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How soon things change. It seems like yesterday we were talking about how fast the fan base for Nascar was growing. Some people even foolishly talked about it possible taking over the NFL in popularity someday. Nascar's growth and fan base has since taken a hit, most likely due to the recent economy problems over the last couple of years. That said, Mixed Martial Arts, MMA is the new reigning "worlds fastest growing sport" as we enter 2010, and looks to be for the foreseeable future.
Don't get me wrong, the NFL is still the 800 pound gorilla when it comes to total fan base and world popularity, but MMA has shown substantial growth over the last decade, and even faster over the last 5 years. No growth like this ever lasts forever, but it's hard to say how long it could last for MMA, given the momentum the sport has, and more specifically, the UFC or Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The UFC is currently MMA's biggest promotion, and therefore has the world's best stable of fighter's. The UFC has also become the new darling of Las Vegas much to the chagrin of the powers that be in the boxing world. But instead of being bitter, the sport of boxing needs to take a look at why that is. For one, you can't get any big fights for free anymore when it comes to boxing. The UFC on the other hand, air's free broadcast's labled "UFC Fight Night" on Spike ever couple of months at least, and usually more than that. And these are normally big main events that the hardcore fans want to see, not fighters that nobody knows.
And more recent, news of StrikeForce's signing of the worlds best fighter Fedor Emelianenko shook the MMA world, and now Fedor will hope to become a household name by way of free network broadcasting of the sport's most popular fighter in a contract with CBS.
The key to enjoying the excitement of the sport though, is to understand all the different aspects of the sport, and to recognize the transitions that you see throughout a typical fight. The least understood of these being the "ground game". To the casual observer, this might seem boring compared to striking (the term used in MMA referring to the stand up phase of a fight). And sometimes it is with average talent. But when you have two world class grappler's going at it, its the most exciting part of a fight in my opinion.
What a new fan should watch for on the ground is the use of "the guard", and the escape from this position for the other fighter, also known as "passing the guard." The guard position consists of the fighter on bottom to control his/her opponent by wrapping his/her legs around the waist of the fighter on top while controlling the head, keeping him/her off balance, making it easier to sweep or submit the other. Normally the fighter on top or "in the guard" will try to get his/her legs around the leg's of the opponent, or to "ground and pound" the other fighter with strikes from the top position. There are usually no submissions from inside the guard.
It's impossible to cover all the nuances of the sport in this article, but once the more common ideas of the grappling part of MMA is understood by new and non fans, the more enjoyment will come out of watching great fights and understanding how technical these fighters are, not to mention the level of conditioning that it takes to compete in this sport. Most think it rivals that of their counterparts in the NFL, or any other sport for that matter. So the next time you are around a new fan, take a minute to explain the fastest growing sport in the world. See you at the fights!

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Mixed martial arts has exploded in the last decade. Now everyone and their dog think they can fight, grapple, wrestle and strike like a UFC champ. There are so many arm chair MMA fans now it is not even funny. What's even worse is the way marketing has creeped into MMA.
Below are the top 5 mixed martial arts fighters that are overrated.
5) Chris Leben
One fighter that has benefited from the Ultimate Fighter reality series has been Chris Leben. He is a heavy puncher but has little skills to back up his MMA game. He was marketing and overhyped so much that when he fought Anderson Silva he was the online betting favourite in most of the sports books.
4) Jorge Gurgel
Ever since Jorge Gurgel starred in the second season of The Ultimate Fighter television series he has been overly hyped as a MMA fighter. He was eliminated from the show in the fifth episode with a loss to Jason Von Flue by unanimous decision.
Gurgel got a 7 fight UFC contact strictly on the basis he was Rich Franklin's friend. Gurgel was criticized throughout his seven-fight run in the UFC for not displaying Jiu-Jitsu in his fights. He is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who trains with Rich Franklin.
3) Rich Franklin
He is one of the nicest guys in mixed martial arts. He is the perfect ambassador for the sport. However, because he was so popular he was also hyped up and profiled as the face of the UFC.
As UFC middleweight champion, Franklin had problems with Loiseau and Tanner and Quarry who were C+ plus level fighters at best. Franklin never faced real top level competition in his career and once he did he was exposed.
