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The ultimate fighting experience

Mixed martial arts (MMA) allows participants to use a wide variety of fighting techniques. At the heart of MMA is the ability to adapt to a standing fight or a ground struggle.

The US-based Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White cites kung fu legend Bruce Lee as the father of modern MMA.

White says Lee combined different martial arts into his system, Jeet Kune Do. Lee was quoted as saying: 'The best fighter is not a boxer, karate or judo man. The best fighter is someone who can adapt to any style.'

MMA bouts are won by knockouts or submission holds.

MMA is now a widely recognised, full-contact combat sport, and practitioners use striking and grappling techniques drawn from various martial arts dating to the ancient Olympic Games.

For example, pankration - a Greek word meaning 'all powers' - is a combination of boxing and wrestling. The martial art was introduced in the Greek Olympic Games in 648 BC.

Although tournaments featuring mixed styles of combat gained popularity in the United States and Europe in the early 1900s, MMA did not really take off until the sport was officially sanctioned a few years ago.

Its popularity has also caught on locally, according to Damien Roche, founder and director of Kontact Mixed Martial Arts Training Centre. The centre, which opened last year, enrolled 650 people during the first 12 months.

'A lot of members see UFC on TV and want to try their hand at MMA. It's very popular in the US and Europe,' he said.

It's more fun than other martial arts and is a good workout, he said. It's a complete sport, well-rounded and a mix of everything, which makes the training very enjoyable. Most people join to stay fit, he added.

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