Mixed Martial ArtsFirst of all, mixed martial arts is what it sounds like. This is a session between two opponents trained or cross-trained in martial arts. Although mixed martial arts is not a mainstream sport, there is no reason why it should be banned in any state in the United States. Like most, if not all sports, there are rules that are most respected, fights are sanctioned, so rules must apply. There are regulations and weight categories, just like in other sports. Mixed martial arts is considered the ultimate fighting method. To be considered an accomplished fighter you need to have skills in striking, taking down, submissions, endurance, but most of all you need heart. Mixed martial arts, or MMA, began in the United States in 1993 and is more than 70 years old. in other countries. “The first mixed martial arts organization in the United States was the Ultimate Fighting Champion or UFC. The largest mixed martial arts organization in Japan is PrideFC, which started in 1997” (Doty 13). They are perhaps the two largest mixed martial arts companies in the world. At the time and still today, mixed martial arts has been the subject of questionable political debates. People opposed to mixed martial arts had many arguments against the sport in the early and mid-90s. It even convinced several states to ban the sport. Indeed, when mixed martial arts began, there were few or no rules. This was a single-night tournament, where all registered fighters fought numerous matches in one night, in a single elimination style tournament until a champion was named. Two men entered an octagonal arena and did whatever they had to do to eliminate or eliminate their opponent. Mixed martial arts fighters could not bite, goug out eyes or hook, and fights could only end with a referee stoppage, knockout or submission (Royce 6). Basically, it was a street fight without weapons. In 2001, one of the major factors in the sport's return to pay-per-view was the employment of a new set of rules. The Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts Combat, as drafted in New Jersey and then adopted in Nevada in 2001, were a welcome change to the sport. “The new rules included five weight categories, rounds, time limits, a list of more than 31 fouls and eight possible ways to end the fight” (Walter, grapplearts.com). The unified...... middle of paper...... His fans and fighters can be found all over the country. They represent all races and social classes in the United States. They are teachers, students, lawyers, truck drivers, accountants, ministers, soldiers, doctors, police officers and their family members. They are as much American as the fans and athletes involved in any other sport popularly and culturally accepted by the people of the United States of America. They are not savages, barbarians or criminals, nor a collection of social deviants and miscreants as people like John McCain would have voters believe. They are simply people who love a sport that is misunderstood and, therefore, feared and hated. That said, MMA should be completely legalized in the United States.Work CitedDoty, Edward. Life in the cage. New York, NY: EZboard Inc, 1998. Hester, Todd. “Wanderley Silva.” Grappling May 2004 36-40, 91, 92, 97, 98.Royce, Gracie. “What it takes to be a fighter.” Grappling. May 2004 6-7.Walter, Donald. Mixed martial arts: ultimate sport or ultimately illegal? . December 8, 2003. April 21. 2005. .