Franklin's lack of skill has been revealed and the UFC can no longer protect him as more and more people are realizing that he is overrated as a fighter.
2) TUF Cast members
It's apparent the UFC has invested a lot of TV time in these fighters, but there has to at least be some semblance of competition. Many of the fighters that come out of the TUF series are below average fighters but have good marketing value. Also the UFC gets these fighters into the show for a cheap price and since the fighters have some sort of marketability they are put into the UFC events. TUF alumni are given higher-profile spots than more deserving competitors.
Just because people see them on the TUF show they automatically think they are good fighters. Many of the cast members have no business being in the UFC yet they continue to be.
1) Kimbo Slice
No fighter is more overhyped than Kimbo Slice. He was protected in EliteXC and while on the TUF show he was marketing in every commercial and clip they could squeeze him in.
One moment he's beating up no body's on YouTube, the next he's in the main event of Elite XC's first broadcast on CBS. Some people even began arguing that he was a top 10 heavyweight fighter, simply because of the media attention he was receiving in many forums and blogs.
The Internet made Kimbo to what he is today and they is no way we can out the genie back in the bottle unless the UFC gives him actual fights.

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The strengths of MMA for real combat are many. First of all MMA, includes both striking and grappling, two of the most important elements of a real fight. Most combat sports focus on only one or the other and are quite limited in what types of attacks are allowed. For example, wrestling allows takedowns and pins, but no submissions. Boxing allows legal punches, but prohibits kicks, knees or elbows. Judo only allows throws. Muay Thai allows grappling and striking from the standing position, but not on the ground. MMA, on the other hand, allows all of these important elements of combat, making it a much more well-rounded discipline. Both striking and grappling take place while standing and on the ground. Submissions, holds, and chokes are also allowed while standing and on the ground. All types of throws and takedowns are allowed. However, each venue in MMA is slightly different, and certain strikes and submissions are disallowed depending on the show.
Before the first Ultimate Fighting Championship and for years afterward, there was a big debate among martial artists asking "what's more effective: grappling or striking?" This is a ridiculous question. This is the equivalent of asking, "Is it better to pass the ball or run the ball?" in American Football. Or of the military, "What's better, the Air Force or the Navy?" The answer is that it depends on the situation and you obviously need both. The modern MMA fighter obviously has a good handle on both striking and grappling, and this debate has finally begun to fade away.
Today, MMA is the fastest growing sport out there. It seems that everyone is getting involved with the sport either actively or as a spectator. In today's environment, anyone who's serious about learning to defend oneself must learn the fundamentals of MMA precisely because everyone else is doing it. In combat, it's the unfamiliar that is the most dangerous. For this reason, it's essential to educate oneself on MMA. Everyone who's serious about learning to fight should learn both striking and grappling and have MMA experience as a base to work from.
With that said, we need to keep in mind that a street fight is very different from a cage fight. First of all, street fights are rarely one-on-one. Many fights start as a one-on-one conflict but quickly become a multiple opponent situation. Many MMA fighters have the grappling mindset and are inclined to take their opponent to the ground, where they prefer to fight. This will immediately put you in eminent danger in a multiple-opponent fight. Every grappling position on the ground will put you in jeopardy of being kicked or kneed in the head if you're fighting more than one opponent. However, should you be taken down in a multiple opponent fight, you need to know ground fighting in order to escape the situation. A common slogan among Jiu Jitsu practitioners is that "most fights end up on the ground". While this may be true, most fights involve a weapon and multiple opponents.
In addition, street fights rarely take place on a soft floor. This changes everything for the grappler. Often times, the ground is rough with rocks, gravel, or even broken glass. Asphalt or concrete surfaces are far from ideal for grappling. Even the superior grappling positions with the possible exception of "knee on the stomach" hurt when rolling around on the ground. Even many of the takedowns in MMA, such as double and single leg tackles, involve dropping a knee to the ground, which can shatter a kneecap.
A related point is the wearing of shoes in the street. It's important to feel comfortable fighting with and without shoes on. Even many strikers, like Muay Thai fighters for example, have never trained with shoes on. Another thing to keep in mind is that shoes can also be used effectively as weapons to make kicks more effective. More types of kicks become effective when a shoe or a boot is worn.
