Like any other act that involves practice and skill, along comes test and competition. The Olympians have been practicing wrestling for thousands of years and more recently the Thai, Japanese, and Koreans hold tournaments in their respective disciplines. When fighting offensively and defensively, one does not solely rely on a singular discipline. In the heat of battle, the techniques used are merely combinations learnt from a particular philosophy of combat. However, no kick, punch, submission, or throw is singular to one discipline but rather belongs to all of them. In the fight for survival, one is compelled to adapt to their situation as quickly as they can, hence the need for any martial arts skills at all.

This is where the forum for mixed martial arts comes in today. In modern times we have a controlled environment with rules and regulations that governs not one singular discipline, but all. A cage, or ring if you will, sets the landscape where two men collide to show who is superior in endurance, skill, and courage. The upper echelon of today’s martial artists consists of men who are superior in not one discipline, but many. These men have an array of talent that encompasses everything from a Greco-Roman throw to a Muay-Thai clinch. Not only will he be good on his feet, but also aggressive while defending himself on his back. He comes out victorious by either striking his opponent (KO or TKO), submitting him (verbally or through a tap on the arm), or tallying the most points on the judge’s scorecards. There are many avenues that take a mixed martial artists to victory but some of the disciplines utilized the most include Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay-Thai, and wrestling (both freestyle and Greco-Roman). Examples and basic definitions of these disciplines are as follows:

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