Mixed Martial Arts

One of the strongest claims made by proponents of mixed martial arts (MMA) is that the confrontations are more authentic than other types of combat sports or, in the words of one promotion, ‘as real as it gets’. Since the advent of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the United States in 1993, the franchise has become one of the most rapidly growing sports in the world, especially since the take-over of the UFC by Zuffa LLC. Twenty years later, the UFC and its imitators have transformed the global understanding of martial arts and established a successful business model for promoting martial arts-based prize fighting. However, on closer examination, the development of the rules for ‘no holds barred’ fighting demonstrate a desire on the part of the promoters to stage fights that meet audience expectations, including particularly dramatic forms of violence and decisive outcomes. Instead of fighting in some kind of ‘de-regulated’ space, the UFC and other MMA appear to be ‘hyper-violence’, a type of stylized unarmed combat, especially telegenic, that obscures the actual effects of that violence on participants, even as it focuses the camera almost obsessively on particularly dramatic violent moments. Ironically, the regulations of ‘as real as it gets’ fighting seek to produce a confrontation that meets audience expectations, shaped especially by choreographed violence in movies and videogames.

Fallon Fox became the first openly transgender fighter in professional mixed-martial arts (MMA) in 2013. Her outing elicited fervent responses from the MMA community, reflecting the barriers many transgender women encounter in sex-segregated sports. Fox frequently faced pseudoscientific arguments alleging innate physical advantages over cisgender women, which are deeply entangled with sexist and racist assumptions about trans identity. For Fox, the only way to prove her “true” womanhood—that is, that she was just as biologically inferior to men as “regular” women—was by losing fights. In this article, we trouble Fox’s “damned-if-she-wins” and “damned-if-she-doesn’t” conundrum by drawing on Halberstam and Muñoz’s theorizing on the queer art of failure. In order to challenge binary logics that structure our sporting world—including male/female, winning/losing, success/failure—and that are specifically imposed upon transgender athletes such as Fox, we employ a queer methodology to center Fox’s voice as she grapples with the meanings and uses of failure. Her insights reveal a productive engagement with athletic failure, which not only challenges sex segregation in sports and the interlocking discourses of racism, (cis)sexism, and transphobia, but allows us to imagine queer modes of undoing beyond the athletic realm of the MMA cage.

On the 5 of February 2016, the Martial Arts Studies Research Network held its first one-day seminar, on the theme of gender issues in theory and practice. Hosted by the University of Brighton, the day drew around 30 delegates, including academics from various fields of study and martial arts practitioners from a range of styles. The day featured discussion on a number of themes on the topic of gender; while a short summary of these can be found here, this report focuses on the key points raised by delegates during the first of two plenary sessions, addressing the ways in which clubs and gyms might best improve women’s and girls’ involvement in martial arts and combat sports (MACS).

