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.
Sanda, formerly Sanshou, is the official Chinese boxing full-contact combat sport. Sanda is a fighting system which was originally developed by the Chinese military based upon the study and practices of traditional Chinese martial arts and modern combat fighting techniques; it combines boxing and full-contact kickboxing, which includes close range and rapid successive punches and kicks, with wrestling, takedowns, throws, sweeps, kick catches, and in some competitions, even elbow and knee strikes.
The strawweight division in mixed martial arts is for competitors weighing between 106 and 115 lb. It sits between the lighter atomweight division and the heavier flyweight division.
Eduard Ayangwa Folayang is a Filipino mixed martial artist and wushu practitioner who fights in ONE Championship, where he is a two-time ONE Lightweight World Champion. He also competed for Universal Reality Combat Championship, where he is a former URCC Welterweight Champion.
Tatiana Suarez is an American professional mixed martial artist and former wrestler who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She was the strawweight tournament winner in the 23rd season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. As of April 16, 2024, she is #1 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings and #9 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.
Team Lakay, is a martial arts group based in La Trinidad, Philippines. Officially named Lakay MMA Top Team, it is also known as Lakay Wushu or Lakay MMA. The group was founded in 2003 by mixed martial artist Marquez Sangiao. Sangiao was also head coach of the Cordillera chapter in Baguio for Wushu, and a seasoned martial artist with past experience in kickboxing, taekwondo, and Jiu-Jitsu as well as a martial arts instructor at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) and a coach for Wushu at the University of the Cordilleras in Baguio City.
Carla Kristen Esparza is an American professional mixed martial artist and wrestler who competes in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which she is the former two-time UFC Women's Strawweight Champion. Esparza was the first UFC Strawweight Champion, the first Invicta FC Strawweight Champion, and was generally considered the best Strawweight fighter in the world during both title reigns. She first earned the UFC championship by winning a 16-woman tournament that was televised on the reality series The Ultimate Fighter. She also competed in Bellator MMA's first women's tournament.
Rose Namajunas is an American professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and is a former two-time UFC Women's Strawweight Champion. As of April 2, 2024, she is #6 in the UFC women's flyweight rankings and as of April 9, 2024, she is #7 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.
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. There has been a growing awareness of women in mixed martial arts due to popular female fighters and personalities such as Amanda Nunes, Megumi Fujii, Gina Carano, Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, Holly Holm and Joanna Jędrzejczyk and among others. Carano became known as "the face of women's MMA" after appearing in a number of EliteXC events. This was furthered by her appearances on MGM Television's 2008 revival of their game show American Gladiators.
Joanna Jędrzejczyk is a Polish former professional mixed martial artist and Muay Thai kickboxer. She has been called the greatest female strawweight mixed martial artist of all time, including by Daniel Cormier, who credited her with putting the weight class "on the map". Jędrzejczyk holds several records in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is a former UFC Women's Strawweight Champion, including most successful strawweight title defenses (5), most consecutive wins at strawweight (8), and is the first Polish champion and first female European champion.
Jarred Brooks Ford professionally known as Jarred Brooks, is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in ONE Championship, where he is the former ONE Strawweight World Champion. A professional competitor since 2014, he has also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Pancrase, Rizin Fighting Federation, and the World Series of Fighting (WSOF).
Yan Xiaonan is a Chinese professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of April 16, 2024, she is #2 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings and #10 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.
Virna Jandiroba is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who currently competes in the strawweight division of the UFC. She is a former Invicta Fighting Championships (Invicta) Strawweight champion. As of January 23, 2024, she is #5 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings.
Zhang Weili is a Chinese professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is the current and two-time UFC Women's Strawweight Champion. A professional competitor since 2013, Zhang formerly competed for Kunlun Fight (KLF), where she was the KLF Women's Strawweight Champion. As of September 5, 2023, she is #2 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.
Joshua Felix Pacio is a Filipino mixed martial artist who competes in the Strawweight division of ONE Championship. He is the current ONE Strawweight World Champion. From April 2016 to July 2016, he was ranked at the #8 Strawweight in the world according to Fight Matrix. As of December 1, 2022, Pacio is the #23 Flyweight in the world, as ranked by Fight Matrix.
ONE X: 10 Years Anniversary was a Combat sport event produced by ONE Championship that took place on March 26, 2022, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.
Anshul Jubli, is an Indian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Lightweight division of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Jubli became the second person from India to get a UFC contract, after Bharat Khandare, as well as first person from India to win in a UFC fight.
The Matrix Fight Night (MFN) is an Indian professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion Company based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is owned and operated by Hindi film actor Tiger Shroff, his mother Ayesha Shroff and his sister Krishna Shroff. The promotion was founded in 2019.
Rayanne Amanda dos Santos is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, currently competing in the strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She also fought in Invicta FC, where she was the atomweight champion.
