This discipline has been talked about for a few years now, but in reality, they were not very well known at the entertainment level globally. We could only see the fights that took place in the United States since the main promoter was from there. Today it is televised by many networks. There are even different organizations worldwide.
The popularity of this combat sport has been growing at a swift pace, more specifically since it became known in 1993, thanks to the organization of the Ultimate Fighting Championship event. It is currently considered the fastest-growing contact sport, in terms of popularity, in countries such as the United States, Brazil, and Japan.
Previously, these types of fights were led by lovers of ground fighting, such as the Gracie family, the creators of said system, defeating and challenging all other disciplines in their “Vale Tudo” fights, which lacked rules. The Gracie’s were at the forefront for many years until this type of fight became known worldwide and until today with the UFC, yes, with some rules, even if they are minimal.
This discipline allows various fighting techniques and skills, from various martial arts and contact sports. It is a combination of contact sports and martial arts that allows you to see very spectacular combat and an opportunity to enjoy MMA betting.
What Material Do I Need To Practice MMA?
Rashguards de MMA
For both competition and training, MMA fighters wear shirts called rashguards that are designed to enhance performance and comfort. The MMA fighter’s shirt material is made with lycra, and it hugs the athlete’s body, absorbs body temperature, and maintains extreme comfort in movements.
MMA Gloves
In MMA, a specific model of gloves is used when competing. We are talking about MMA gloves, whose main feature is the padding, which is minimal. For non-professional combat, amateur MMA gloves are used. In this case, have much greater padding in the striking area to reduce the impact as much as possible without losing agility.
Unlike boxing gloves, MMA gloves allow the fingers to be free but not the thumb. This allows fighters to be able to practice grips. The MMA glove is designed to protect the opponent from the blows received and prevent injuries to the fighter who throws the blows.
Fight Pants
When outside the ring, that is, in training generally, long pants or leggings are preferred. Doing this adds speed and agility to the fighters’ leg movement. Like the Rashguards, the tights stick to the fighter’s legs to maintain their elasticity and comfort. Their function is to absorb perspiration, which can become a nuisance for the fighter. They also keep the muscle heat, ensuring faster muscle recovery.
Most fighters have personalized pants at the time of combat, but in terms of characteristics, the vast majority wear the same model. Made of satin with double flat seams, velcro closure with internal drawstring for a better fit.
MMA Protections
The protections used in MMA for the legs are the tubular models of shin guards. These fit better to the body, and at the same time, it protects the area well. They have less protection than Muay Thai, but on the contrary, they are very comfortable.
You can also use Kickboxing or Muay Thai shin guard models, but when it comes to fighting on the ground, they are indeed much more uncomfortable than the aforementioned tubular model. In addition, the tubular is cheaper than the rigid. This type of protection is only used for training since, in competition, the only protection allowed is that of MMA gloves.
MMA Earmuffs
An injury in disciplines such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or Judo and of course in MMA occurs with the rubbing of the ears on the ground. Luckily, different brands have developed earmuffs with integrated protection to avoid this type of injury.
If you want to get in shape and learn this sport, please keep in mind what material you should buy and always with a quality guarantee to avoid injuries. To aid your interest in this sport, we bring you curious facts about MMA.
Curious Facts That You May Not Have Known About MMA
- Originally there were no rules. In the first UFC events, the rules were, there are no rules. That’s right, it was an event for the bravest fighters since the idea was not to limit any style and to make fights as close as possible to a street fight. As expected, this caused controversy among people against this sport.
- Despite its popularity, many still consider it too violent, including martial artists such as Jackie Chan, who says it is too violent to be considered a martial art.
- Despite being considered very violent, these events have had no deaths, unlike other fighting and contact events such as boxing, karate, wrestling, football, basketball, or the NFL.
- Conor McGregor is the richest MMA fighter in the world, with a net worth of $200 million.
- The average salary for an MMA fighter is $44,680 a year, more than the average salary for a boxer or other professional martial artist.
- MMA fights are prohibited in the state of New York. Incredibly, it is considered to promote violence among youth and society. The sentence for these events is more severe than for illegal casinos or food stalls with health violations.
- It is less dangerous than many sports, some studies have revealed that MMA fighters have suffered fewer injuries than boxers, NFL, NBA, and soccer players.
Conclusion
There you have it, brief things you need to know about MMA, its sporting wear, and brief facts about it. We will stop here now, but we hope you got value from your reading. Thanks for reading!