The evolution of mixed martial arts

In the early 1990's, America saw the debut of the UFC--the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Promoted at the time as a no-holds barred fight between combatants of different martial arts, it attracted fans fueled by adrenaline and violence. Spectators wanted to see how a boxer matched up against a sumo wrestler. How a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist fared against a Kungfu master. As it turns out, a small Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist named Royce Gracie won, submitting his opponents with various choke holds and arm locks.

Flash forward 10 years, and what was once dubbed "ultimate fighting" or "cage fighting," is now known as mixed martial arts, or MMA. MMA is no longer promoted as a violent fight spectacle, and its catching on with a younger generation of viewers, who recognize it as the intricate sport it has become.

The UFC now features weight classes, rounds, scoring and more rules to protect participants. Popular fighters such as Matt Serra, BJ Penn, George St. Pierre, Chuck Liddell grace the ring with speed, athleticism, intelligence and determination.

As the name implies, mixed martial arts still features a variety of martial art styles, but now, most fighters train in multiple styles, rather than just one. Some of the more popular MMA styles include Brazlian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), Muay Thai, boxing, wrestling and Judo.