L'intégration du MMA dans le paysage sportif français rencontre plusieurs obstacles. Cet art martial mixte se heurte à la fois à l'organisation fédérale et aux valeurs associées au sport. Néanmoins, jusqu'à la publication de l'arrêté du 3 octobre 2016, relatif aux règles techniques et de sécurité applicables aux manifestations publiques de sport de combat, aucun fondement juridique ne permettait d'interdire les compétitions de MMA. La solution prohibitive apportée par l'arrêté ne semble pourtant pas adaptée à la pratique de ce sport en plein développement. « Nous interdisons le plus fermement du monde la tenue de ces abominables marchés ou foires où les chevaliers ont coutume de s'assembler pour mesurer leur force et leur audace et au cours desquels il y a souvent mort d'homme et grand péril pour les âmes ». En 1130, à l'occasion du concile de Clermont, l'Église se prononçait en faveur de l'interdiction des tournois et joutes pour des raisons de sécurité et de moralité 1. Ces pratiques continueront malgré l'opposition de l'Église et de certains souverains jusqu'à la mort d'Henri II en 1559, au cours d'une joute. L'accident dramatique a convaincu la régente, Catherine de Médicis, d'interdire définitivement les tournois sur le territoire français. L'opposition de la puissance publique au développement d'un sport violent et dangereux, loin d'être apparue récemment avec le Martial Mixed Art (ci-après le MMA), prend une tournure originale à propos de cette activité. Comme son nom anglais l'indique, le MMA est un mélange de techniques de plusieurs sports de combats et arts martiaux. L'objectif poursuivi est la consécration du meilleur combattant, toutes disciplines confondues. Le MMA regroupe en France de 20 à 30 000 pratiquants amateurs répartis en plus de 700 associations, selon le rapport de la mission parlementaire sur la pratique des arts martiaux mixtes 2. Son succès est pour partie lié aux très spectaculaires et médiatiques combats de l'Ultimate Fighting Championship (ci-après l'UFC), la principale organisation professionnelle de combat, située aux États-Unis. Cette dernière doit sa popularité à la mise en scène de la transgression des règles habituelles dans les combats c'est-à-dire la poursuite des combats au sol et la combinaison de techniques existants dans tous les sports de combat et arts martiaux. Le MMA a longtemps été nommé free fight ou « combat libre » du fait de la rareté, voire de l'absence de règles de combat. Ces termes sont aujourd'hui impropres car la pratique a été encadrée, standardisée et un certain nombre de techniques sont aujourd'hui interdites par la fédération internationale de MMA (IMMAF). C'est le cas notamment des frappes avec le coude de haut en bas, des coups en direction des parties génitales, des doigts dans l'oeil, des coups sur la colonne vertébrale ou encore des coups de genou et de pied à la tête d'un adversaire à terre 3. Malgré cette quête de respectabilité, deux particularités des compétitions de MMA concentrent les critiques : le combat dans une « cage », c'est-1 Cette interdiction, peu suivie d'effets, sera réitérée à l'occasion du concile de Latran en 1139 et de celui de Reims en 1148. Cf. S. Nadot, Rompez les lances ! Chevaliers et tournois au Moyen-Âge, Autrement, 2010, n° 155, p. 33 2 J. Grosperrin et P. Vignal, Mission parlementaire sur la pratique des « Arts martiaux mixtes » couramment appelés MMA, Mission auprès de M. Patrick Kanner ministre de la Ville, de la Jeunesse et des Sports et M. Thierry Braillard, Secrétaire d'État chargé des Sports. Lettre signée le 7 avril par le Premier ministre, Rapport remis le 8 novembre 2016, p. 21. 3 La liste complète des coups et techniques interdites en compétition amateur est disponible sur le site de l'IMMAF (immaf.org)

This volume presents a wide-reaching overview of contemporary research and scholarship on women's engagement in a range of combat sports across the world. Including chapters on boxing, wrestling, mixed martial arts, and various other fighting disciplines, the collection provides readers with a comprehensive analysis of the current significance of women's involvement in these sports, as well as charting many of the problems and opportunities they face in establishing and developing careers within them.

With contributions drawing from anthropology, phenomenology, philosophy, sociology, and sport psychology, this book will appeal to readers interested in the development of women's sport; the relationship between sport and gender; and the wider, contemporary social significance of combat sports around the world.

To view the table of contents and read a sample chapter online, please click here: http://www.palgrave.com/resources/sample-chapters/9781137439352_sample.pdf

This volume presents a wide-reaching overview of contemporary research and scholarship on women's engagement in a range of combat sports across the world. Including chapters on boxing, wrestling, mixed martial arts, and various other fighting disciplines, the collection provides readers with a comprehensive analysis of the current significance of women's involvement in these sports, as well as charting many of the problems and opportunities they face in establishing and developing careers within them. With contributions drawing from anthropology, phenomenology, philosophy, sociology, and sport psychology, this book will appeal to readers interested in the development of women's sport; the relationship between sport and gender; and the wider, contemporary social significance of combat sports around the world.

