The Greatest MMA Fighters of All Time

A short history of MMA

Contests that mix striking and grappling are ancient. Pankration, a blend of boxing and wrestling, entered the Olympic Games of Greece in 648 BC. In the 20th century, Brazil's vale tudo bouts and the Gracie family's open challenges pitted one style against another, and a 1976 exhibition in Tokyo between boxer Muhammad Ali and wrestler Antonio Inoki, which ended in a 15-round draw, later inspired Japanese promotions such as Shooto, Pancrase and PRIDE.

The modern sport dates to November 12, 1993, when the first Ultimate Fighting Championship was staged in Denver with minimal rules and no weight classes. Royce Gracie won the eight-man tournament by submitting all three of his opponents. The early events also drew fierce criticism: U.S. Senator John McCain called the sport "human cockfighting", and 36 states passed laws against no-holds-barred fighting. The UFC responded with reforms, adding weight classes at UFC 12 in 1997 and making gloves mandatory at UFC 14.

Regulation followed. In January 2001 Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta bought the UFC for $2 million, and that April the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board brokered what became the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. The reality series The Ultimate Fighter (2005) brought in new fans, the UFC's owners bought Japan's PRIDE in 2007, and Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche fought the first women's bout in UFC history in 2013. In Canada, Ontario legalized the sport in 2010, UFC 129 drew 55,724 fans to Toronto's Rogers Centre in 2011, and Parliament decriminalized MMA in 2013.

Today the Unified Rules are the standard across North America, adopted by the state and provincial commissions that regulate the sport. The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation, set up in 2012, organizes amateur world championships, and MMA was added as a medal sport for the 2026 Asian Games. It is not part of the Olympic program.

• ✦Fights end by knockout, technical knockout, submission, judges' decision or disqualification.
• ✦Rounds last five minutes with a minute's rest; non-title bouts are three rounds, and title fights can be five.
• ✦Three judges score each round on the 10-point must system: 10 points to the winner, nine or fewer to the loser.
• ✦Fighters wear 4–6 oz open-fingered gloves, a mouthguard and a groin guard; shoes and gis are not allowed.
• ✦Fouls include headbutts, eye gouging, groin strikes, strikes to the spine or back of the head, and small-joint manipulation.
• ✦Kicks and knees to the head of a grounded opponent are illegal under the Unified Rules.