words, you lay on top of them and punch them in the face.Ã���Ã��Ã�Â
So how do you win?
The cool thing about MMA is that are various ways to win. You can win by KO or TKO. You can win by submission or by decision. You can KO people on the ground, standing (or in the air if you are Fedor). You can submit people by chokes, leg locks, neck cranks or even by punches (they tap if they had enough). So many options, so many ways to win or lose.
Submissions tell me more
There are various techniques I will explain the most common ones.
The armbar
With this move you hyperextend the elbow if he does not tap, it will break very easily. There are various variations. The picture shows the basic ones. But you can also do the armbar from the bottom. There is even a flying variation, which is used to submit a standing guy. It is a high risk move though.
Shoulder locks
These move can rip your shoulder of, it can be applied on the top, bottom or even standing.
Triangle Chokes
This move is awesome, you use your legs to cut of circulation to the head. Causing your opponent to faint! It is usually preformed at the bottom, but there is a flying version of it. Yep you heard it right, there is a bloody flying version of it. Oh the humanity. Genki Sudo was a master of the flying triangle.
Chokes
There are many different chokes, but they can have two effect. It can cut off the blood circulation to the head, causing you to faint. It usually takes 5-10 seconds before someone faints, so once the choke is set in, it can go very quickly.
Another way is to close the wind pipe. This way take a whole lot longer, but it is also a lot more painful.
So with all the moves, do all fighters fight the same?
Hell, no! There are different type of fighters, there are guys who are good strikers. So they use their wrestling skills to keep the fight standing and use their ground skills mostly defensively. There are ground guys who want to take it to the ground and there are all-rounders who can do both.
Even among strikers there are many different types. You have guys who go balls out insane, you have guys who are very illusive, etc. You have kung-fu guys, Muay Thai, Karate, etc. The same is true for all the other disciplines.
So who is my favorite fighter?
Fedor no questions asked.
So they all fight in this UFC thing I have heard about, right?
Wrong, there are many different MMA organizations around the world. In America you have Strikeforce, UFC and Affliction. In Japan you have Sengoku, Dream and Pancrase. I mentioned only 6, but there are a lot more.
So can you tell me more about some of the biggest MMA organisations?
Yes
So?
So what?
Tell me more about these big organizations!
Okay, if you insist
The UFC is currently by far the biggest MMA organization. It all started in November 12 1993 as a no hands barred contest. There were only 2 rules, no biting and eye gouging. There were no round and no weight classes. The fight would last until a guy was KOd or until he submitted.
In the early days each fighter had his own style, so it was styles vs styles. A boxer vs a wrestler, a kickboxer vs a Sumo guy, etc. This slowly changed until the fighters were more well rounded like they are today.
The UFC is also the place were the Octagon is invented. Basically is a octagon shaped cage. This is were the term cage fighting is from
Today there are far more rules and the sport is the fastest growing sport in the States. The sport is becoming more and more accepted.
Started in 1997 to match popular Japanese pro-wrestler Nobuhiko Takada with Rickson Gracie. This proved such a success, they started their own promotion. In the heydays of Pride it was even bigger than the UFC. It was shown on Fuji TV in Japan and was also very popular worldwide.
But after Fuji TV dropped their support because of alleged links with the Yakuza, Pride was in trouble. They were then brought by Zuffa the parent company of the UFC, and now they do not exist. So sad.
Later more organizations
No, not until the UFC co-promotes with other organisations or they drop some of their demands like the champions clause, the likeness rights, allowing Fedor to compete in Sambo and not making a contract that can be terminated for no reason!
Fedor is not going to the UFC. Stikeforce will be the best possibiliy now. They have a CBS deal and Werdum was scheduled to fight August 15th, but his opponent was injured. So let them fight each other I say.
He can still fight Barnett in Japan at new years eve, Japan does not care about doping. Plenty of option he has left outside of the UFC.
Okay the Fedor UFC deal fell through
Here is Dana's reaction.
