There are many different disciplines of fighting included in the styles of MMA. Wrestling, freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling are some of the worlds oldest sports, possibly the oldest. In these styles, no blows are struck, this is a hand to hand battle to throw down the opponent.

Karate is one of the earliest popular forms of martial arts in the United States, this style is known for powerful, linear techniques but also may use softer, circular techniques. Jiu-Jitsu is an ancient martial art composed of throwing, joint locks, striking and weapons. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a form of Jiu-Jitsu that incorporates skills that use less strength, allowing the fighter to be effective against larger opponents. Judo was founded as a martial art in 1882 and was a derivative of Jiu Jitsu.

Tae Kwan Do is one of the flashiest forms of martial arts, incorporating impressive kicking techniques. It is one of the most common forms of martial arts in the world.

Kung Fu is not just a classic tv show starring David Carradine, It is also a style of fighting that has movements patterned after animal movements. There are many different styles of Kung Fu.

Boxing is a very American fighting sport, the opponents are dressed in silks and wear padded leather gloves. Their movements are quick and often elaborate. It often incorporates ‘mind games’ as the fighters dance around one another looking for an opening. Kickboxing incorporates both boxing and different styles of martial arts such as full contact karate.

Mixed Martial Arts encompasses any moves or techniques learned in any of the martial arts, in order to defeat your opponent. It is difficult to really place a date on the emergence of this in history. The very first emergence of martial arts in recorded history is Pankration, which evolved in Greece around 648BC, it was included in the Olympic Games. Pankration, while it was the first, it was too early a form to have any direct influence on the martial arts of today.

In the late 1800s, wrestling and boxing became popular, when no holes barred matches were held, it was not uncommon to see someone with a wrestling build and background win the competition. One of the biggest driving forces and supporters of the creation of Mixed Martial Arts was Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee had his own style as he mixed styles from Karate, fencing, boxing, Jiu Jitsu and even wrestling. He combined all of these disciplines into his own creation that he found was the best for him. As time goes on, this style of fighting is becoming more and more popular in both forums and shows no signs of waning interest. Students are learning many different disciplines in order to compete successfully in the current day ring

Always yappin’ to your friends about how you could be an MMA fighter if you only had the chance? Or better yet, do you want to learn “Dragon Ball Z” Jiu Jitsu from Carlos Newton??

Well, now’s your chance.

APEX (an MMA organization in Canada) is holding a fighter’s audition and MMA camp, and it only costs $100 Canadian. That’s pretty dirt cheap if you ask me.

More info below…

APEX

APEX Championship Fighting is proud to announce the inaugural “APEX: Auditions & MMA Camp”. This incredible event is scheduled for the weekend of April 22nd and April 23rd at will be held at the luxurious Radisson Hotel in Toronto-Mississauga. The “APEX: Auditions & MMA Camp” will consist of a two day training camp for all fighters interested in stepping up and becoming APEX fighters and/or for athletes who are looking for an intensive training regimen with some of the world’s best trainers. (It is not required that you apply to be a potential APEX fighter to participate in the training session, but if you do decide to simply train with some of MMA’s greatest instructors, your MMA Camp will officially end on Saturday night. As a bonus, some trainers will be available for private sessions on Saturday and Sunday.)

On Saturday April 22nd, all participants will be split into groups according to their respective weights and experience. Each group will spend the entire day training with various world class trainers. APEX is proud to announce that Carlos “The Ronin” Newton and Everton “Coach E” McEwen have been named the first two trainers for the “APEX Auditions & MMA Camp”. More trainers will be announced shortly.

Throughout the history of Pride Fighting, the UFC, and other Japanese and North American mixed martial arts competition, I have not seen, heard, or read about a single Chinese fighter.

Ever since the early days of MMA (NHB-no holds barred as they once called it), there have always been speculation about when we would see a Chinese fighter in a mixed martial arts event and how they would do.

There have been Kung Fu trained fighters in the UFC, but not a single Chinese fighter (that I know of) in any known competitions.

Well, just the other day I stumbled across MMA China.  It’s a website promoting the “Art of War Fighting Championship”, the Beijing Jiu-jitsu Academy and mixed martial arts to fans in mainland China.

They’ve already had a few MMA tournaments, and Wanderlei Silva, Rickson Gracie and even Dream Stage Entertainment CEO Sakakibara was in Beijing to check out the Chinese MMA scene.  (Here’s an interview with Wanderlei Silva and MMA China: http://www.mmachina.com/en/?q=node/77).

From the looks of it, it appears as though MMA is growing in China, and the day when we’ll see a Chinese fighter in the UFC or Pride FC seems inevitable.

As for the question about whether “Chinese” people will do well in mixed martial arts competition, I think that’s an irrelevant question. Here’s why…
More on Will We Start Seeing Chinese People Compete in MMA Soon?