MMA (mixed martial arts) fighting is becoming hugely popular in the US and around the world. From pay-per-view UFC events to Affliction events to local MMA fights - the fever is spreading. MMA is a full contact combat sport that combines mixed martial arts techniques with boxing techniques.

The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) is probably the most well-known MMA fighting organization today. In 2007 they bought out the PRIDE Fighting Organization and are merging some of the PRIDE fighters under the UFC brand.

All UFC fights are fought in an octagon shaped cage. Fighters must wear shorts, mma open finger gloves, no shoes, and no shirt. Title fights consist of five rounds of five minutes each, with one minute rest in between. Non title matches are three five minute rounds.

There are four ways to win a UFC fight:

Submission - a fighter taps out.
Knockout - a fighter is knocked down and is either unconscious or can't continue right away.
Technical Knockout (TKO) - when a fighter can't continue, the fight is ended as a TKO. There are several kinds of technical knockouts: when the referee stops the fight, when a doctor stops the fight, or when a fighter's team stops the fight.
Judges decision - if there are no submissions or knockouts, the judges decide the winner based on scores