Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a combat sport in which a wide variety of
fighting techniques are used, including striking and grappling.
Modern mixed martial arts tournaments as a popular phenomenon emerged
in 1993 with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, based on the concept
of pitting different fighting styles against each other in
competition with minimal rules in place, in an attempt to determine
which system would be more effective in a real, unregulated combat
situation. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, mixed martial arts
events implemented additional rules for the safety of the athletes
and to promote acceptance of the sport, while maintaining as much of
the original no-holds-barred concept as possible. Since these
changes, the sport has grown rapidly, to the point of setting pay-per-
view records.
Though rules have been adopted, there is no general sanctioning body
for the sport, and the sets of rules vary according to the laws of
individual organizations and localities. It was thought that Olympic
recognition would be forthcoming for the 2004 Summer Olympics, held
in Athens, under the banner of pankration. However, the International
Olympic Committee was unconvinced that Greece could handle the total
number of sports proposed. To placate the IOC, the organizers removed
all new medal sports and pankration missed out....

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