The sports topic that has been talked about the most in Spain during the last week has been none other than the victory of the Hispanic-Georgian Ilia Topuria in the UFCbecoming the first Spanish world champion in history. However, the sport of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)which has been practiced for many years, was completely unknown to a large part of society until this news broke.
This form of martial arts is an evolution of the traditional ones, in which jiu-jitsu, boxing, judo, muai thay, wrestling, karate, kickboxing and taekwondo are combined. Are authorized striking and submission techniques within the aforementioned styles.
Its origin is in Ancient Greecewhere, when celebrated the first Olympic Gamesthere was a sport called pankrationwhich consisted of one-on-one combat, hand-to-hand and without rules, which in most cases ended with the death of the defeated fighter. As time went by, this practice evolved, at the same time as the professional wrestlingso that both modalities ended up merging.
UFC, the company that changed everything
As in any sport, in MMA there was a turning point that made it professionalizing the modality. This took place in the year 1993 with the creation of la empresa UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), in which Topuria fights today. The American Rorion Grace sought to make this sport visible, offering events throughout the country in which the spectacle was guaranteed.
However, The beginnings were not easy, since it didn’t quite sink in to people that a discipline that consisted of being able to hit your rival with all parts of your body until practically leaving him unconscious could be called a sport, much less professionalized. Furthermore, during the first combats it can be seen that the participants each represented the modality in which they specialized, which in many cases caused irregularities and disadvantages that had to be controlled over the years.
Ilia Topuria admits that it hurt her “in the heart” that Pedro Sánchez did not congratulate her after her victory: “I do not hold a grudge and that does not take away the love that I have for Spain.” pic.twitter.com/NKuURtMwkT
— THE OBJECTIVE (@TheObjective_es) February 23, 2024
Nothing to do with the currently existing roster, which has true professionals who know how to defend themselves in all modalities, which is defined as a ‘total fighter’. However, these participants are separated according to their weight, existing in the categories of: strawweight (maximum 52.3 kilograms), flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight (maximum 120.2 kilograms).
The latter in the case of men, in the case of women, who also fight: atom weight (maximum 47 kilograms), strawweight, flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight and light weight (maximum 70 kilograms). Regardless of gender, all wrestlers must compete in shorts and using some regulatory gloves for this, covered on the knuckles and protecting the wrists as in boxing, but that frees fingers for easier grips, common in combat. Are Spitting, eye poking, head butting, biting and hair pulling are strictly prohibited..
Within the UFC, as well as in many of the other companies, fights take place in an octagon-shaped cagewhich has wired metal walls covered with black vinyl. All the events held by the popular company are a true visual spectacle: the fighters enter the arena with loud music and accompanied by their team.
The ‘surprise’ to boxing
Gone are the years when boxing was the main contact sport. The arrival of Conor McGregor The UFC revolutionized absolutely everything. The Irish fighter managed, while winning titles and carrying out unprecedented feats within the company, to catapult the sport of MMA to stardom, achieving peaks of truly incredible audiences and placing it as the third most watched sport in the United States.
In addition, ‘The Notorious’ got a fight against what many call the best boxer of all time (his numbers support him), Floyd Mayweather Jr. Held in Las Vegas, in a boxing ring, McGregor demonstrateddespite his defeat, that MMA fighters are prepared for anythingand they may become able to almost knock out Mayweathersomeone who has never lost professionally (5th victories in 50 fights) against any other boxer.
Spain on the horizon
Today, after the victory just a few days ago of the Hispanic-Georgian Ilia Topuria in the UFC, in which he managed to become the new featherweight champion and one of the main faces of the company, all the focuses of this sport are on Spain. And Topuria himself has already declared on numerous occasions that, after his victory, he wants bring a UFC event to Spain in which he stars main event.
In a declaration of intent, challenged Conor McGregoran absolute legend of the company, and who has not fought since 2021. The first indications point to the Santiago Bernabeu as a venue for the event, but so far it’s just gossip. Dana White, current UFC president, has confirmed that his company will land in Spain after Topuria’s victory, but he has not mentioned the Real Madrid stadium at any time.
2024-02-24 18:04:14
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