Let's assume that a street fight breaks out on a soft floor and that it's a one-on-one fight. Remember this is not a gentlemen's grappling game. The individual who's willing to take the fight to the next level, and knows how to, will often win. Finger locks and breaks, for example, can completely change the game. In the old Catch Wrestling days, many fights were won with broken fingers and/or missing eyes. A grappler who knows how to use a barrage of bites, pressure point strikes, elbow digs, fish hooks, hair pulls, eye gouges, groin strikes and head butts on the ground (along with the more conventional strikes and submissions) is a whole other animal.
These elements come into play from the standing position as well and are a big part of the training in Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Kali Silat. Bruce Lee was said to have been incredibly effective with a finger jab to the eyes from any angle. Anyone who watches MMA knows how effective even an accidental eye gouge can be. For example, Mirko CroCop defeated Mustapha Al-Turk with an eye gouge in UFC 99. B.J. Pen and Chuck Liddell have unintentionally or intentionally used the eye gouge to help win UFC bouts as well.
The other obvious element of street fighting and self-defense that's missing in MMA is weapons training. Real fights involve weapons. If push comes to shove and it's time to defend loved ones, it's natural that most will pick up some type of weapon. Man has used weapons to defend himself from both man and beast since the beginning of time. In many third world countries, most everyone carries a weapon all the time. It would be ridiculous to train mostly in grappling and kickboxing where everyone carries a weapon and they're not afraid to use it. According to police reports nation wide, by far the majority of assaults in America involve a deadly weapon. Furthermore, should you ever end up in the prison system, practically every fight involves a makeshift edged weapon.
Real combat (wars) have always involved weapons and always will. MMA fighters like to compare themselves to modern gladiators. While modern MMA may be one of the closest combat sports to what the gladiators did in ancient Rome, the obvious difference is that gladiators fought with weapons. What most people don't understand is the big difference between a weapons expert and someone with no training. It's exactly like Jiu Jitsu or Muay Thai in that a skilled practitioner of knife or stick fighting can dominate a novice. The response to this is often that "I'll just get a gun." The question then becomes, how much training with a gun have you done?
Firearms training is another important element of real self-defense. Many martial artists neglect this important part of martial arts training. The unfortunate truth is that in a street fight setting a gun can often come into play. Even "road rage" sometimes develops into a situation where an infuriated individual wields a gun. It's important to keep in mind however, that guns can jam or run out of bullets and are not a good choice for close-range combat. A knife is much more effective at close range, and will never jam or run out of bullets. Most everyone in the martial arts community knows that the Filipino Martial Arts of Kali and Escrima are the best arts for knife and stick fighting. What they often don't know is that Kali practitioners learn to fight with anything they pick up. Even firearms training is an important element of Filipino Kali.
In conclusion, MMA is the most complete modern combat sport. Any self-defense or martial arts program that's missing MMA training is missing a major element of real fighting. Mixed Martial Arts has proven that being a well-rounded and complete fighter involves cross-training. All MMA fighters understand this. There is no single martial art that has everything needed to be a successful MMA fighter, even within the limits set by the rules. Once the rules have been removed, as in a street fight, many more elements and skill sets come into play. Preparation for street-fighting and real-world self-defense requires even more cross-training than MMA in order to be truly prepared.

Daniel Sullivan, OC Kickboxing & Mixed Martiai Arts' Founder and Head Instructor, was born and raised in Southern California and is a graduate of the University of Southern California's Business School. With 25 years of Mixed Martial Arts experience, Daniel is one of the most qualified martial arts and kickboxing instructors in Orange County. He is a Black Belt Instructor in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Cleber Luciano and Gracie Humaita and a Full Instructor in Muay Thai under the Thai Boxing Association U.S.A. He also holds the prestigious Full Instructor rank in Jeet Kune Do under Dan Inosanto (the only man ever certified by Bruce Lee to teach Jeet Kune Do). Mr. Sullivan is a Full Instructor in the Filipino Martial Arts and a Guru in Maphilindo Silat under Dan Inosanto. In addition, he is a Silver Glove instructor in Boxe Francaise Savate, a 3rd level instructor in Miletich Fighting Systems and a nationally certified personal fitness trainer. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Danny_Sullivan