Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. The first documented use of the term mixed martial arts was in a review of UFC 1 by television critic Howard Rosenberg in 1993.
Wrestling is a martial art and combat sport that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves different grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins, and other grappling holds. Many different wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sports, and military systems. Wrestling can either be genuine competition or athletic theater.
Rulon Ellis Gardner is an American retired Greco-Roman wrestler. He won the gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games, defeating Russia's three-time reigning Olympic gold medalist Aleksandr Karelin in the final; Karelin was previously unbeaten for 13 years in international competition. Gardner won a bronze medal at the 2004 Games. In 2010, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a distinguished member.
Daniel DeWayne Severn, nicknamed "The Beast", is an American professional wrestler, retired mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler. A UFC Hall of Fame member, Severn is considered one of the leading pioneers of mixed martial arts and the first true world-class wrestler to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is best known for his success in the early years of the UFC where he became the first UFC Triple Crown champion in history by winning the UFC 5 tournament, Ultimate Ultimate 1995, and UFC Superfight Championship. Severn has also competed in King of the Cage, PRIDE FC, Cage Rage, WEC, RINGS and MFC, and holds a professional MMA Record of 101–19–7.
Karam Ibrahim Gaber is an Egyptian Greco-Roman wrestler. He won the gold medal in the Men's Greco-Roman 96 kg at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and won the silver medal at the 2003 World Championships. At the 2012 London Olympics, he won a silver medal. He was suspended by United World Wrestling for two years in August 2015, because of a "whereabouts failure" during his doping test.
Daniel Jeffery Henderson is an American retired mixed martial artist and Olympic wrestler, who last competed as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the last Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion and was the last Welterweight and Middleweight champion of Pride Fighting Championships. Henderson was the Brazil Open '97 Tournament Champion, the UFC 17 Middleweight Tournament Champion, the Rings: King of Kings 1999 Tournament Champion and the Pride Welterweight Grand Prix Tournament Champion. Henderson also challenged for the UFC Middleweight Championship (2x), the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship and the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship. Henderson was the first mixed martial artist to hold two titles in two different weight classes concurrently in a major MMA promotion. At the time of his retirement after UFC 204, he was the oldest fighter on the UFC roster.
Bryan Alvarez is an American professional wrestler, martial artist, satellite radio host, podcaster, and journalist. Alvarez is the editor and publisher of Figure Four Weekly, a newsletter that has covered professional wrestling since 1995.
Matthew James Lindland, also known as The Law, is an American retired mixed martial artist, Olympic wrestler, speaker, actor, coach, entrepreneur and politician. He won the Oregon Republican Party's nomination for the Oregon House of Representatives, District 52 seat on May 20, 2008. He also started an apparel company named Dirty Boxer. In mixed martial arts, Lindland competed primarily in the Middleweight division for the UFC, Strikeforce. Affliction, the IFL, Cage Rage, the WFA, and BodogFIGHT.
Ben Askren is an American former professional mixed martial artist and former Olympic wrestler.
Daniel Cormier is an American former professional mixed martial artist, amateur wrestler, and current commentator for the UFC. As a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champion, Cormier is the second fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes simultaneously and is the first fighter to have title defenses in two divisions. As an international wrestler, Cormier was a six-time US World or Olympic Team Member, a World bronze medalist, a World Cup runner-up, a Pan American Games gold medalist and a two-time Pan American champion. In folkstyle wrestling, Cormier was an NCAA Division I national finalist and two-time Big 12 Conference runner-up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. He was also a two-time NJCAA champion.
Ronda Jean Rousey is an American professional wrestler, actress, former judoka, and mixed martial artist. She is signed to WWE on the Raw brand, but is currently on hiatus, and is also known for her time in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She received permission from professional wrestler Roddy Piper to use his "Rowdy" nickname.
Henry Cejudo is an American professional mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler. He is a former UFC Flyweight Champion and Bantamweight Champion. He is the fourth UFC fighter to hold titles in two different weight classes simultaneously, and the second to defend titles in two different weight divisions. Cejudo is also the only person to win an Olympic gold medal as a wrestler and a UFC title. He is considered to be among the greatest combat athletes of all time due to his accomplishments in MMA and freestyle wrestling.
Bellator MMA is an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media conglomerate Paramount Global. It is the second largest in the United States and one of the largest combat sport promotions in the world. The promotion takes its name from bellātor, the Latin word for "warrior".
Donald Jacob Hager Jr. is an American professional wrestler and a former mixed martial artist, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Jake Hager. Hager is also known for his time in WWE under the ring name Jack Swagger, where he was a former world champion. As a mixed martial artist, he was signed to Bellator MMA where he competed in the heavyweight division.
Daniel Thomas Kelly is an Australian former judoka and mixed martial artist. Known for his unconventional style, the four-time judo Olympian formerly competed in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) between 2014 and 2018.
Michel Batista Martínez is a Cuban freestyle wrestler and mixed martial artist. He competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the heavyweight division and currently competes in M-1 Global.
Kamaru Usman is an American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and retired folkstyle wrestler. He currently competes in the Welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the former UFC Welterweight Champion. Usman is also The Ultimate Fighter 21 tournament winner. As of November 14, 2022, he is #1 in the UFC men's welterweight rankings, and as of September 26, 2023, he is #7 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.
Bo Nickal is an American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle and graduated folkstyle wrestler who currently competes in the UFC middleweight division. In freestyle wrestling, he claimed the 2019 U23 World Championship and the US Open National championship, and was a finalist at the 2020 US Olympic Team Trials and a Final X contestant in 2019. As a collegiate wrestler, Nickal was a three-time NCAA Division I National Champion and a three-time Big Ten Conference champion out of Pennsylvania State University.
Gable Dan Steveson is an American professional wrestler, freestyle wrestler and folkstyle wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he is the second Olympic wrestling gold medalist to be signed by the WWE, after Kurt Angle.
