Cage or ring
MMA is often referred to as "cagefighting" in the US as it is associated with the UFC's octagonal caged fighting area. Most major "Western" MMA promotions ( US, Canada and Britain ) use the "Cage" as a result of directly evolving from the first UFC events. On the other hand, Brazilian and Japanese events usually use an area similar to a standard boxing ring, but with tighter ropes and some type of barrier underneath the lowest rope to keep grappling athletes from rolling out of the ring. There are also variations such as replacing the traditional cage's metal fencing with net and a one foot high padded barrier surrounding the combat area. The choice of cage or ring is more than aesthetic, however, as it impacts the type of strategies a fighter can implement. For example, a popular and effective strategy in a cage is to pin an opponent into the area where the fence meets the ground, and then pummel him with strikes. This is not possible in a roped ring. On the other hand, the roped ring can result in entangled limbs and fighters falling through the ropes, requiring the referee to stop the fighters and re-position them in the center. There is debate whether the appearance of "fighting in a cage" results in a negative stereotyping of MMA in America, hindering efforts by its supporters to achieve mainstream acceptance.
External links List of Male Mixed Martial Artists List of Female Mixed Martial Artists Fighter/Event Stats Cage Warriors (UK) Dangerzone European Vale Tudo (Denmark) Fight Festival (Finnish) Gladiator Challenge (U.S.) Intearnation Vale Tudo - IVC (Brasil) K-1 MMA - ROMANEX (Japan) King of the Cage (U.S.) Mix-Fight Championships (Russia) Pancrase (Japan) PRIDE Fighting Championship (Japan) Rage in the Cage (U.S.) Reality Combat Fighting (U.S) SuperBrawl (Hawaii) TKO (Canada) Ultimate Fighting Championship - UFC (U.S.) Viking Fight (Denmark) World Extreme Fighting - WEF (U.S.) World Fighting Alliance - WFA (U.S.) Xtreme Fight Promotions (U.S.) ZST (Japan)