White on Fedor: ‘We tried everything’
On the morning of negotiations with M-1 Global and Fedor Emelianenko, Dana White didn’t just wake with a good feeling. The UFC president says he knew he was going to sign the top-ranked heavyweight in the world.
“This is going to happen,” White said he told UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta. “It’s going to happen today. We’re going to make this thing happen.”
Days later, however, Emelianenko is back in Russia and still outside the UFC. White was adamant during a media conference call Friday that the fault belongs to M-1 Global.
“I was f---ing miserable, miserable … because we couldn’t make this deal,” White said. “I was so confident we were going to get this done because we were willing to do it. We were willing to make a deal at almost any cost.”
The “almost” involves co-promoting. White said he won’t do a deal that includes co-promotion, and M-1 Global President Vadim Finkelstein has said he won’t do one that excludes it.
“We built this business, this entire freaking industry,” White said. “How are they going to come in and help us co-promote? It’s basically them coming and saying, ‘We’ve got this guy and some people say he might be the best heavyweight in the world. So for that, we want half your business.’ Yeah, OK. That sh-t probably works in Russia. Not here.”
White added that the Fertittas’ gaming license would hinder co-promoting with M-1.
“People from other countries just don’t walk in and jump in business with the Fertitta brothers,” he said. “There has to be full background checks and all kinds of crazy sh-t. It doesn’t work that way. It’s impossible; it will never happen.”
Other than co-promotion, White said he had relented on previous sticking points such as allowing Emelianenko to compete in sambo tournaments. He characterized himself as “the nicest Dana ever” during negotiations and described his offer to Emelianenko as “amazing.” No figures were discussed, but White guaranteed the Russian would not be offered a better deal.
“He got offered a f---ing assload of money,” White said. “A ton of money, everything he wanted. He can go fight in sambo every f---ing Thursday night if he wants to. He can do everything he wanted to. We showed them nothing but respect.”
White sounded equal parts angry and exasperated Friday. He had said he didn’t want to discuss Emelianenko but then did numerous times over the hour-long call.
“It’s insanity to turn down a deal like this,” White said. “To turn down a deal like this, you don’t care about proving you’re the best in the world. You don’t want to fight the best in the world. You don’t care about money. How do you deal with something like that?”
Several times White reiterated that the door to a deal was still open, then he kind of closed it by saying he was over the deal and didn’t want to discuss Emelianenko anymore, then he opened it again by saying M-1 could call him right then and they could reach an agreement if they’d budge on co-promoting.
By the call’s end White was back to questioning Emelianenko’s status as the best in the world and wondering why the media cares so much about a heavyweight who will not challenge himself in the sport’s top promotion.
In that way, the UFC wagons have circled. Might as well. M-1’s are going round and round, too, and against everything Dana White was certain of when he woke one morning this week, Fedor Emelianenko is still not in the UFC.
Fedors reaction
Fedor Emelianenko: In His Own Words
(click the link it's a video)
In contrary to popular believe Fedor is not a free agent. He still has a 3 fight contract with M1 global! About M1 global or these guys are very smart business man that play hardball to get stuff all the other fighters don't get, like Fedor competing in Sambo, or they are as Dana said "crazy russians". Stay tuned!
Here are some funny gifs
Fedor to Strikeforce; UFC Responds
Fedor Emelianenko has signed a multi-fight agreement that will see the world’s No. 1-ranked heavyweight compete for Strikeforce, the promotion announced Monday.
Emelianenko, who became a free agent after Affliction Entertainment canceled its Aug. 1 event two weeks ago, will make his debut on Showtime under a co-promoted Strikeforce/M-1 Global production this fall. Emelianenko was to have faced Josh Barnett at Affliction “Trilogy” on Aug. 1, but Barnett failed a pre-fight test for an anabolic steroid and was refused licensure by the California State Athletic Commission.
"Strikeforce is a top fight promotion that houses some of the greatest fighters in the world," said Emelianenko in a press release. "I am prepared to fight any of them."