Los deportes de combate son actividades regidas mayormente por un pensamiento empírico, producto de su tradicionalidad que data de miles de años de historia. En la actualidad, los elevados estándares del Alto Rendimiento demandan nuevos abordajes que integren los conocimientos provistos por la ciencia, en busca de obtener mayores resultados con los entrenamientos sobre las habilidades de los atletas. En el presente artículo se llevó a cabo una revisión narrativa con el objetivo de aclarar cuáles son los temas que inciden sobre la potencia de golpeo en deportes de combate y el abordaje más apropiado para su mejora.

La mayoría de las acciones realizadas en Deportes de Combate requieren que los atletas lleven a cabo gestos que demandarían niveles de movilidad por encima de la media.
A lo largo del presente artículo se presentará una mirada integradora, en donde se buscará ofrecer al lector de una serie de herramientas para una implementación segura y eficaz de los entrenamientos asociados a la mejora de la flexibilidad en Deportes de Combate.

Being aggressive have been acknowledged in combat sports competition to be adaptive and socially acceptable, essential for athletes be motivated in training and competition phases, Go-ahead, Tripping someone, and Assertive styles are Aggressive styles that had been tested with Mental Toughness, a developmental psychological construct that would involve a feeling of self-efficacy, emotional regulations, feeling of autonomy and control perceived with extensive combat experiences. Correlation results of the study show a positive correlation with Go-Ahead and Assertive aggressive styles, using a Regression analysis, the results show that Go-ahead and assertive aggressive styles are predictors of high Mental Toughness scores. The implications of the study can help in creating an Aggressive Efficacy oriented mentoring and coaching program that fighters, coaches, can use in screening mental preparation and aggressive styles of their members. this would also aid in reducing any unwanted conflicts that can lead to legal and safety concerns, and encourage members both beginners and veteran to try competitive combat sports as a learning and developmental experience

This is a working paper, presented at a Research Group Meeting at Waseda University, Tokyo, in March 2016, as part of the research project ‘East Asian Martial Arts as Global Culture: Transmission, Representation, and Transformation in Japan, the United States, and the United Kingdom’ (「グローバル文化としての東アジア武術――日・米・英における伝授、表象、変容」）

This article begins by focusing on the presumed relation between the toughness fostered by mixed martial arts (MMA) and the stimulation, promulgation or maintenance of traditional 'hard man' forms of toxic masculinity. However, it adds an extra dimension to this discussion. It argues that (first) the UFC and (thereafter) MMA as a whole were in very tangible ways invented within and thanks to reality TV. As such, it contends that MMA's often debated relation to 'real' fighting needs to be approached in full awareness to the implications of its indebtedness to media representation. Because of this debt, it argues that media representation itself ought to be understood as having agency, and playing a role in the invention, maintenance or modification of gendered representation. Finally, it proposes that, so to speak, if a kind of 'MMA toxic masculinity' is the problem, then the solution may not simply be to 'change MMA'. Rather, both the problem and the solution may more precisely be located in the kinds of media representations that circulate about MMA subjects and subjectivities.

For this case study, an Internet-based survey was posted on a popular mixed-martial- arts (MMA) blog to ascertain its users’ demographics and usage trends. Data analysis revealed that users were predominantly White men between the ages of 23 and 39, with some college education and an annual income of $40,000–59,999. An exploratory factor analysis revealed 6 dimensions of gratification: evaluation, community, information gathering, knowledge demonstration, argumentation, and diversion. The most salient motivation statements were related to the speed of information access, the depth of information and coverage, and the availability of information not typically found through traditional media outlets. Most users spent 1–5 hr/wk watching MMA programming and 1–10 hr/wk on MMA blogs, making 1–20 comments per week. Findings indicated that users used this particular blog for both interactive and information-gathering purposes.

