The Octagon

The world of mixed martial arts has changedfighter who lasted the longest was the winner of
over the years from small fighting venues toa match moved up in the tournament to face
selling out arenas across the country. Real streetanother opponent. The tournament featured the
fights were now being shown on television andbest fighters in karate, Muay Thai kickboxing,
around the world soon began to train to get theirboxing, jiu-jitsu and several other martial arts. The
shot in The Octagon. Fighters were not fighting inUFC designated some fighters as alternates in
the tradition ring, but in an octagon. The ring wascase a fighter was unable to continue due to the
not a traditional ring but shaped like an octagondifficulty of making it through the tournament.
which gave it a different look than traditionalEarly UFC fights reminded me of the movie
boxing. The Octagon was designed to avoid givingBloodsport with Jean-Claude Van Damme, where
any one martial arts discipline an advantage.fighters with different martial art styles fought
Because the angles in an Octagon are wider thantheir way through a tournament until only one
those for each corner of a boxing ring, there isman left. The only difference was in The Octagon
little chance for a fighter to get stuck in a cornerit wasn't a fight to the death but both displayed
with no way out. This is what made the octagonssome of the top fighters in various martial arts
design so unique.fighting their way through a tournament. Now the
I started watching mixed martial arts when TankUFC has brought fighting in The Octagon to the
Abbot and Hoyden Gracie were fighting. Back innational spotlight it will be the prominent mixed
the early day there were no weight classes andmartial arts fighting arena of the future.
the event was in a tournament format. The