What Is The Hardest Sport

What Is The Hardest Sport

There is no definitive measure of what makes one sport harder than another. Yet, it's difficult to argue against the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA), or cage fighting, as one of the toughest, most dangerous sports of the modern era. Cage fighting athletes must undergo rigorous physical training methods to meet the demands of the sport. The consequences of success and failure are also magnified exponentially. 'Win or go home' takes on a totally different meaning when you could be leaving the arena in an ambulance.

Fighting StylesThe sport of mixed martial arts is a combination of muay thai, grappling and westernstyle boxing. Athletes must also train in a variety of hybrid fighting styles, such as Brazilian Jiujitsu and GrecoRoman wrestling, to remain competitive in the sport. It takes several years to master any one of these disciplines, but to be a successful cage fighter, you must have a wellrounded martial arts arsenal. Some fighters, like Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture, even add their own style and tactics to the sport, forming MMA standards like dirty boxing and the groundandpound.

ConditioningDuring a typical fight there are three, 5minute rounds of fastpaced action. A fighter must maintain a high stamina level to endure until the last bell sounds. That's one of the reasons why the training and conditioning that mixed martial artists undergo before going into a fight rivals that of nearly any other sports discipline in the world. In addition to the martial arts skills they must practice, fighters also train for strength and endurance with a combination of weightlifting and anaerobic exercises. A cage fighter's training routine is so rigorous that MMA fight fitness has now become popular in most commercial gyms.

Bright LightsNot only do mixed martial artists have to face off against an equally matched opponent, they also have to perform in front of large crowds of screaming fans. Professional cage fighting is a major spectator sport in nearly every corner of the globe, drawing crowds that number well into the thousands. The "Los Angeles Times" report that in 2009, the UFC's 100 (Ultimate Fighting Championship) fight card sold out the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas with 11,000 seats. The allure of bright lights and sold out arenas can either fuel a fighter to victory or steal away his courage. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. LIVESTRONG is a registered trademark of the LIVESTRONG Foundation. Moreover, we do not select every advertiser or advertisement that appears on the web sitemany of the advertisements are served by third party advertising companies.