En este capítulo se realiza un análisis desde diversos prismas teóricos de las llamadas artes marciales mixtas, esto con el objetivo de dilucidar el papel que desempeña este deporte en un medio social caracterizado por la violencia como signo que atraviesa todo el entramado social. Se pone acento en aspectos vinculados con deportes como fenómeno social como son la violencia normalizada y la masculinidad tradicional y hegemónica, recurriendo para ello al contraste de las artes marciales mixtas con respecto a las artes marciales tradicionales, así como al análisis de las primeras como una creciente industria global para grandes audiencias, como pauta de integración social entre sus practicantes y como escenario de proyección de un imaginario de excelencia deportiva. Se expone cómo este deporte se asienta como un síntoma y resultado de una sociedad definida por violencias inscritas en lo cotidiano (directa, estructural, cultural, simbólica) que son normalizadas en los imaginarios sociales en un entorno de dominio de la masculinidad hegemónica y patriarcal. Finalmente se aboga por la necesidad de impulsar experiencias afectivas y formas alternas de vivir el “ser hombre” que rechacen la violencia inserta en dicha masculinidad hegemónica.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is frequently criticized as barbaric and inhumane. This stands in stark contrast with the booming popularity of the sport. What little has been written depicts MMA as something inherently wrong (Dixon 2015) or at best merely permissible (Weimer 2017; Kershnar and Kelly 2019). Contrary to these foregoing analyses, this chapter argues that MMA is not only permissible, but a morally praiseworthy and virtuous endeavour in virtue of developing moral character and recognizing the intimate connection between body and mind.

Given the increased popularity of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in the United States and
abroad, the purpose of this study was to investigate newspaper coverage of the most profitable
MMA organization in the U.S., the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), from
1993– 2006. To better understand how the print media framed this controversial sport, a
critically informed content analysis of 320 newspaper articles was conducted. Drawing
from critical sport studies and media theory (Lowes, 1999; Rowe, 2007; Trend, 2007), the
researchers analyzed how various categories of newsprint coverage have shifted over the
13- year period. One clear conclusion was the ability of the mainstream print media to effectively
contour the popular discourse of this sporting practice, often playing a key role in
the public’s appraisal of the UFC during various points in its brief history. Moreover, the
mainstream press often served to unwittingly promote the UFC through a lack of critical
journalistic practices.

This paper examines the status of ‘history’ as an element of the discourses of traditional Asian martial arts. It discusses key ways in which ideas such as tradition, authenticity and history are deployed for different ideological ends, from nationalism to personal self-advancement, in different contexts, and it theorises the consequences of the antagonisms that have recently arisen between traditional beliefs about certain Asian martial arts (such as taekwondo, Shotokan karate and taijiquan being ‘ancient’) and recent historical studies that challenge such beliefs. The article proposes that the dissemination of the findings of contemporary martial arts historiography by means of academic and para-academic outlets such as scholarly blogs and open access journals has accrued the power precipitate crises in beliefs about and discourses of traditional Asian martial arts among practitioners. Accordingly, the paper turns to consider the implications of these challenges and changes for practitioners of traditional Asian martial arts. It argues that the discursive status of ‘history’ is not fixed or permanent, but varies depending on context, and that present conjunctures are characterised by forms and processes of mediatization that have amplified the visibility and effects both of rigorous scholarship and of processes of verifying the efficacy of martial arts to such an extent that the status of ‘history’ can be said to have changed decisively. Ultimately, the paper argues for the ethical and political value of rigorous critical historical scholarship even when it runs counter to cultural beliefs.

If I should pick three thinkers that influenced me the most, I would name Nietzsche, Robert Greene (self-help book writer), and Lao Tzu. Although most portions of the text written by my third picked thinker are shrouded in ambiguity, I personally believe that his Tao philosophy is so grand and deep that it even embraces the other two respectable writers. I personally concede, though, that I do not have high regards for China as a nation. Nevertheless, the profundity of the Tao Te Ching was sufficient to grab my attention, which led to creation of this blog. I was born and raised in a country that has a high regard for Confucianism. Although I was not familiar with the name of Confucius when I was young, I can see now that part of my value system was greatly influenced by him. However, I personally conclude that there is a reason why his philosophy is eclipsed by Lao Tzu. I wish to discuss the content of the Tao Te Ching in detail chapter by chapter. Thanks.

