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Mixed Martial Arts

A History from Ancient Fighting Sports to the UFC
Brief Description
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is an international phenomenon, with a fascinatingly diverse and complex history that stems from fighting sports around the world. In Mixed Martial Arts: A History from Ancient Fighting Sports to the UFC, L.A. Jennings explores the vast global history of martial arts—including... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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This book is a fascinating history of mixed martial arts, from ancient fighting sports to the present day. It examines the growth and development of the different sports and features vignettes of famous moments in fighting history alongside stories of the fighters themselves.

This book is a fascinating history of mixed martial arts, from ancient fighting sports to the present day. It examines the growth and development of the different sports and features vignettes of famous moments in fighting history alongside stories of the fighters themselves.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is an international phenomenon, with a fascinatingly diverse and complex history that stems from fighting sports around the world.

In Mixed Martial Arts: A History from Ancient Fighting Sports to the UFC, L.A. Jennings explores the vast global history of martial arts—including Asian martial arts, African fighting sports, European pugilism and wrestling, and the fighting styles of North, Central, and South Americas—and how they gave rise to the modern sport of MMA. Jennings shares some of the most famous moments in fighting history alongside stories of the fighters themselves, such as the infamous 1976 fight between Muhammad Ali and Antonio Inoki.

When the Ultimate Fighting Championship premiered in 1993, it introduced the world to the controversial “cage fighting” at a scale never seen before. With the assistance of technological innovations and globalisation, MMA has become the fastest growing sport on earth, the culmination of thousands of years of fighting for sport. Featuring fascinating stories and photographs of fighters from around the world, Mixed Martial Arts reveals the long and captivating history of this often-misunderstood sport.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9798881806309

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 13 November 2025

Country: United States

Imprint: Rowman & Littlefield

Illustration: 27 bw photos

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 226.0mm

Weight: 420g

Pages: 264

About the Author

L.A. Jennings is the owner and head coach of Train.Fight.Win.MMA in Denver, Colorado. She is the author of She’s a Knockout! A History of Women in Fighting Sports and wrote for VICE on fighting sports history. She has been interviewed by NPR, The Economist, Cosmopolitan, and the HISTORY channel as an expert on the history and culture of MMA. She is an instructor in the Department of English at the University of Colorado Denver.

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