It combines the intense kickboxing and wrestling passions with the mental and physical discipline of Ju-Jitsu. It all takes place within a steel cage. World Wrestling Entertainment – Mixed Martial Arts is here
Since 1993, MMA has enjoyed a loyal following. MMA athletes use a variety techniques including grappling, hand-to-hand, and striking with feet and hands. A fighter may win by knockout or forfeit (as in boxing), or by using submission hold that are also used for professional wrestling.
The fighting sport is on the verge of reaching an even larger audience these days thanks to Dallas-based SUN Sports & Entertainment, Inc. When MMA was first introduced to the public, it was an unregulated sport that had few rules – sometimes even resembling the 1999 Brad Pitt movie. “Fight Club.”
“The rules were as follows -; there were no rules. There was no time limit and no rules about gloves. A lot of guys fought bare knuckle [with] no tap-out procedure. This did not allow the sport to ever gain mainstream [acceptance],”CJ Comu, Chairman and CEO of SUN.
After Nevada enacted strict regulations, requiring medical screenings and allowing MMA to be shown on TV, channels such as Spike TV began showing MMA on their screens. Comu and SUN are trying to gain more respect for the sport by only producing events that have been rated by and sanctioned in accordance with the International Fighters Association (which SUN helped create). This non-profit organization, which is based in Luxemburg in Germany, rates and sanctions fighters in a sport that, until the creation the IFA, had no sanctioning body.
MMA is a rising sport that has broken records on Pay-Per-View television and recruited professional fighters all over the world. It also attracts new fans every day.
For more information on Sun Sports & Entertainment (SSPE), visit www.sunorganization.com..