The martial arts have been practiced for thousands of years and today mixed martial arts remains the fastest growing sport in the world. I am delighted to invite you to submit your best empirical and theoretical work on martial arts to this special issue. The goal for this special issue is to showcase exemplary work on martial arts from multiple disciplinary perspectives. For example, philosophers of mind and ethics may submit work on martial arts and the cultivation of virtues, and experimental philosophers and psychologists may submit work on the influence of martial arts on psychological well-being. Other topics of interest include the use of mental simulation during shadowboxing, flow experience during training or competition, weapons as extensions of the self, qualities of exemplary martial artists, the ethics and aesthetics of martial arts, and in general, what the study of martial arts may reveal about the nature of the human mind and human society. Integrative review articles, focused philosophical arguments, and original empirical research that is philosophically relevant will all be warmly received.

Reach out to Adam at croom@berkeley.edu with any questions about this SI.
https://www.mdpi.com/journal/philosophies/special_issues/martial_arts |

Articles published in this special issue:
Croom, A. M. (2022). Muay Thai, psychological well-being, and cultivation of combat-relevant affordances. Philosophies, 7, 65. https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies7030065 |
Cynarski, W. J. (2022). New concepts of Budo internalised as a philosophy of life. Philosophies, 7, 110. https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies7050110 |
Holt, J. (2023). Physical philosophy: Martial arts as embodied wisdom. Philosophies, 8, 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies8010014 |

The question of what constitutes and facilitates mental health or psychological well-being has remained of great interest to martial artists and philosophers alike, and still endures to this day. Although important questions about well-being remain, it has recently been argued in the literature that a paradigmatic or prototypical case of human psychological well-being would characteristically consist of positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. Other scholarship has also recently suggested that martial arts practice may positively promote psychological well-being, although recent studies on martial arts have not yet been reviewed and integrated under the PERMA framework from positive psychology to further explore and explicate this possibility. This article therefore contributes to the literature by reviewing recent work on psychological well-being and martial arts to determine whether there is substantive support for the claim that practicing martial arts can positively contribute to one flourishing with greater psychological well-being.

http://smaes.archbudo.com/view/abstract/id/10740
https://doctorcroom.com/croom-2014e

This introductory chapter presents a brief rationale for the edited collection, 'Global Perspectives on Women in Combat Sports: Women Warriors around the World', outlining some of the major theoretical concerns involved with conducting gender-sensitive analyses of the meanings of women’s engagement in combat sports. As well as briefly introducing readers to the themes and issues covered throughout the rest of the volume, this chapter offers a rough typology of women’s combat sports and related activities. Drawing on previous social and historical research, this typology illustrates the multi-faceted, often contradictory relationships which exist between women’s participation and the maintenance or subversion of sexist formations of gender, thus aiming to sensitise readers to the complexities of these contemporary cultural phenomena.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is considered to be a legal sport in the United Kingdom, in the sense that it is not unlawful.  This is confirmed in Parliament’s decision to amend legislation to entail the licensing of MMA bouts in the UK.  The Licensing Act 2003 (Descriptions of Entertainment) (Amendment) Order 2013 (the "Order") extended the definition of "regulated entertainment" under the Licensing Act 2003, to include entertainment "which combines boxing or wrestling with one or more martial arts".  The problem however is that its legality remains untested in UK courts which means that is theoretically possible for a court to deem an MMA bout at a licensed event illegal.  This essay will examine the status quo in the UK and any legal risks arising from the manner in which MMA events are currently regulated.  It will draw a comparison to boxing and why it is exempt in the eyes of UK law as well as examining other jurisdictions where MMA poses ambiguous legal difficulties.

