MIXED MARTIAL ARTS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

March 16, 2007 | Newsroom, Press Releases

Learn the basics on Mixed Martial Arts Cage Fighting before the show at the Sovereign Bank Arena on March 23.

(TRENTON, NJ – March 15, 2007) Mixed Martial Arts has never been more popular. Hundreds of thousands watch events live on pay-per-view, but do you really know what Mixed Martial Arts is all about or where it came from?

Mixed Martial Arts, in its simplest definition, is a mixture of different martial arts styles. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) also combines the use of grappling and striking techniques. Grappling can be defined as the handling and controlling of an adversary without striking them. Examples of grappling techniques include throwing, pinning, and joint locks. Many styles of martial arts involve grappling. Judo involves throwing your opponent to the ground in order to defeat them. Wrestling is a prime example of the pinning technique of grappling. The joint lock technique is primarily employed in different forms of jiu-jitsu. The submission technique is also considered as a part of grappling, as the object is to have your opponent submit, or simply give up as a result of the particular position they are put in. Striking involves the kicking and punching of your opponent. Examples of striking styles of fighting are boxing, karate, muay thai, kickboxing, and tae kwon do.

Different martial arts techniques and styles have been around for thousands of years, but each technique was believed to be better than every other, and masters of a particular style would never face a master from another technique of fighting. This tradition of isolation continued unabated until the early 20th century and the Gracie family. The Gracie family held tournaments in Brazil in the 1920’s after issuing what became the “Gracie Challenge” in which they would fight anyone from any fighting style.

MMA continued with modest growth and following until it hit the big time in 1993 with the first televised Ultimate Fighting Championship on pay-per-view. There was a slight recession in the popularity of MMA in the late 1990’s as political pressure as to the morality of the fights combined with the lengthy fights caused viewership of televised events, and the sport in general to suffer. MMA adopted a new set of rules in mid 2001 with the goal of making the sport safer as well as bringing the sport to a level of respectability, as many cynics had viewed MMA as simply a spectacle. The sport has grown exponentially since that new set of rules have been adopted with record pay-per-view audiences and sell out crowds at venues across the country.

Extreme Challenge 75 –Fearless Fighters is a Mixed Martial Arts cage-fighting event coming to the Sovereign Bank Arena on Friday March 23, 2007. Ticket prices range from $30 to $100 and are available at the Sovereign Bank Arena box office, by phone at 1-800-298-4200 or online at www.comcastTIX.com.

Global Spectrum (global-spectrum.com) is the fastest growing firm in the public assembly facility management field with more than 60 facilities throughout the United States and Canada. The Philadelphia-based company is part of one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment companies, Comcast-Spectacor, which also owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association, the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League, Flyers Skate Zone, a series of community ice skating rinks, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, a regional sports programming network, Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage services provider, New Era Tickets, a full-service ticketing and marketing product for public assembly facilities, and Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company and 3601 Creative Group, a full-service in-house advertising agency. In a partnership with Disson Skating, Comcast-Spectacor annually produces 10 nationally televised figure skating spectaculars on NBC.

CONTACT: Jeff Robins
Global Spectrum/Sovereign Bank Arena
609.656.3399