MMA Equipment

Mixed martial arts, as we know it today, had its start in the UFC organization back in 1993. Then, a young Brazilian jujitsu practitioner known as Royce Gracie fought against many different styles of fighters, on multiple occasions, to become the first UFC champion. After his victories, the world began to notice MMA, and the style of fighting that Royce Gracie championed, Brazilian jujitsu. The chokes and joint locks of Brazilian jujitsu, techniques often performed on the ground, seemed to overcome any fighter of any strength, skill or speed that Royce Gracie fought.

The UFC would have early success as a spectacle, but few viewers in the States took the fighting as anything more than shock entertainment. As the UFC hit hard times in the US, Japan’s Pride organization began to acquire fighters from around the world, and many of them came from the UFC to seek bigger paychecks. The fighting styles in Pride were varied and advanced. Where the grappler often did well in the UFC, the striker – kick boxers with takedown and submission defense – made a significant comeback in the world of MMA during Pride’s reign as the top promotion in the world. Strikers proved that they could KO a ground fighter with the right timing and strategy, before a grappler had the chance to close the distance. With this shift in the overall MMA game, there would be a new balance in the style of fighting that would populate the Pride ring

After the demise of Pride, the UFC began its rise once more, gaining great momentum from their Ultimate Fighter reality TV show on the Spike TV network. Mixed martial arts is now recognized as a legit sport. Competitors must fight under unified sanctioned rules and wear standard MMA equipment, such as mouth guards and clothing. However, because of mixed martial art’s violent nature, the sport has been slow to catch on in some locations.