How to Watch Mixed Martial Arts
- 1). Learn the rules. Mixed martial arts matches are fought in a caged octagon or square boxing style ring. Fighters can strike with hands, feet, elbows and knees. They can also take an opponent down and wrestle. Joint locks and chokes are allowed. To be a good mixed martial arts fighter you must be effective on your feet and on the mat. MMA is exciting because just about anything goes.
- 2). Understand what mixed martial arts fighters can't do. There are a few restrictions designed to protect competitors. They cannot intentionally strike an opponent's eyes, groin, back of the head, spine, throat, top of the head or kidneys. Head butting, hair pulling, fish hooking and biting are forbidden. They cannot do a joint lock on a small joint like in a finger and you are not allowed to hold onto the ring's ropes or cage's fence with your hands.
- 3). Watch for strategy. Different fighters have different specialties. Some are great punchers while others are submission specialists. What initially appears to be a boring match can suddenly erupt into action. Good mixed martial arts fighters are smart. They probe and test their opponents for weakness. Once they sense weakness they attack mercilessly. If a fighter has a devastating knock out punch, wait for it. Chances are he is setting it up. If a fighter is a skilled submission specialist, appreciate the strategy he employs to maneuver his opponent into one.
- 4). Gauge who is winning. In mixed martial arts the fighter who appears to be losing often ends up victorious. When a fighter is on her back with her opponent wrapped between her legs, she has her opponent in a "full guard." The fighter on the bottom actually has a great deal of control over the fighter on top. One fighter can be pummeling an opponent or be very close to submitting but end up losing. MMA fighters are very good at protecting themselves and withstanding damage. Just because they are being hit, does not mean they are being hurt. Look for signs of real damage like shaky legs or dropped hands.
- 5). Determine the winner. The fight ends when one fighter is knocked out, submits or time expires. The referee declares a knock out and stops the fight when he decides a fighter is unable to defend himself. There is not a ten count like boxing. A submission happens when a fighter performs a "tap out." This is a tap of the hand that indicates surrender. It usually happens as a result of a joint lock or choke. If time expires, the winner is determined by three judges on a ten point must system. The winner of each round gets ten points with the loser of each round getting less than ten.