Martial arts have existed in many forms for centuries all across the globe, and competition between practitioners dates back to ancient Greece.
Mixed martial arts, matching various disciplines against one another, is much younger. The likes of Muhammed Ali, Antonio Inoki and “Judo” Gene Lebell are just some of the names that helped pioneer the sport decades ago, long before the UFC existed.
The current incarnation is simply the evolution of these past arts. While the UFC is unquestionably the upper echelon of the sport, the promotion is less than 20 years old. To claim the company created the sport is simply naive, and to say the brand is bigger than the sport is ignorant.
Take, for example, traditional sports. When you head outside, you’re going out to play football or baseball, not NFL or MLB. The same analogy applies to MMA.
Fighters and gyms don’t talk about training UFC. They talk about wrestling, Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Some gyms do offer MMA-specific classes, but again, they’re called MMA classes; not UFC classes.
By no means should this discredit what the UFC is or what it has done for the sport. The UFC is the equivalent of the sport’s major league. But without smaller promotions, there would not be a place for fighters to gain experience and refine their skills.
While the UFC has managed to purchase a number of its biggest competitors through the years—such as Pride and Strikeforce—the promotion must rely on others to help develop its talent.
Furthermore, the sport continues to grow at an exponential rate. Forty-five states now regulate MMA. Every major city in the US is home to multiple regional promotions. Each is full of eager fighters hoping to make their mark on the sport, whether in the UFC or elsewhere.
The reality is, there are countless promotions giving fighters an avenue to participate in the sport, whether it be televised events such as Bellator or DREAM or a local fight that may be lucky to be streamed online. Certainly, the UFC is the most recognizable promotion for casual fans. Yet, as they learn more about the sport, even they will learn to properly refer to it as MMA, as it should be.
Rob Tatum is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at The MMA Corner. For anything related to MMA, follow him on Twitter.
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