Mixed Martial Arts History

Want to learn about mixed martial arts history? Mixed martial arts, as we know it in the modern form, has a pretty short history. The first event was held in 1993 at the Ultimate Fighting Championship. However, if we think about mixed martial arts, it becomes immediately clear that we have to look at the history of all of the martial arts all over the world. Basically, man became involved in one on one combat as soon as humans came to be. There is no doubt that cavemen took part in fighting one another. The earliest form of a fighting event was in 648 B.C. at the Olympic Games in Greece. Romans were also taking part in brutal one on one competitions at this time.

Bartisu events in England in the late 19th century pitted Asian fighting styles against European ones. By the early 20th century, mixed style match-ups were occurring in a variety of places around the world. Brazil had Jiu Jitzu which later became Vale Tudo. Brazilians, in particular Carlos Gracie, learned Judo from a Japanese man named Mitsuyo Maeda. Maeda had done business with Carlos Gracie's father, and in return for his help agreed to teach Judo to Carlos.

Up until this time, the Japanese had kept Judo and other eastern fighting techniques to themselves. They did not share their techniques and secrets with Westerners. This sharing of information created mixed martial arts in Brazil, as Judo became Jiu Jitzu and out of that came Vale Tudo. In the early 70's, mixed martial arts competitions were taking place in Japan. Mohammad Ali fought Antonio Anokio in a mixed competition in 1976. It would take almost another twenty years for the first MMA competition to take place. The first actual event of modern mixed martial arts, as mentioned earlier, took place on November 12, 1993. This modern mixed martial arts event was part of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.