Mixed Martial Arts or MMA is defined as a full contact sport that offers a wide variety of techniques from different styles, both stand-up and on the ground. Judo, Muay Thai, kick boxing, Karate and wrestling are just a few of the utilized skilled arts. MMA allows one to fight with the whole body by combining the arts of throwing, striking and joint manipulating techniques.

An example of one art is Muay Thai that was utilized for warfare in the 1800’s. Over the years, these fights became spectator sports to entertain Kings in various countries. Muay Thai means “Art of Eight Limbs” and makes use of eight contact points. These include knee hits, kicks, punches, and elbow strikes performed in stand-up fighting. Western boxing holds no comparison with its hands and feet two point fighting.

Holding the opponent down through grappling moves similar to wrestling is known as ground fighting. Getting the dominant position or preventing strikes while on the ground is clinched fighting. The only equipment needed is small gloves, open-fingered or closed, depending on the country, type of fight and weight category. Victory is resolved by knockout, doctor stoppage, or submission. Referees can stop a fight if one of the opponents has sustained bodily injury or if there have been numerous fouls and warnings causing disqualification.

Mixed Martial Arts became an official sport in the US in 1992 when the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was held. Fights that used to be no-holds-barred became a disciplined sport including restrictions to reduce the risk of bodily harm and time limits. In 2008, the UFC expanded from the United States to Canada. Calgary is comparative to massive cities such as Los Angeles or Chicago and its pay-per-view events draw huge audiences. Shows are sold out within minutes by people of all ages and lifestyles.

There are several schools in Calgary that teach MMA and individuals from all over the world travel here to learn from the best. If this sport interests you, it is cautioned that one should watch a few sessions before committing. Instructors are willing to speak with potential students and enroll them in starter classes to make sure this is an adequate sport for that person. Competitive martial arts differ from self defense and should not be categorized as the same. Although there may be some overlapping techniques, the skills are not practical for someone to make use of in an assault type situation.

This website will provide more information about MMA:
Calgary Martial Arts
Calgary Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

In the aftermath of Brock Lesnars 2nd round TKO victory over Frank Mir the prevailing attitude toward him from mainstream fans has experienced a sudden and seismic shift. Before his past two fights many were questioning whether his credentials justified giving him a shot at the title, with some even unfairly comparing him to EliteXC YouTube sideshow attraction Kimbo Slice. In the aftermath of Lesnars UFC 100 victory the new question surrounding the former WWE champion has become who can beat this guy? Lesnar definitely is a freaky physical specimen combining size and strength with speed and agility. Hes also progressing by leaps and bounds as a fighter with every bout. Still, hes got a big deficit in experience to make up on the job as UFC heavyweight champion.

Lesnar is no doubt a tough matchup, but he’s been the beneficiary of very favorable matchups in his short professional career. Lesnar has made amazing progress as a fighter, but he’s not unbeatable. Here’s fight fighters who could do it.

1) FEDOR EMELIANENKO: ‘The Last Emperor’ is until proven otherwise the best heavyweight in the sport. The former PRIDE champion has striking power, submission mastery, and may be the toughest fighter mentally in the sport. Fedor might get taken down by the new UFC heavyweight champ, but hed reverse it from the bottom and win via armbar. Lesnar’s inexperience would be readily apparent against the well traveled Emelianenko, and he’d finally face an opponent who could test his ability to take a punch.

2) ANTONIO RODRIGO NOGUEIRA: Nogueira would present Lesnar with another formidable challenge. The former Interim heavyweight champion has equal, if not superior, BJJ skills and has proven to be tougher and more durable than Mir. His five career losses are all via decision and came to the absolute highest level of competition (Fedor Emelianenko twice, Frank Mir, Josh Barnett and Dan Henderson). The Mir fight was a lopsided loss, but it was later revealed that he had been recovering from a staph infection that limited his training and clearly impacting his conditioning. His ability to withstand punishment and take a punch allows him to be patient against powerful opponents and wait for an opening for a submission, as evidenced in his fight against Tim Sylvia. The UFC heavyweight division is notoriously thin, but among the current crop Nogueira is by far Lesnars worst matchup.

3) JOSH BARNETT: Barnett is another unlikely opponent for Lesnar, also due to his strained relationship with Dana White and current issues with his positive drug test. Barnett also has a solid wrestling background, with the added dimension of his sizable submission repertoire. As his career has progressed, Barnett has become a more patient and tactically sound fighter and his standup game has improved significantly. Unfortunately for MMA fans, a matchup between Lesnar and Barnett is more likely to happen in an IGF pro wrestling event than in the UFC.

