Who Really Invented "Mixed Martial Arts"

**Matt Phillips** · Posted On: 1/19/2010 11:53am

Originally Posted by Bad Apple

Thank you benevolent and merciful wielder of the banhammer. I'm not deliberatly thread jacking this, just trying to point out that when the term "mixed martial arts" was first used it meant style vs style not the common usage of today where it now means "multiple martial arts"

Early attempts to name the genre that is now MMA ranged from NHB, combat sports, cage fighting and so on. War Wheel hit it with the NY legislature chapter and verse. The term MMA is used to describe two unlike martial artists fighting each other not one guy using several styles at once.

When did the meaning change ? Not until the Gracies got out of the UFC. Remember, the UFC began as a PPV infomercial to sell GJJ.

References please. I know it; You know; Now we have to prove it.

**Roidie McDouchebag** · Posted On: 1/19/2010 4:54pm

Bad Apple, your posts just don't have anything to do with WHEN THE TERM MMA WAS FIRST COINED. This thread isn't about WHY it was coined, or what was meant when it was coined, but simply WHEN.

**Holy Moment** · Posted On: 1/19/2010 5:12pm

Look here, in the Oct 1995 edition of BB:

http://books.google.com/books?id=s88...age&q=&f=false

**Matt Phillips** · Posted On: 1/19/2010 8:45pm

Originally Posted by Holy Moment

Look here, in the Oct 1995 edition of BB:

http://books.google.com/books?id=s88...age&q=&f=false

What exactly am I looking for? That is a link to the entire magazine. Please, just quote the text you want me to see, and give the reference. I have all the magazines sitting in front of me. Giving the link to the whole issue is not giving a reference.

ICY: You point is well taken. I just want to see what he's talking about.

**Holy Moment** · Posted On: 1/19/2010 9:25pm

Originally Posted by War Wheel

What exactly am I looking for? That is a link to the entire magazine. Please, just quote the text you want me to see, and give the reference. I have all the magazines sitting in front of me. Giving the link to the whole issue is not giving a reference.

ICY: You point is well taken. I just want to see what he's talking about.

For me it links to page 4, where an advertisement for UFC 7 describes it as a mixed martial arts event.

**Roidie McDouchebag** · Posted On: 1/19/2010 10:12pm

Holy Moment is correct.

**Matt Phillips** · Posted On: 1/19/2010 10:49pm

Originally Posted by Holy Moment

For me it links to page 4, where an advertisement for UFC 7 describes it as a mixed martial arts event.

Interesting! Blum's use of the term was in Sept, 1995. This is from the Oct 1995 issue of BB, but their issues are forward dated I think. Blume was quoted in Sept from a "prepared statement" so the actual date of authorship is not known, but at the time of reporting UFC 7 had just happened. I can't imagine that the UFC would by a full page ad in the Oct issue of BB if it didn't hit the stands until after the event occurred. Curiouser and curiouser.

Edit: Note also that the UFC ad refers to other MMA events, even though EF and WCC hadn't quite happened yet. There was JVT in summer 1994, but I wonder if they (the UFC) might have picked the term up from the same Battlecade promotional materials Blume was quoted from in the reference I gave.

Interesting also that the cover story in that issue is a plug for the WCC event which happened in Oct 1995(!) The mag must be forward-dated by a fair amount.

**Holy Moment** · Posted On: 1/19/2010 11:18pm

In this August issue, UFC 6 (Which was apparently titled "Return of the Beast" before Severn lost) is referred to as a "mixed match, martial arts competition."

http://books.google.com/books?id=G9I...age&q=&f=false

Edit: The event took place in July, so the mag must at least be dated by a month.

**Matt Phillips** · Posted On: 1/19/2010 11:27pm

Originally Posted by Holy Moment

In this August issue, UFC 6 (Which was apparently titled "Return of the Beast" before Severn lost) is referred to as a "mixed match, martial arts competition."

http://books.google.com/books?id=G9I...age&q=&f=false

Edit: The event took place in July, so the mag must at least be dated by a month.

"mixed match, martial arts competition" is the same term used in the promotion of Inoki's early mixed matches.

I know a guy who owns a news stand that carries BB magazine. I'm going to ask him what the dating difference actually is.

**Matt Phillips** · Posted On: 1/20/2010 9:41am

So I found this which seems to be from in between UFC 6 and 7:

Originally Posted by Art Davie

AD: Kimo Leopoldo is one of the finest athletes ever to enter the Octagon; he made an enormous impact in UFC 3 when he virtually took Royce Gracie out of the competition, breaking Royce's winning streak and stopping Royce from winning a fourth UFC in a row. Kimo has also been one of the hardest working athletes; he changed much of his training from his original Taekwondo/streetfighting and added Jiu-Jitsu; he has competed successfully in NHB events in Japan and Hawaii. It may be true that Kimo hasn't yet enjoyed the success that I think he is destined to, but it has been my pleasure, as UFA Commissioner, to approve Kimo's appearences in the UFC. I think his last fight, in the Ultimate Ultimate '96, when he defeated Paul Varleans, shows that he is a very competitive reality combat fighter and that his skills are constantly improving. We will definitely see more of Kimo.

http://web.archive.org/web/199802031..._art/fnart.htm

That puts it after 7/14/95, but before 9/8/95.

UFC Judge Tim Catalfo just after kicking Joe Pardo's ass (9/6/97)

T. Catalfo: I'm pretty much at the top of the game right now. I'm a mixed martial artist. I fight my own style, which is American Submission Fighting. I'm the founder of that, and I know everyone has their own style now, but I really try to be a mixed martial artist and I use my knowledge of the human body and anatomy as a Doctor of chiropractic, along with different leverages and Wrestling, Judo, and Jiu-Jitsu submission techniques, many of which I've developed or taken and refined to my own physical stature. Every fighter has his own groove, and for me certain things absolutely work better than they would for other folks.

http://web.archive.org/web/199805282...art/catint.htm