Mixed martial arts incorporate three basic skills—striking, grappling and wrestling—mainly for the purpose of full-contact competitions with varying rules. MMA is also known as no-holds-barred fighting, vale tudo (Portuguese for anything goes), Ultimate Fighting and cage fighting.

Because boxing, kickboxing and muay Thai only involve fighting on the feet, no ground skills are necessary. Likewise, because striking is not allowed in wrestling matches or grappling, these skills are left out of the training regimen of such athletes.

As the name implies, MMA incorporates all the skills necessary for a fight on any level. A fighter not well versed in the ground game must at least develop a good sprawl or takedown defense. He must also know how to defend against typical ground submission holds long enough to get back on his feet. Those skilled at Brazilian jui-jitsu or Greco-Roman wrestling must be able to evade a strikers attack long enough to take him down to where they are comfortable. Thus, the goal for any MMA competitor is to develop a well-rounded skill set that can simultaneously showcase his primary strength and downplay the weakness of his lesser abilities.


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