Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo 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. The question of who actually coined the term is subject to debate.
Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the Shooto Association and the International Shooto Commission. Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 1989 as a mixed martial arts promotion. It is considered one of the first true mixed martial arts competitions, with its Vale Tudo Japan events being essential to the rise of PRIDE Fighting Championships and the development of modern MMA. Many Japanese MMA fighters had their start at Shooto and the organization still holds both professional and amateur tournaments. The list of current and past MMA fighters to come from Shooto roots is quite impressive.
John Michael McCarthy is an American former mixed martial arts referee, best known for officiating numerous bouts promoted by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), dating back to UFC 2. He co-hosts the MMA and combat sports podcast "Weighing In" with Josh Thomson.
John Edward Gunderson is a retired American mixed martial artist. He used to fight with the UFC and SCC also numerous other organizations being a champion or fighting for the championship in many of them. Once he was a top 10 lightweight outside the UFC Gunderson is also an International Fight League veteran who fought out of Ken Shamrock's Lion's Den and was a member of the Nevada Lions alongside The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights winner Roy Nelson. He is currently training with Xtreme Couture and TapouT. a coach out of Syndicate MMA
Lyle Beerbohm is a retired American professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2007 until 2013, he fought for Strikeforce, the World Series of Fighting, EliteXC, and King of the Cage.
MMA Junkie is a news website that covers the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It was founded in 2006, and is owned by Gannett Company since 2011. The site and its content have been featured in Time magazine, ESPN The Magazine, The New York Times, Fox Sports Net's The Best Damn Sports Show Period, Fox Report w/ Shepard Smith, Inside MMA, ESPN's MMA Live, Yahoo! and other media outlets.
Cagepotato was a news/entertainment website focusing on the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). The site was owned by Defy Media.
Ken Pavia is a former sports agent, founder of the Huntington Beach, California based sports agency MMAagents and the former CEO of India’s first MMA Promotion Super Fight League. From 2005 to September 2011 Pavia represented a client roster of 75 professional mixed martial artists at MMAagents, most of whom competed in top tier mixed martial arts promotions such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), Pride Fighting Championships, Strikeforce, DREAM, and Bellator Fighting Championship.
Waachiim Spiritwolf is a Native American professional mixed martial artist who last competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since from 2006 until 2015, he competed for King of the Cage, Tachi Palace Fights, Bellator, and Strikeforce.
John Morgan is an American mixed martial arts writer, radio host and television commentator.
Caged is an American reality television series which aired on MTV. It focuses on a group of young up and coming mixed martial arts fighters in small town Minden, Louisiana. The series premiered on January 9, 2012 on MTV and ran for 10 episodes on its first and only season.
Ultimate Challenge MMa is a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It is shown live on London Live in the UK, Fight Now TV in the US and on Viewster in several other countries.
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promotion in 2017 by MMAX Investment Partners. It is the first major MMA organization in which individual athletes compete in a regular season, post-season and championship, rather than on a year-round basis.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) has developed in Australia from a wide cross-section of sporting and martial arts disciplines to become the most popular combat sport in Australia.
While mixed martial arts is primarily a male dominated sport, it does have female athletes. For instance, Female competition in Japan includes promotions such as DEEP Jewels. Now defunct promotions that featured female fighters were Valkyrie, and Smackgirl. Professional mixed martial arts organizations in the United States that invite women to compete are industry leader Ultimate Fighting Championship, the all female Invicta Fighting Championships, Resurrection Fighting Alliance, Bellator Fighting Championships, and Legacy Fighting Championship. Now defunct promotions that featured female fighters were Strikeforce and EliteXC.
Luke Zachrich is a retired American mixed martial artist and professional boxer who formerly competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship A professional mixed martial arts competitor since 2006 until his release from the UFC in 2014, Zachrich was a member of Team Forrest on the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter, and has also fought for King of the Cage, Bellator, Xtreme Fighting Organization, and Ultimate Victory Challenge, the latter of which he was the inaugural Middleweight Champion.
Jose Enrique Briones, better known as Henry Briones, is a Mexican mixed martial artist and competed in Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is the fastest growing sport in the United States.
Tristan Alexander Connelly is a Canadian mixed martial arts fighter who formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the UFC and had previously won the Cage Sports Lightweight Championship, Unified MMA Lightweight Championship, as well as the Rise FC Lightweight Championship.
Julian Ricardo Dulican Erosa is an American mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Erosa is also a former CageSport Featherweight and Lightweight Champion.
