The Differences Between MMA and Professional Wrestling

Wrestling and mixed martial arts are often seemingly associated with each other due to the fact that both involve several common factors. However in actual fact the two couldn't be more different, and although there are some similarities, the fans of one aren't necessarily fans of the other. To the casual observer these differences might be hard to discern, however to the fans they are obvious and many.

Watching mixed martial arts and wrestling, one of the most apparent differences is that there are much more heavily developed storylines in wrestling than in mixed martial arts. Because mixed martial arts involves real fights rather than scripted entertainment matches, there is less room for build up and story line development. Although there are sometimes feuds and smack talk used to hype fights between fighters, the storylines that wrestlers build up around matches is usually a lot more dramatic and theatrical.

The matches in wrestling are completely choreographed, and the wrestlers have no real desire to hurt each other. One odd fact however is that there have been more deaths and serious injuries in wrestling to date than in mixed martial arts, which has yet to have a high profile death relating to a match. This is probably mainly due to the relative young age of the sport however, and the fact that complex stunts in wrestling are more conjusive with accidents. Minor injuries and bruising are probably more common in mixed martial arts however, mainly due to punches and kicks.

Because there are weight classes in mixed martial arts, most fighters will tend to be a lot smaller than wrestlers, who are usually more heavily muscled. Also the fact that wrestlers can help each other in matches with stunts and so forth means that some of them can afford to be less athletic than mixed martial artists, who are relying on their own abilities. For this reason, very large people who are rather cumbersome and slow to be actually fighting usually make good wrestlers due to their massive size. Good examples of this would be the Great Khali or the Big Show, both of which stand at over 7 feet tall and are very successful in wrestling but would be too slow for mixed martial arts.

The demographic for wrestling is generally children, younger teens and then adults over the age of 35, making it something of a family sport. Despite not being as popular as it once was, wrestling is still very popular, and attracts millions of viewers every week. Mixed martial arts fight cards tend to only be on every few weeks, and although they attract millions as well, because most of them aren't free, not so many people actually watch them live. Also the demographic for mixed martial arts is more centered on the 18-35 male group, rather than having the mixed attraction that wrestling has, although this is rapidly changing as mixed martial arts becomes a lot bigger.

The main difference between professional wrestling and mixed martial arts is that wrestling is sports entertainment, whereas mixed martial arts is a sport. Sports entertainment is different because of the fact that although it appears that there is a competitive factor in the fights, they are actually rehearsed and scripted beforehand. In short the combatants know who is going to win a wrestling match, and aren't usually hurt except for accidents. In mixed martial arts, the competitors are trying to win the match by hurting the other guy, making it actually more similar to boxing than wrestling.

The way that wrestlers and fighters are paid is usually different also, with wrestlers usually being placed under yearly contracts. These contracts can often be worth millions of dollars for the top stars, and will usually require as much wrestling as the writers of the storylines dictate. Fighters by contrast are usually paid a certain amount per fight, usually with a win bonus built in. As well as this they are also often under contract for a certain number of fights, however these contracts are often open ended, meaning that the contract is valid until the fights have been completed, no matter how long this might take.

The kinds of training that someone would do for either wrestling or mixed martial arts are also a lot different. Wrestlers have traditionally done a lot more weight lifting, as well as having taken steroids in order to achieve their bulky frames. This is why they might often look impressive, but after a few minutes of even light wrestling, they become very tired. Mixed martial arts on the other hand is more focused on technique and cardio than muscle tone for the most part. While there are a few mixed martial arts fighters who might have the muscle tone and bulk of a wrestler, most don't train enough with weights in this respect for fear of getting too bulky and slow.