MMA – the fastest-growing sport in the world, and probably also the toughest. It is a new-old sport with roots that go far back in time. The first official documentation of the sport dates back to 648 BC, when “Pankration” (Greek for “all powers”) was introduced at the Olympic Games. The early version of the sport can be described as a mix of boxing and wrestling, and over time it became the most popular event at the Olympic Games. Stand-up fighting and boxing were common, but fights were often decided on the ground, where various locks and strikes were allowed. Since then the sport has developed enormously from a technical point of view, and interest has escalated over the last 20 years. With its popularity, different names for the sport have emerged around the world. Some examples are MMA, Shootfighting, Shooto, Vale Tudo (Portuguese for “anything goes”), Luta Livre, NHB (No Holds Barred), Hybrid Wrestling, Free Fight and more.

The modern version gained attention in 1993 through a competition called the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) in the USA. Before that, Vale Tudo fights had been held in Brazil since the beginning of the century, and similar fights were staged in Japan shortly after that period. Modern MMA is designed for sparring and competition, and the ambition is to have as few technical restrictions as possible while ensuring that no athlete suffers serious injury. In short, MMA is a hybrid sport – a combat sport with both stand-up and ground fighting. In general, boxing, Thai boxing (including kickboxing, Muay Thai and other stand-up disciplines), wrestling (freestyle and Greco-Roman, judo etc.) and grappling (BJJ – Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, sambo and submission wrestling etc.) are the four elements at the core of MMA. The sport places great demands on its athletes, who must master several sports at elite level and combine them tactically to overcome their opponent. MMA is a very physically and mentally demanding sport, yet as tactical as chess, since the athletes constantly have to switch between the different elements during a fight to gain the upper hand. It can be compared to an Olympic athlete who has to be an expert in Olympic boxing, taekwondo, wrestling and judo at the same time. Or, to take the comparison further, a mix of figure skating, wrestling, biathlon and tennis. The athletes usually have great respect for each other and show strong sportsmanship around their fights, which is a very unique aspect of MMA. It is not unusual for the competitors to embrace each other in thanks for a good fight once the final bell has rung. The enormous popularity may be due to its complexity and the high demands placed on the athletes. Or perhaps MMA is simply an exceptional and multidimensional sport. MMA is already bigger than all other combat sports, and both the number of athletes and the audience keep growing. It is the full-contact sport that currently draws the biggest crowds and enjoys the greatest media interest. MMA – the fastest-growing sport in the world.

The different styles

MMA is a very complex sport, and athletes from different disciplines who strive to develop almost always end up in MMA. Among the competitors in Superior Challenge we have had wrestlers from Olympic to national team level, national team boxers, national team Thai boxers, world champions and black belts in BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), black belts in judo, world champions in sambo and more.

MMA has eliminated the myths and tales surrounding the traditional martial arts by making it possible for individuals from different fighting styles to meet under one set of rules. It is such a complete sport that it has advanced the development of combat sports by light years in less than two decades. The traditional martial arts live on in MMA: the parts that work have been selected and developed in a practical way to fit into the complex system called MMA. Above all, respect for others, discipline and athletic humility live on. Every MMA fighter has a distinct fighting style, usually influenced by his or her martial arts background. Below is a rough description of the three most common styles:

The striker – a fighter with a background in Thai boxing, kickboxing, boxing or another stand-up discipline. The striker likes to keep the fight standing and avoids close contact, the clinch or going to the ground. He or she punches and kicks a lot and defends against throws and takedowns.

The wrestler – a fighter with a wrestling background, for example Greco-Roman or freestyle. The wrestler wants to get into close contact to clinch the opponent, then take the opponent down and control him or her on the ground to finish the fight with, for example, ground and pound. Wrestlers are among the most common athletes to switch to MMA, probably mainly because of their exceptional physique, which suits the sport perfectly.

The grappler – a fighter with a grappling background from, for example, BJJ, judo, sambo or submission wrestling. The grappler wants to take the opponent to the ground to finish with, for example, a submission. Another common group of athletes that is overrepresented in MMA, probably because of their enormous grappling knowledge, which makes up a large part of the sport.

