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.
Fight Network is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment. The network broadcasts programming related to combat sports, including mixed martial arts, boxing, kickboxing, and professional wrestling.
Todd Duffee is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). He trains predominantly with the Combat Sports Academy and the American Kickboxing Academy in California. Duffee has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Super Fight League in India, Jungle Fight in Brazil, and Dynamite!! 2010 in Japan. In addition to his mixed martial arts career he had a role in the 2010 film Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown as well as minor roles in both film and television. Duffee has also appeared on the front cover of Muscle & Fitness magazine.
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.
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.
Joseph Anthony Martinez is an American ring announcer currently working for Mixed Martial Arts promotions Invicta FC, and the UFC.
Mixed Martial Arts Pakistan is the premiere mixed martial arts (MMA) and martial arts promotion based in Pakistan that was created in December 2007 by Bashir Ahmad to promote martial arts styles in Pakistan with a particular focus on mixed martial arts competition.
CV Productions, Inc., is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based mixed martial arts company, founded in 1979. It is considered the first MMA based company in the United States and responsible for creating the blueprint for modern mixed martial arts competition. The company promoted the first regulated league of mixed martial arts style competitions beginning in 1980 with the intention of creating a new mainstream sport. The league events pitted combatants from all fighting disciplines including boxers, kick boxers, martial artists, wrestlers, grapplers, and all around “tough guys.” Competitors could win by opponent’s submission, knockout or judges' decision. The competitions were promoted as “Anything Goes - striking, throwing, grappling, punching, kicking, ground fighting, and more.” The shows were immediately dubbed by the media as “Organized, Legalized, Street Fighting,” a phrase coined by KDKA TV's Dave Durian.
Joanne Wood is a Scottish professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai champion who competes in the Women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The year 2012 was the inaugural year for Super Fight League, an Indian-based mixed martial arts (MMA) league. Its first event was held in March and featured a bout between the two MMA veterans Bob Sapp and James Thompson. The league has scheduled several events to occur throughout India in 2012. On 5 August 2012, the Super Fight League aired their reality show SFL Challengers. Similar to the Ultimate Fighter, the show took young up-and-coming Indian mixed martial artists, placing them in the same house. On October 12, the Super Fight League changed their organisational structure from one event a month in arenas to one event every Friday in a specially designed mini-arena in Mumbai in front of an exclusive invitation only audience. With programming lasting for three hours each week with weigh-ins, live fights, and interviews from Bollywood cage side guests. There was seven fights in total each event, with one of them being a female bout. It aired live on Neo Prime in India and on their YouTube page for the rest of the world.
Invicta Fighting Championships, also known as Invicta FC, is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion dedicated to Women's mixed martial arts that was founded in 2012 by Janet Martin and Shannon Knapp. The promotion is currently owned by the Canadian-based Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched 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.
Colleen Schneider is a retired American professional mixed martial artist. Colleen was a contestant in season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter reality competition television show.
Miriam Herbie Nakamoto is an American professional female Muay Thai fighter and mixed martial artist fighting at Bantamweight.
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.
Oléna "Lena" Serhíyivna Ovchýnnikova is a Ukrainian kickboxer and mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight division in kickboxing and the flyweight division in MMA.
Super Fight League has scheduled several fights cards throughout 2014 to 2016:
Pannie Pantea Kianzad is an Iranian-born Swedish mixed martial artist. She is currently signed by Ultimate Fighting Championship in the Women's Bantamweight division, having previously fought in Invicta FC and Cage Warriors where she held the bantamweight title. As of November 21, 2023, she is #7 in the UFC women's bantamweight rankings.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is the fastest growing sport in the United States. Mixed martial arts largely developed in the 1990s, and has achieved popularity in the early 21st century. Many companies promote MMA cards, with the U.S. based Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) the most dominant.
The Kumite 1 League (K1L) is a mixed martial arts league and martial arts promotion, based in Mumbai, India. The league is supported by the World Kickboxing Network and backed by Toyam Industries. Kumite 1 League debuted its inaugural season on 28 September 2018 in Mumbai and Mike Tyson was appointed as the brand ambassador of the event.
