If you love reading combat sports articles, you must have noticed that the most popular ones are boxing, wrestling, MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) and judo. Other combat sports include fencing, savate, kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and Tae Kwon Do. Now, all these sports have a number of things in common. They usually involve one-on-one combat and the winner emerges by points decision or submission. In most cases, the combatants wear special gear and they must obey the rules of the game. In some sports like boxing, the fighters wear protective gear and the referee has the power to stop the game if one fighter is taking too much punishment. Below are some peculiar features of selected combat sports.

Boxing

This is easily one of the most combat sports articles out there. Boxing is divided into different categories like heavy weight, light heavy weight, middleweight, cruiserweight, bantamweight and flyweight. Boxing is a big money sport but it is tightly regulated and all fighters must fight in their own weight categories. However, boxers can move up to a different weight category if they fulfill certain requirements. Some of the best boxers of all time (past and present) include Muhammad Ali, Big Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Haggler and Iron Mike Tyson. Other iconic boxers are Evander Holyfield, Rocky Marciano, Frank Bruno, George Foreman, Vladimir Klitchko, Anthony Joshua and Floyd Mayweather.

Wrestling

Now, this is one combat sports that is very popular in many parts of the world. It is broadcast on many TV stations and this gives it almost global publicity. A number of professional bodies like the WWF, WWA and other organizations, regulate professional wrestling. Boxing is always a one-on-one sport but wrestling is not always on-on-one. There are tag team fights and even cage fights that feature at least four different fighters. In a typical wrestling bout, the fight can be decided by a pin-fall, a submission or disqualification. An opponent can also give up the fight by tapping out or by having his or her trainer throw in the towel.

Mixed Martial Arts

MMA is a relatively new sport but it is becoming popular in many parts of the world. Unlike boxing, MMA fighters can use both their hands and their feet to attack and defend. This sport is special in the sense that former and present fighters have moved into boxing and wrestling with great results.

Final Word

Combat sports are famous all over the world. This industry employs millions of people and most of these sports are featured in the Olympic Games.