| Cagefighters have been in existence since the | | | | Gracie family, as well as the mixed martial arts |
| time of the ancient Greeks, when unarmed | | | | matches hosted in Japan in the 1970s by Antonio |
| combat, called pankration, was first introduced | | | | Inoki. The first mixed martial arts organization, |
| into the Olympic Games in the year 648 B.C. | | | | Shooto, was formed in 1985. |
| Pankration was known as the most extreme | | | | This concept of mixed martial arts was also |
| combat sports, and statues to honor the top | | | | popularized by Bruce Lee in the late 1960s and |
| pankratiasts were erected in cities as late as the | | | | early 1970s, and Lee has come to be known as |
| Early Middle Ages. | | | | the father of mixed martial arts. |
| This tradition of no holds barred events, while not | | | | In 1993, after Royal Gracies victory in the first |
| always taking place in an actual cage, nevertheless | | | | Ultimate fighting championship, cagefighters found |
| paved the way for the methods and techniques | | | | a larger, more widespread platform for their |
| employed by cage fighters. These no holds bare | | | | sport, despite criticism from those who deemed it |
| competitions took place in the late 1800's, in | | | | too violent and brutal. UFC bouts, as well as other |
| arenas and music hall challenge matches | | | | MMA sanctioned cage fighting bouts, are held in an |
| throughout the world, predominately in Europe. | | | | octagonal caged enclosure, or The Octagon, a |
| The first recorded major encounter between a | | | | structure with eight sided walls of metal chain link |
| boxer and a wrestler in modern recording took | | | | fence coated with black vinyl and heavy foam |
| place in 1887, between John L. Sullivan, the then | | | | padding around the sides. |
| heavy weight world boxing champion, and William | | | | Cagefighters are required to fight in approved |
| Muldoon, a Greco Roman wrestling champion. | | | | shorts, and no shoes, shirts, gis, or any sort of |
| Since then, there have been other pre WWI | | | | foot coverings are allowed. Fighters must also use |
| mixed martial arts matches, but this sport did not | | | | approved light gloves that reduce the risk of a |
| really gain any widespread popularity until after | | | | broken hand while providing better grabbing and |
| World War I and the restructuring of professional | | | | grappling ability. |
| wrestling to include to separate styles, shoot, | | | | While todays cagefighter may compete in a |
| which included actual competition, and show, which | | | | different environment than that of the early |
| later evolved into the modern sports | | | | Grecian combat fighters, the skill set needed, the |
| entertainment professional wrestling. | | | | methods, and the techniques have remained |
| Cagefighters in the modern sense began with the | | | | relatively unchanged throughout the centuries of |
| vale tudo tournaments in Brazil, hosted by the | | | | the sport's evolution. |