So What is MMA Fighting and the UFC, This is a brief history of its growth over the last 10 years.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has exploded over the past decade. The worldwide growth has been truly staggering. Watching stars of the Octagon become stars of Hollywood and seeing a variety of global superstars attend MMA events.
MMA over the past decade has trebled in size. The reach of the sport has exploded in America, Europe, South America and Australia with almost every other continent also starting to show an interest.
Celebrity fans have flocked in their masses and we aren’t talking B & C listers we are talking Hollywood royalty and sporting superstars. Such as Arnold Swartnegger, Sylvester Stallone, Cindy Crawlford, Mel Gibson, The Rock, Justin Bieber, Charlize Theron, Steven Seagal, Shaquille O’Neal, Mike Tyson, Michael Jordan.
As you can see this is a super impressive list MMA has definitely become a mainstream phenomenon.
The UFC has been at the forefront of the progress. Moving the sport’s image away from the perceived knuckle headed cage fighting, to a more polished martial arts approach where skill and technique take center stage.
Developing personalities within the sport and giving fans the chance to see more than just the fight has also been a huge contributor toward the success.
TUF (The Ultimate Fighter) is a series where 16 fighters enter a house and one emerges with a 6 figure contract. But what’s so great about this is the fans get to see more than a fighter they get to know a person. Fans feel like they are on the journey with them and follow their entire careers.
The original TUF (2005) winner Forrest Griffin was not the best fighter in the world but he was a huge UFC star and now Hall of Fame member. Why because of who he is and the way he acts, all made possible by the personal insight TUF provided.
Another beautiful aspect of the sport is that everyone can do it, a lot think they can do it, but few actually have the courage to enter a training session let alone a fight. But the simple fact remains all you need to start is a pair of boxing gloves and a decent pair of MMA Shorts and your off.
There are so many MMA clubs popping up all over the world. Take the UK for instance 10 years ago they were relatively unheard of, now they are popping up everywhere.
MMA is not something that is guaranteed either. Just because you are the best in the world at wrestling does not mean you will become a great MMA fighter. It takes true discipline and a level of open mindness that only few people posses.
MMA is a discipline and discipline is exactly what it takes to succeed. So many people on troubled paths have found MMA and developed as people. It installs a certain level of self-discipline and forces people to understand that there is no substitute for hard work.
So if you’re contemplating taking your child to an MMA class but don’t want them to become a thug, well remember this 80% of UFC fighters have a degree. What does that tell you? They understand discipline and have learnt to apply themselves from an early age.
If you’re thinking MMA is only for men well think again. 45% of current MMA fans are female and with the Ronda Rousey train still growing the future is bright for Women’s MMA (WMMA).
The benefits of MMA aren’t just learning to compete either. There are endless benefits one of the main ones being self defense. Others such as fitness, friendship, confidence, team work, achievements the list is endless.
There are currently offers of up to 40% off the Valour Strike MMA equipment, so if your looking for a starter pack, kit yourself out with our unbeatable gear.
Â