Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, 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.
Daniel DeWayne Severn, nicknamed "The Beast", is an American retired mixed martial artist, amateur wrestler, and professional 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 only UFC Triple Crown champion in history. 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.
Ivan Gene LeBell is an American martial artist, stunt performer, actor, and former professional wrestler. Nicknamed "the Godfather of Grappling", LeBell is widely credited with popularizing grappling in professional fighting circles, serving as a precursor to modern mixed martial arts. LeBell has also worked on over 1,000 films and TV shows and has authored 12 books.
Elvis Sinosic is a retired Australian professional mixed martial artist. Perhaps best known for his seven-fight stint in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he ultimately accumulated a 1-6 record, he also competed in the Cage Rage Championships, K-1, and Pancrase. Sinosic fought for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at UFC 32.
Anthony Perosh is a retired Australian professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Jesse Marcus Taylor is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) and 10th Planet Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt fighter currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2006, he was a cast member of SpikeTV's The Ultimate Fighter 7, winning his entry, preliminary, quarterfinal and semi-final matches, and then became infamous for being the only fighter to ever be removed from finals due to events that occurred after filming was completed. Taylor later won The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption Welterweight Tournament, and has also fought for top promotions such as Strikeforce, DREAM, MFC, AFC, Impact FC, Shark Fights, Cage Warriors and Absolute Championship Berkut.
Ronda Jean Rousey is an American professional wrestler, actress, former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand. She is best known for her time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Her longstanding nickname, "Rowdy", was inherited from professional wrestler Roddy Piper.
Karen Darabedyan is an Armenian-American professional mixed martial artist and the founder of KD MMA Training Center in Glendale, CA. He is best known for fighting in WEC's lightweight division. Darabedyan is a training partner of Karo Parisyan and Manvel Gamburyan. He had a 12-0 amateur boxing record before he began MMA.
Kayla Jean Harrison is an American professional mixed martial artist and former judoka, currently signed to the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
Mats Nilsson is a Swedish grappler and retired mixed martial artist. Nilsson formerly competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the three time FILA Grappling world champion in the -90 kg no-gi and -92 kg no-gi division and a two-time bronze medalist in FILA Grappling European Championship. Nilsson holds a black belt in both Judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He is currently fighting out of Rumble Sports, Copenhagen, Denmark, while representing Kaisho Martial Arts, Helsingborg, Sweden in Grappling.
Marcos Oliveira is a professional Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts fighter from Brazil. He competes in the 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.
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.
Daniel Preston Hooker is a New Zealand mixed martial artist. He was the King in the Ring Middleweight Kickboxing Champion and WKBF X-Rules Welterweight Champion, and currently competes in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of November 2, 2021, he is #8 in the UFC lightweight rankings.
Israel Mobolaji Temitayo Odunayo Oluwafemi Owolabi Adesanya is a Nigerian-born New Zealand professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer, and former boxer with multiple championships in all three disciplines. As a mixed martial artist, he is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Middleweight Champion. In kickboxing, he is a former Glory Middleweight Championship title challenger. As of February 14, 2022 he is #2 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.
Rob Wilkinson is an Australian mixed martial artist who previously competed in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2011, he was the middleweight champion in Australian Fighting Championship and BRACE. As of April 2021, he is also the light-heavyweight champion in Hex Fight Series.
Callan Potter is an Australian retired mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Jamie Patrick Mullarkey is an Australian mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Joshua Alvin Culibao is an Australian mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
