MMA's main disciplines: wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai and boxing

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Mixed martial arts is exactly what it says: a blend of fighting styles. Early events were pitched as style-against-style contests to find which art was best. Today almost every professional is a mixed martial artist from the start, but each still builds on a few core disciplines. Knowing them helps you understand both fights and the training you might try yourself.

Wrestling: controlling where the fight happens

Wrestling is widely regarded as the most important base for MMA, because it decides whether a fight stays standing or goes to the ground.

Styles: freestyle and Greco-Roman are the Olympic styles. Greco-Roman bans holds below the waist and focuses on upper-body throws and clinch work. Folkstyle is the style of American school and college wrestling.
What it gives a fighter: takedowns, takedown defence, top control and the ability to get back up.
In MMA: a strong wrestler can choose where the fight takes place. A striker who cannot stop takedowns spends rounds on his back.
Wall wrestling: MMA adds the cage, so fighters learn to pin opponents against it or use it to stand up.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu: fighting on the ground

Brazilian jiu-jitsu, or BJJ, developed in Brazil from Japanese judo and jujutsu. It became famous in early MMA when smaller grapplers submitted bigger opponents.

The core idea: use leverage and position to control an opponent, then finish with a choke or joint lock.
Positions: guard, mount, side control and back control form a hierarchy. Better positions give more control and chances to submit.
In MMA: BJJ provides submissions and the skills to survive and sweep from the bottom. Fighters adapt it for strikes, since a guard that works in a gym can get punched through in a fight.
Gi and no-gi: MMA is fought without the jacket, so no-gi training transfers most directly.

Muay Thai: kicks, knees, elbows and the clinch

Muay Thai, the national sport of Thailand, is called the art of eight limbs because it uses fists, elbows, knees and shins.

Kicks: the round kick with the shin is a staple, along with teeps, a push kick used to keep distance.
Clinch: the Thai clinch controls the head and neck to land knees.
Elbows: short and sharp, they often cause cuts.
In MMA: Muay Thai is the most common striking base. Leg kicks in particular can change a fight, slowing an opponent's movement over several rounds. Fighters adjust their stance because a high, square Thai stance can be easier to take down.

Boxing: hands, head movement and footwork

Punching: jab, cross, hook and uppercut, with combinations built from them.
Defence: slipping, rolling, blocking and footwork.
In MMA: boxing gives cleaner punching and better distance management. MMA gloves are far smaller than boxing gloves, so punches land harder and fighters cannot hide behind a high guard in the same way. They must also worry about kicks and takedowns, which changes the stance.

Other useful arts

Judo: throws, trips and grip fighting, especially useful in the clinch.
Sambo: a Russian grappling style combining wrestling, judo and leg locks, with a strong record in MMA.
Kickboxing and karate: karate-based fighters often use wide stances and in-and-out movement that can be hard to read.

How it all comes together

Modern fighters train in all of these, often under different coaches, and the real skill is in the transitions: striking to set up a takedown, defending a takedown into a clinch, or getting back up after being taken down. When commentators say a fighter is well rounded, they mean the gaps between styles are closed.

Choosing where to start

If you want to try MMA, any of these arts is a sound first step. Wrestling and BJJ build grappling, while Muay Thai and boxing build striking. Many people start with whichever class fits their schedule and add the others over time. Which discipline did you start with, or which one are you curious about? Share in the comments.