Mixed Martial Arts vs. Street Fighting In view of the invincible Conor McGregor's demolition by the larger, but well-used, Nate Diaz, maybe it is time to revisit the difference between the sport of mixed martial arts and real fighting in as much as Conor apparently felt he wasn't bound by the usual constraints of a sport defined by a large set of rules. To do so, we must visit the rules and regulations of the UFC and MMA generally. First we'll examine the definitions. In the first paragraph, we have a contradictory use of the term " limitations " and " without limitation ". Obviously they can't have it both ways. If there are limitations, there cannot be " without limitation. " So we have a problem right from the get-go. We also see the the term, " unarmed combat " , is rather limited, as lots of techniques besides blows can reasonably be expected to inflict injury. Non-striking techniques in grappling, such as strangles, chokes, and joint destructions, are not blows but can be just as devastating as a strike. And it doesn't mention death, which might also be reasonably expected from a blow (or non-striking) technique. Aside from those discrepancies, " unarmed combat " doesn't make any reference at all to a lack of non-natural weapons, such as knives, clubs, guns, etc., which are the distinguishing feature of unarmed combat. Of course, the idea of a commission making regulations is completely contradictory to the concept of free-fighting, where any commission of " meeting of the minds " would likely be trying to develop ways to truly remove limitations, rather than impose them. Next we need to mention the weight divisions of which there are at least 11. Of course, they are also divided between men and women, which is wholly unrealistic in real life. In fact, most aggression outside of the ring is visited by men on women, as it is usually safer and easier than attacking another man. In general, women are weaker, slower, and altogether less athletic than men at the same weight, thanks to sexual dimorphism in the human species and the far higher level of testosterone in men. Even within the same sex, the lowest weight division among men is less than half the weight of the highest weight division. Again, in real life, a predatory assailant is most likely to prey on another individual perceived as much weaker/smaller and/or incapacitated in some way (for instance, a child, elder, or disabled) or a combination of all of these. By contrast, in an MMA bout, a 1 pound difference between combatants is the most permitted….ever. (Or so they claim. Recent bouts have allowed significant weight differences in order to avoid cancellation of the bout.) Catchweight bouts may be permitted, but they must still specify a weight. In spite of any " outs " within the rules, one doesn't see a massive difference in weight between 2 contracted parties. Although MMA contests are held in a ring or fenced area, it is primarily to prevent the contestants from falling out of the ring and hurting themselves or others. Even so, the floor must extend at least 18 " past the ropes or cage in order to protect the contestants and the foam padding must also cover these 18 " outside of the ring. Similarly the ring

In the weeks since her 14-second defeat of Cat Zingano, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has been everywhere – demonstrating her armbar on Jimmy Fallon, throwing 255-pound Triple H over her shoulder in the ring at WrestleMania, and mixing it up in the latest installment of the Fast & Furious epic. And everywhere Rousey goes, the question usually follows: Could she take on a male fighter? The question goes well beyond the current champion’s skills in the Octagon. (Read full article online - http://theallrounder.co/2015/04/09/ronda-rousey-and-mixed-sex-martial-arts/)

Starting in 1993, the Ultimate Fighting Championship broadcast ‘no-holds-barred’ fights, pitting athletes trained in a variety of combat sports against each other. While critics were scandalized by the permissiveness of these contests, aficionados were stunned by the effectiveness of relatively non-violent fighting techniques. The matches revealed how resilient a trained fighter’s body might become. Fighters had to adapt to several waves of changes in fighting strategies and to strategic revisions of match regulations intended to make them more obviously violent. Seemingly minor changes in the tools available to contestants - ‘mundane technology’ such as the structure of the fighting space, standardized clothing and lightweight gloves - shifted radically how contestants’ bodies could be used. In addition, fighters modified their own bodies to make them better suited for the activity, for example, altering perceptions of pain. Ironically, the mass-mediated presentation of deregulated fighting revealed that, instead of being humanity’s natural state, it was technically demanding, dependent upon substantial enculturation of athletes’ bodies, and far from instinctual.