Each of the styles above can be divided further. In a fight, for example, two stand-up fighters from different striking backgrounds can test their styles and skills against each other.

Ways to win

An MMA fight can end in a number of different ways:

Submission – the competitor gives up by tapping three times on the opponent or the mat, or by verbally informing the referee.

Towel – the competitor’s corner stops the fight by throwing in the towel.

RSC (Referee Stops Contest) – the referee stops the fight. The referee is obliged to do so if he or she considers the fight too one-sided, if one of the competitors is not defending effectively, or if one of the competitors has been hit hard (including but not limited to Technical Knock Out/TKO and Knock Out/KO).

Decision – three judges decide the winner.

Disqualification – if a competitor is disqualified, the opponent is awarded the win.

Walkover – a competitor who has been introduced and is ready in the competition area when the opponent does not show up is awarded the win.

Doctor stoppage – the ringside doctor shall stop a fight if he or she believes a competitor should not continue, by alerting the referee by throwing a towel into the ring or with a sound signal.

Some examples of techniques used to overcome an opponent:

TKO – as a result of punches, kicks or knees to any part of the body.

Submission – joint locks or breaks against any part of the body, including chokes.

Ground and pound – making the opponent give up or getting the referee to stop the fight with strikes against a grounded opponent.

MMA in Sweden

In 2006 the government at the time introduced a law banning all competitions involving blows to the head, without any real justification. After many complaints and protests from practitioners of various combat sports, and persistent work by a few enthusiasts, the newly formed SMMAF was granted a one-year provisional permit in 2007 to sanction MMA competitions on a trial basis, supervised by the state-appointed Martial Arts Delegation at the County Administrative Board in Örebro. During the trial year, SMMAF sanctioned only two organizations, one of which was Superior Challenge. Three competitions were held, one of them by Superior Challenge, and all were considered professionally organized and free from criticism, which resulted in SMMAF receiving a three-year provisional permit to sanction MMA competitions under the supervision of the federation’s inspectors. Superior Challenge’s medical safety and professional organization were considered a role model for the sport in Sweden and a contributing factor to the three-year permit.

On 15 March 2008, MMA was admitted to the Swedish Budo & Martial Arts Federation, which is a member federation of the Swedish Sports Confederation (RF). With that, MMA was accepted as a sport under RF and thereby officially became a sport in Sweden. On 21 March 2009, SMMAF was unanimously admitted as a member federation of the Budo & Martial Arts Federation and thereby also of RF, which meant that MMA became fully integrated as a sport in Sweden. Shortly afterwards, on 16 April 2009, the sport received the recognition that all fans and athletes had long been waiting for: SMMAF was granted a permanent permit to sanction MMA competitions in Sweden. With the recognition that MMA was now part of the established sports movement in Sweden, the permit could be issued, as this was the basic requirement under the so-called Martial Arts Act.

MMA had existed in Sweden for a relatively long time through smaller events, but the sport’s real breakthrough with a broader commercial audience came with Superior Challenge 1 – The Uprising on 5 April 2008, a milestone for Swedish MMA. Smaller MMA events had been held in Stockholm before, but Superior Challenge had a fresh idea and a completely new concept on a whole new level that proved to be groundbreaking. With a fight card made up of the Swedish MMA elite who were not under contract with larger organizations, we revolutionized the sport in Sweden. A large organization with a serious concept of putting Swedish MMA on the world map was born. The event broke the attendance record for all MMA events ever held in the Nordics, and the success continued with packed arenas at events 2, 3 and 4 (Superior Challenge 2 – Resurrection, Superior Challenge 3 – Untamed and Superior Challenge 4 – Bad Intentions). The organization grows with every event, and so does the quality of the final product. Superior has shown that there is a market in Sweden, that it is very large and, above all, that it is growing rapidly. As a result, other organizations noticed the sport and, after our second event, tried to copy our concept. Superior Challenge was the first with MMA at this level in Sweden and has thereby established itself as the strongest player in the market. We still constantly strive to be first with new ideas and to be a breath of fresh air in Swedish combat sports. The wave and the MMA hype have now reached Sweden, and we are the organization with the largest market share, always striving to develop and expand.