MMA is still in its infancy compared to other sports such as boxing and football, even though the concepts of what it's built around are far much older and honored. MMA includes any combination of styles; Jiu-jitsu, Judo, Karate, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Boxing and Wrestling.

The original concept of a Mixed Martial Arts event was to find out who would win if a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master fought a prominent boxer or a skilled wrestler. Does strength trump speed? And what set of skills trumps another?

Over the years, Mixed Martial Arts has been given a bad name due to poor marketing, bad promoters and the lack of strong rules and regulations to govern the sport. But as you read this today, that stigma is lifting as each day passes and athletic commissions and the general public around the country are giving the sport a second look.

New Jersey has the largest and most powerful athletic commission in the U.S., behind Las Vegas. Larry Hazzard, Commissioner of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, was the first commissioner to give MMA his stamp of approval. Hazzard has a black belt in Karate and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has taught close-quarter combat at a number of law enforcement academies. He also stated to FOX Sports that there is little question that MMA is one of the fastest growing sports in America and that by the end of this fiscal year, New Jersey will have sanctioned more MMA shows than Pro Boxing shows in their state, which is a first.

California just released its ban on MMA in December 2005. The first three MMA events in California, not on a reservation, were completely SOLD OUT; March 10, 2006 Strike Force” at HP Pavilion in San Jose (18,265 fans), April 15, 2006 UFC at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim (17,000 fans, $3 million gate receipts and millions in PPV television) and UFC, again, May 27, 2006 Staples Center in Los Angeles (22,000 fans, 600,000 PPV buys and $32 million in live gate and sponsorship). The UFC has announced plans to expand the UFC to the UK and Latin America and they also announced their intent to have one PPV event a month in 2007. Other organizations such as Pride, K-1 and WEC are sure to follow suit. Several other well-financed businessmen are following in the UFC's path.

On April 6, 2006, the season debut of Spike TV's MMA reality show, "The Ultimate Fighter" (TUF), topped the ratings slot among men ages 18-34, beating everything on cable and broadcast television and achieving an audience averaging 2.4 million that night. Tiger Woods competing at the Masters drew an audience of 2.2 million, while the NBA Playoffs, double-header featuring Kobe Bryant had only 1.8 million viewers on average.

Since it became legal in Las Vegas, in 2001, the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) has become more popular than boxing and sometimes draws as much betting action as a marquee college football game, according to Jeff Stonebeck, Manager of the sports book at the Mirage Hotel and Casino. Many of the UFC's are attended by A-list actors, other professional fighters, super-star athletes and socialites.

David Carter, a professor of sports business at the University of Southern California stated that Mixed Martial Arts has the potential to fill, and then grow, an important market segment in sports- provided it remains legitimate, non-scripted and avoids undue government scrutiny linked to the inherent violent nature of the competitions. Properly managed, it can thrive over time as a secondary sports offering.

More and more MMA gyms are popping up nationally. MMA is not just for people who want to compete. This is a "thinking" sport that teaches you skill, discipline, patience and confidence, on top of being a great work out. In our trainer's gym alone, there are multiple families that are members.

"It's one of the best workouts I've ever had," said Dave Mead, 50, a doctor at Children's Hospital Oakland, who began studying MMA in October 2005 with his 7-year-old son and his 10-year-old daughter.

Safety is paramount. In MMA history, there have been no serious injuries in any of the PRIDE Fighting Championships events, which have been around longer than the "new" UFC. When closely compared to NFL Football (with its violent collisions) and boxing (with its repeated head blows), the sport of MMA has an impeccable safety record. There is a recent study of combat sports in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (http://www.jssm.org) that shows MMA is less violent than boxing.

Still not convinced? Check out these MMA statistics:

• In 2006 alone pay-per-view revenues surpassed $223 million, 23 million more than professional wrestling and 46 million more than boxing.
  • source: Sports Illustrated
    
• An average UFC Fight Night viewing audience is 531,000. The average NBA viewing audience is just 180,000.
• The first six seasons of “The Ultimate Fighter” on Spike TV were seen by 101.1 million viewers (36% of the U.S. population).
  • source: Npower; The Ultimate Fighter; all telecasts; 1/17/05-1/08/07; P2+/M18-34 cume; 1 minute qualifier
• “The finale of Ultimate Fighter 4 drew in 545,000 viewers compared to 330,000 viewers for HBO for the IBF Boxing title fight that same night.”
  • source: Tampa Tribune