Mixed martial arts as a modern organized sport began with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, an event that invited practitioners of many different martial art traditions into a single fighting event with unified rules. Over the decades since that beginning, martial artists from all styles have been drawn to the cage -- but three basic fighting styles have risen to prominence: muay thai kickboxing, Brazilian jujutsu and wrestling. A fourth style -- dirty boxing -- has also risen, evolving from the particular rules of MMA competition.
Muay Thai
Muay thai is a kickboxing art from Thailand, with similar arts from other countries in southeast Asia. Developing muay thai skills will improve the stand-up fighting skills of a mixed martial artist, and does so better than boxing because it trains you to use legs, knees and elbows as well as your fists. The main disadvantage of muay thai for the octagon is that it doesn't include any grappling training.
Brazilian Jujutsu
The UFC was originally organized by the Gracies, a family of Brazilian jujutsu practitioners who set up the tournament to promote their style of fighting. It should come as no surprise that the skills from this style are useful in a sport that developed out of the UFC. BJJ trains an athlete in ground defense and offense, using the specific moves and submissions that work best for tapping out an opponent in the ring. BJJ training is also extremely rigorous, building the muscular and cardiovascular endurance a fighter needs to succeed in mixed martial arts competition. Lack of stand-up training is the only significant disadvantage of training in Brazilian jujutsu if you want to compete.
Wrestling
Many UFC champions, including Brock Lesnar and the legendary Randy Couture, got their start in high school and college wrestling. Wrestling has the advantage of aggressively developing your grappling skills. For many young people interested in MMA competition, a local wrestling team is a way to get hundreds of hours of fight practice for little money or for free. The biggest disadvantage of wrestling is that it doesn't translate directly to the rules of MMA competition. A wrestler will need to relearn some deeply ingrained reflexes before he can compete.
Dirty Boxing
Dirty boxing includes striking while standing up and on the ground, using moves that are illegal in regular boxing competition. Elbow strikes and punches while gripping the back of an opponent's head are typical examples of this kind of technique. Since this style evolved as a response to the realities of mixed martial arts rules, it has few disadvantages compared to other training styles. However, dirty boxing isn't as good for securing a quick submission or knockout as BJJ training -- you sacrifice striking for setting up a submitting lock or hold.
References
- Troy O'Conner; MMA Coach; Aloha, Oregon
- MMA Wild: Styles and Strategies
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