Mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts lets two fighters strike and grapple, standing or on the ground, inside a cage or a ring. A fight is won by knockout, by the referee stopping it, by making the opponent submit or on the judges' scorecards. Judges score each round on the ten-point must system, looking first at effective striking and grappling.
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How long
Rounds of five minutes; most fights three rounds, title fights five
Lengths are from the rule book.
The big events, and why they matter
- 1UFC championshipsThe best-known professional titles in the sport.Ongoing
- 2ONE Championship titlesAsia's largest professional promotion.Ongoing
- 3Asian Games (MMA)Debuted at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 with six weight classes in modern and traditional styles.Every 4 years; first held 2026
Countries to know
India and the nations that have done best, biggest titles first.
- IndiaMMA at the Asian Games: 1 bronze (latest 2026)
- TajikistanMMA at the Asian Games: 2 golds, 1 silver (latest 2026)
- KazakhstanMMA at the Asian Games: 2 golds, 1 bronze (latest 2026)
- SingaporeMMA at the Asian Games: 1 gold (latest 2026)
- ThailandMMA at the Asian Games: 1 gold (latest 2026)
- BahrainMMA at the Asian Games: 2 silvers (latest 2026)
Who runs it
| Rules made by | Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports, Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, with the rule changes of 23 July 2024. MMA has no single world governing body: North American commissions adopt these rules, and the large promotions fight by them |
| International federation | No single world body |
| In India | MMA India Federation, described by IMMAF as its Indian member in March 2021; not on the MYAS list for 2026 |
The IMMAF source is from 2021 and needs a current check. Open founder question in the rules set: whether the unified rules are given as "the rules of MMA" or the amateur federation's rules are added.
Where and when it is played
In a cage or a ring. The big events: the UFC championships and ONE Championship titles, both ongoing promotions' titles, not a federation's championships.