Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) isn’t just one discipline — it’s a fusion of several fighting styles, each offering its own strengths, strategies, and techniques. The most successful fighters in the cage today are well-rounded athletes who blend these arts into one cohesive, adaptable system.
Let’s take a closer look at the core martial arts that form the foundation of MMA, and what each brings to the table.
1. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ)
Focus: Submissions, ground control, positional dominance
BJJ is the heart of MMA’s ground game. It teaches fighters how to control opponents on the mat, defend from their back, escape bad positions, and apply submissions like armbars, triangles, and rear-naked chokes.
BJJ exploded in popularity thanks to the early UFC events, when smaller fighters used technique to defeat much larger opponents. In modern MMA, no fighter can ignore grappling — it’s an essential part of survival and victory.
2. Wrestling
Focus: Takedowns, control, top pressure, positional dominance
Wrestling is one of the most effective base disciplines for MMA. Wrestlers can decide where the fight takes place — whether it stays on the feet or goes to the ground. They use takedowns like doubles, singles, and trips to control the pace of a fight and score points or secure dominant positions.
High-level wrestlers like Curtis Blaydes and Daniel Cormier have shown how dominant a strong wrestling foundation can be when mixed with striking.
3. Muay Thai
Focus: Striking with fists, elbows, knees, and kicks; clinch work
Known as the “Art of Eight Limbs,” Muay Thai is one of the most complete striking arts in MMA. Fighters trained in Muay Thai use powerful kicks, elbows, knees, and punches — plus devastating clinch techniques for close-range control.
Muay Thai fighters are known for their toughness and precision. When combined with takedown defense, Muay Thai makes for a dangerous striking base.
4. Boxing
Focus: Hand speed, footwork, head movement, combinations
Boxing gives MMA fighters refined hands. It emphasizes footwork, angles, timing, and defensive skills like slipping and blocking. In MMA, boxing helps fighters maintain distance, land effective strikes, and counterattack with accuracy.
Modern MMA greats like Dustin Poirier and Amanda Nunes showcase elite-level boxing skills adapted perfectly for the cage.
5. Kickboxing
Focus: Punches and kicks; combinations; volume striking
Kickboxing is similar to Muay Thai but usually places more emphasis on fast-paced striking and footwork over clinch and elbows. Kickboxers are often great at managing range and using flurries of combinations to overwhelm opponents.
Kickboxing has long been a staple in MMA striking, providing fluid transitions between punches and kicks.
6. Judo
Focus: Throws, trips, clinch takedowns, balance disruption
Judo emphasizes using leverage and timing to off-balance and throw an opponent, often from the clinch. It’s a strong complement to BJJ and wrestling and is especially effective in close-range grappling exchanges.
Ronda Rousey famously used her Olympic judo background to dominate early in her MMA career with explosive throws and submissions.
7. Karate/Taekwondo
Focus: Speed, movement, unique striking angles, kicks
Traditional martial arts like karate and taekwondo bring unorthodox footwork and striking to MMA. Fighters with this background often use sidekicks, spinning attacks, and in-and-out movement to disrupt opponents’ rhythm.
Stars like Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and Lyoto Machida have shown how effective these styles can be with the right timing and distance control.
Why It Matters
What makes MMA so unique — and exciting — is how all these martial arts interact in real time. Fighters constantly adapt, switching from striking to grappling, offense to defense, close range to long range. It’s a chess match of disciplines, with every fighter blending their own unique mix of styles.
At High Altitude Martial Arts, we train a variety of disciplines under one roof. Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to become a well-rounded martial artist, our structured programs in BJJ and Striking will help develop your MMA into the complete skill set.
Ready to train like a mixed martial artist? Join High Altitude Martial Arts and experience the best of every discipline.