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker told Sherdog.com last week that he plans to match the stoic Russian against the likes of Brett Rogers, Fabricio Werdum and the promotion’s heavyweight champion, Alistair Overeem.
“I feel pretty confident that we could give him four or five opponents that would make sense for him,” Coker told Sherdog.com in an exclusive video interview.
Emelianenko, along with his promoters and management team at M-1 Global, had negotiated with the UFC last week, but could not come to an agreement over co-promotion.
"Fedor is a f---ing joke," UFC President Dana White responded Monday after learning that Emelianenko had signed with Strikeforce. “He turns down a huge deal and the opportunity to face the best in the world to fight nobodies for no money!"
White also addressed fans: "I feel sorry for the real fight fans. I wanted to make the deal, but it takes two and it is very obvious Fedor doesn't want to fight the best, and doesn't give a sh-t about the fans!"
There are some good opponents for Fedor. Namely Overeem en Werdum. And perhaps even Rogers. He might even fight Barnett in Japan (don't care if he's roided, just want to see the fight). And after that who knows?
Vader show your Lesnar nuthugging friends this movie
Fedor on Brock
This is how Strikeforce signed Fedor
More Dana bitching
Meet the UFC’s New Enemy: ‘Strikefarce’
PHILADELPHIA -- The gloves came off a couple of days early on Thursday when UFC President Dana White took aim at fellow promotion Strikeforce following the UFC 101 news conference.
Previously White had been respectful toward Strikeforce despite frequently criticizing other shows. This week, though, Strikeforce signed Fedor Emelianenko, the No. 1-ranked heavyweight in the world and one of the few elite fighters whom the UFC has failed to secure.
“They should have stayed the way they were,” White said of the move, apparently seeing the signing of Fedor as Strikeforce’s attempt to compete with the UFC.
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker has downplayed a UFC-Strikeforce rivalry. Whether he wants to fight with the UFC or not, however, White is swinging. At one point White referred to the promotion as “Strikefarce.” The UFC president also said Thursday that Strikeforce signing Fedor was a major mistake.
“He’ll put them out of business,” White said. “They have no money. These guys have no money and they have no distribution. Four f---king people watch Showtime.”
White wouldn’t say specifically what a battle with Strikeforce could include, be it counter-programming or otherwise, but he issued several warnings.
“We’ll see what happens,” White said. “If they want to fight me, we’re gonna fight. We know how that goes, and we know how it ends.”
Strikeforce Responds to 'Strikefarce' Comment
Strikeforce was welcomed to the promotional battlefield Thursday when UFC President Dana White publicly attacked the rival promotion for the first time following a pre-fight news conference for UFC 101 in Philadelphia.
White, who has praised the San Jose-based organization’s efforts on numerous occasions, criticized Strikeforce for its decision to sign No. 1-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko after White’s previous negotiations fizzled with the Russian and his management and promotional team M-1 Global.
Emelianenko will debut under the Strikeforce banner on premium-pay subscription channel Showtime this fall. He is contracted for three fights.
“He’ll put them out of business,” White said. “They have no money. These guys have no money and they have no distribution. Four f---king people watch Showtime.”
White also referred to Strikeforce as “Strikefarce.”
“Of course he’s going to say that. He’s a promoter,” said Coker during a teleconference call Thursday discussing the major signing. “He’s going to go on and say what he’s going to say, but we’ve been in business a long time and I think we know how to operate a business and forged a relationship with Ken (Hershman) and Showtime and M-1. I feel confident that we’re going to have some great big shows with Fedor.”
Coker, who recently praised White and the UFC for “saving” MMA in North America, had told Sherdog.com on Tuesday that he believed his company’s acquisition of Emelianenko wouldn’t spark hostility between the two outlets.
White’s comments on Thursday suggested otherwise, though Coker seemed ready for what many believed to be inevitable.
“Under the current circumstances, is anybody surprised?” asked Coker. “I don’t think so.”