Posted by MMA Pound for Pound | Posted in MMA Pound for Pound | Posted on MMA Pound for Pound
In more than 2000 years, you will think that many things have changed already. Although, it seems that when it comes to sports, modern practices actually have resemblance to ancient ones. Well this is particularly evident with Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), United States’ increasingly popular sport today. In either way you might refer to it, Ultimate Fighting or Mixed Martial arts; this is in fact a contemporary form already. Taking a closer look, MMA pound for pound in fact resemble an Ancient Geek competitive sport referred to as pankration. This kind of sport puts together Greco-Roman wrestling together with a series of martial arts fighting techniques.
Pankration can be traced backed to 648 B.C. During that time, it was newly introduced sport in the Olympics. Just like MMA pound for pound today, the rules and regulations in pankration also apply. For instance, biting as well as eye gouging is also prohibited in this sport. Apart from these two foul plays, anything else is allowable in pankration just like in MMA. Pankration is a combination of two Greek words: pan which means “all”; and kratos which means “powers.” Most of the time, pankration matches can last for hours with certain results leading to the death of one or even both of the fighters. Because of brutal nature and the strength of fighters exhibited, it quickly turned out as the most popular sport in the Olympics.
Unfortunately, the popular of pankration decline when the Roman Empire rose to power. During this time, other sports were introduced to the people and to different sporting events that pankration slowly lost hold of its popularity. In the contemporary Western World, it was wrestling and boxing which took the interests of people traditional martial arts steadily gained popularity in the East.
When the 1900s cane, Brazilian Carlos Gracie, who known to have an extensive training background in judo and learned under the care of well-known Japanese champion Mitsuyo Maeda, started training his four brothers the very skill that he learned previously. In the year 1925, Gracie together with his younger brother Helio relocated to Rio de Janeiro. The two brothers decided to put up a jiu-jitsu studio and later on came up with the “Gracie Challenge.” This served as a challenge to those who want to compete or fight against the two siblings. Which started as way attracting attention to their only just opened academy, the Gracie Challenge was able to draw fighters in several different disciplines and that is from boxing, martial arts, karate, capoeira (a form of Afro-Brazilian fighting) and even wrestling.
Soon, a considerable number of fighters joined these matches bring along with them a relatively huge number of spectators. Afterwards, the matches were flocked with so many people it had to be done in larger areas like the Brazilian soccer arenas. Ultimately, the sport steadily became Brazil’s second most well-liked sport after soccer. It was in the year 1993 when MMA pound for pound finally reached new heights. With the establishment of Ultimate Fighting Championship, the sport has finally made its mark worldwide.
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