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New to MMA in 2020? Here’s What You Need To Know

The MMA Plug

Oct 6, 2018; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Conor McGregor (blue gloves) before his fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov (red gloves) during UFC 229 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

So, it’s 2020 and you’re a new fan to MMA. 

Over the past quarter century, mixed martial arts has gone from being an obscure counter-culture spectacle that was only available live in-person in a select few states, pay-per-view, and by replay on VHS tapes to being streamed to millions worldwide on a platform such as ESPN+, which is owned by Disney.

Maybe you’ve taken an interest in the sport because you were scrolling through the channels on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night and happen to come across the broadcast of a UFC, PFL, LFA, or Combate Americas card and you took a liking.

Maybe you have become a fan because of a particular fighter who has crossed the mainstream threshold of popularity like a Conor McGregor or Jorge Masvidal.

Either way, consider this a comprehensive breakdown of what you need to know so that you can better understand this ever-growing and continuously evolving sport.

Vocabulary

Let’s start with some basic terminology so that you can better understand what you are seeing and more effectively communicate with other fight fans.

Origin

Now, technically speaking, there have been battles of mixed styles dating all the way back to the original Olympics, however what we have come to know MMA as today (originally referred to as  “No Holds Barred”) started in 1993 in Denver, Colo., for UFC 1. 

There have been a variety of combat sports promotions that predated the UFC, such as Vale Tudo and Pancrase, but no one cemented themselves to the masses the way that Art Davie and the Gracie family was able to when they created the UFC. There are hundreds, if not thousands of MMA promotions in the world, but the gold standard has become synonymous with the UFC.

Rules and Regulations

One thing is typically a tough concept for new fans to wrap their heads around is the commissions. In baseball or football, the MLB and NFL regulates the competition, whereas in MMA, a commission appointed by each state is the regulating authority. A common misconception is that a promotion such as the UFC hires the referees and judges, when, in fact, this is something that is handled by the commission. 

The commission administers weigh-ins, rule sets, replays (only legal in certain states), in-contest use of medical staff, penalties, and fines. 

As mentioned, rule sets are administered by state commissions, which adds to the confusion because the rules can differ from state to state, as well as promotion to promotion. For example, PFL does not allow elbow strikes. Why? PFL follows a scheduling format of a regular season and playoffs, which keeps the timeline in between fights relatively short. Elbows happen to be a strike with a higher probability of drawing blood than other forms of striking, so the recovery period on a nasty cut would basically eliminate a fighter from the PFL tournament altogether.

Let’s talk about bout scheduling in professional fights versus amateur. Professional fights are typically three, five-minute rounds and amateur (or elimination) bouts are three, three-minute rounds. The notable exception here is that in most major promotions, a title fight is scheduled for five, five-minute rounds. In the UFC, the main event of a Fight Night on ESPN card follows this as well. Why is the term “scheduled for” noteworthy? It’s simple. It’s because a fight can end prior to the designated time allotment by stoppage due to knockout, submission, or doctor’s stoppage.

 Scoring

To transition from rules and regulations, let’s jump into scoring. This is yet another part of the sport that has the potential to vary based on the location of the event. In general, MMA follows a 10-point must system, similar to that of what is used in boxing. Each judge individually scores the fight using a criteria based on the effectiveness and efficiency of both striking and grappling, cage control, and aggressiveness. 

Unless there is a point deduction for a penalty, the winner of a round will receive 10 points on a scorecard and the opponent receives 9 points. However, in some states, judges can elect to only score 8 points to the loser of a round if they were dominated and/or close to finished.

Weight Classes

Once upon a time, there was one giant open class that housed all competitors and it was not out of the ordinary to see someone like Royce Gracie (6’1” 175 lbs.) fight someone like Kimo Leopoldo (6’3” 250 lbs.).

Today, there are 12 weight classes recognized by the UFC. There are other weight classes that do exist such as superheavyweight and atomweight, there is just not a large share recognition going to those divisions here in the US. 

Let’s take a look at the weight classes:

What’s available and how can you watch it?

We’ve mentioned how you can see the UFC, but let’s talk about a few of the other promotions. The following promotions listed are going to range from large promotions with a global footprint, all the way down to some of the promotions one may see here locally in Colorado.

Hopefully, this brief breakdown of MMA helps serve as a reference guide to new fans of the sport in 2020.

-Jordan Kurtz is a founding member of Comments From The Peanut Gallery and can be followed on Instagram at @CommentsFromThePeanutGallery

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