Fighting Styles

Striking · Punches

Boxing

The sweet science. Hands only — which is exactly why the footwork, head movement, and punch mechanics are the most refined in combat sports.

Range: punching distance, controlled with the jab
Weapons: jab, cross, hook, uppercut — and angles
Known for: head movement, combinations, ring generalship

Striking · Eight Limbs

Muay Thai

Thailand's national sport — the art of eight limbs. Fists, elbows, knees, and shins, plus a brutal clinch game most striking arts don't have.

Range: all striking ranges, including the clinch
Weapons: kicks, knees, elbows, punches, sweeps
Known for: leg kicks, clinch knees, toughness

Grappling · Ground

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

The ground game. Developed in Brazil from Japanese judo/jujutsu, BJJ proved at the first UFC events that a skilled grappler could beat bigger, stronger opponents.

Range: on the ground, top or bottom
Weapons: chokes, joint locks, sweeps, positional control
Known for: submissions off the back, the positional hierarchy

Grappling · Control

Wrestling

The oldest sport there is — and the best base in MMA. Wrestlers decide where the fight happens: standing or on the mat.

Range: clinch and takedown range
Weapons: double/single legs, throws, top pressure
Styles: folkstyle, freestyle, Greco-Roman (upper body only)

Grappling · Throws

Judo

Founded by Jigoro Kano in Japan in 1882. Uses an opponent's grip and balance against them — maximum efficiency, minimum effort. Olympic sport since 1964.

Range: grip fighting at close range
Weapons: hip throws, foot sweeps, trips, pins, submissions
Known for: turning a grab into a slam in half a second

Striking · Kicks + Punches

Kickboxing

Punches and kicks under unified rules — the sport where strikers from karate, Muay Thai, and boxing all meet in the middle.

Range: kicking and punching range
Weapons: punches, kicks, knees (rules vary)
Known for: high-volume striking exchanges

Striking · Traditional

Karate

Born in Okinawa, Japan. Built on distance control and explosive, straight-line attacks — the in-and-out movement that confuses conventional strikers.

Range: long range, closing distance in a blink
Weapons: reverse punch, front kick, blitzing combinations
Known for: timing, distance, explosive entries

Everything · The Test

Mixed Martial Arts

The proving ground. MMA takes every art above and asks the only question that matters: does it work when everything is allowed?

Range: all of them — that's the point
Weapons: striking, takedowns, submissions, cage work
Known for: exposing one-dimensional fighters