4) ALISTAIR OVEREEM: Overeem is bigger than Lesnar”260 pounds and 65 tall. He went through a rough patch in his career during his tenure in PRIDE, but has compiled a 5-1-1 record in his last seven fights. Mirko Cro Cop suggests that hes the *only* fighter in the world who could beat Fedor Emelianenko at this point. Hes got great standup including a kickboxing background that could cause Lesnar problems, as well as solid ground fighting ability. Hes yet another heavyweight that is unlikely to bend to Dana Whites contractual demands, and currently has a relationship with DREAM in Japan and Strikeforce in the US. Still, hes a dangerous matchup for any fighter on the planet.

5) RANDY COUTURE: Lesnars win over Couture was far from decisive, and it didnt have anything to do with the age disparity. Couture got caught with a big shot and it cost him the fight. Until that point, he was more than holding his own. He was making his opponent work hard, had the edge in the striking exchanges and had opened up a cut over Lesnars right eye. The most likely route for Couture at this stage of his career is to drop back down to light heavyweight but should he desire a rematch his experience and toughness give him a chance to prevail. Granted, itll never be a favorable matchup on paper for Couture but at the same time Lesnar in no way proved his categorical superiority over The Natural. New gameplan, new tactics and Lesnar could end up being a victim.

An intriguing matchup down the road could be against Croatian striking machine Mirko Cro Cop. Cro Cop has battled injuries over the past year or so but if he could come close to the form he demonstrated in winning the PRIDE Open Weight GP he could be another formidable challenge. At his best, Cro Cop is simply the most devastating striker in the sport.

It can be very intimidating to get ready for your first grappling tournament, especially if it’s a tournament that you have entered without the help of the gym. But there are hundreds of people who go through this every single tournament and you should not be worried about it. If you prepared properly in the beginning he should have no problem in the tournament. Here are some tips to help you get mentally prepared to compete and succeed in a grappling tournament.

Experience tells me in my grappling tournament experience and also coaching other people in their grappling tournament experience that the rules are very important, which seems very obvious but it’s really not. You should always check the rules to see what moves are allowed and which moves are disallowed. I have seen many competitors be disqualified because they use illegal moves or slam their opponent to the mat (which has never been allowed in any grappling tournament Ive seen or been involved with). This is a really easy thing that a lot of people overlook when they get into a grappling tournament. I’ve seen in the people’s days come to an end, because they just did not look at the rules. Do not let this happen to you. Do not let yourself get into the championship round only to lose because, you did not look at the rules carefully. So my best advice to you is to train inside of those rules at least three to four weeks outside of the competition, whether if its with a partner, youre grappling dummy or in your mind, you should be ready to grapple underneath those rules. This will help you tremendously when you get into the grappling situation.

Take a hint from NBA players and have a pregame ritual. NBA players usually always have a ritual to go through before the shoot a free-throw shot this because it helps to them feel relaxed even though the crowd is trying to distract them from their job. Many times during NBA broadcasts at the broadcaster will mention this, because the players who do have a ritual will usually always make after they perform it. So you should have one too. Whether that ritual is certain exercises like stretching or exercises you do before the match, you should have it available. You will feel stressed before the first match and subsequent matches, if you’re not mentally prepared to handle the stress, you will do poorly in the match. Especially if that opponent is bigger than you or you believe in your mind that they might be more skilled than you. Your pregame ritual will save you, so you should have it.

What to do when you’re on the mat and you get nervous. I would suggest that you have another ritual for this. Possibly something that you cannot be stopped from doing like touching your thumb in your index finger together, which is another neural linguistic programming technique to call up a certain feeling that you need to compete at your highest level. Or maybe it’s as easy as taking three deep breaths. Outside of this you should have already been visualizing getting in trouble in getting out of trouble in your training anyway. You should try to relax and remember that no matter what the situation is that this is still just training. You’re not really in a fight with someone trying to take your head off so try and relax and work your way out. Sometimes it helps to close your eyes because you will feel spaces where you will usually have known they were open (which is great training anyway, you probably should be doing).

Of course before you enter your grappling tournament, you should have already been doing some sort of exercises I recommend some of Frank Shamrock’s home work out because it’s based around grappling. You want a workout be as close to the competition that you’re entering or the activity that you’re doing is possible. So the system best way to be ready for the tournament. You may feel stress, which will help you because you’ve learned how to deal with it before hand during your workouts.

I hope you’ve taken notes, because all these tips will help you tremendously when you get into your grappling tournament and hopefully all the skill that you have cultivated will come out as long as you stay relaxed and you are properly trained for the tournament mentally and physically. And remember you should have the right rituals to go along with those attributes. Staying relaxed will keep you out of trouble in the grappling tournament when you roll into submissions as you will, and will help you get out of them. You must stay relaxed. I wish you luck in all your grappling endeavors