MMA Glossary: 150+ Mixed Martial Arts Terms Explained

This MMA glossary defines more than 150 mixed martial arts terms, from strikes and clinch work to takedowns, submissions, judging, fight week and gear. Rules in MMA are set by each athletic commission and promotion, so treat the rule definitions here as a general guide and check the rules that apply to your event. Terms are grouped by category and listed A–Z within each section.

Jump to a section: Striking · Clinch · Takedowns and Wrestling · Ground Game and Submissions · Rules, Scoring and Judging · Fight Week and Business · Culture and Slang · Gear

Striking

• Body shot: Any punch or kick aimed at the torso, especially the liver and ribs. Body work drains an opponent's cardio and lowers their hands.
• Calf kick: A low kick to the back or side of the opponent's calf, below the knee. It can take away the opponent's ability to plant and move within a round or two.
• Check: Lifting your shin to block an incoming leg kick, so the opponent's shin hits yours instead of your thigh.
• Combination: A series of strikes thrown in sequence, such as a jab, cross and hook. Fighters often call combinations by numbers, with 1 for the jab and 2 for the cross.
• Counter: A strike thrown in response to the opponent's attack, often while they are still extended and open.
• Cross: A straight punch thrown with the rear hand, turning the hips and shoulders for power. It is also called the 2.
• Cutting off the cage: Moving to block the opponent's escape routes along the fence, trapping them so they have to fight or get taken down.
• Feint: A fake strike or movement used to draw a reaction and open the real attack.
• Footwork: How a fighter moves their feet to control distance and angles, stay balanced and set up strikes and takedowns.
• Front kick: A straight kick that drives the ball of the foot or heel into the opponent's body or face. The push kick version is often called a teep.
• Head kick: A kick aimed at the opponent's head or neck, usually with the shin or the top of the foot. It is one of the most common ways to score a knockout with the legs.
• Head movement: Moving your head off the line of attack with slips, rolls and level changes so you are harder to hit.
• High guard: A defensive position with both hands held high beside the head and the elbows tight, used to absorb punches and kicks.
• Hook: A curved punch thrown with a bent arm, usually aimed at the side of the head or the body.
• Jab: A quick straight punch thrown with the lead hand. It measures distance, sets up other strikes and keeps the opponent busy. It is also called the 1.
• Leg kick: A round kick to the opponent's thigh, usually with the shin. Repeated leg kicks slow a fighter down and damage their base.
• Oblique kick: A stomping kick to the front of the opponent's lead knee, used to stop them from moving forward. It is legal under the Unified Rules, though some fighters and commentators argue it is too dangerous.
• Orthodox: A stance with the left foot and left hand forward, used by most right-handed fighters.
• Overhand: A looping rear-hand punch thrown over the top of the opponent's guard.
• Question mark kick: A kick that starts low like a body kick, then turns over to hit the head, tracing the shape of a question mark.
• Range: The distance between fighters. Fighters often describe striking range, clinch range and grappling range, and each one favors different skills.
• Slip: A small movement of the head and upper body that lets a straight punch pass by without landing.
• Southpaw: A stance with the right foot and right hand forward, used by most left-handed fighters and by some right-handed fighters who switch.
• Spinning back fist: A strike where you turn your back to the opponent and swing the back of your fist into their head as you complete the spin.
• Spinning back kick: A kick where you turn your back to the opponent and drive your heel straight back into their body or head.
• Superman punch: A punch thrown while jumping forward off the back leg, often with a fake kick first, to close the distance quickly.
• Switch kick: A kick where you quickly swap your stance before kicking with the lead leg, which gives it nearly the power of a rear kick.
• Uppercut: A punch thrown upward under the opponent's chin or into the body, often from close range.

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Clinch

• Body lock: A position where you clasp your hands around the opponent's waist or torso to control their posture and set up takedowns.
• Cage work: Fighting with one or both fighters pressed against the fence, including pinning, striking, takedowns and getting back to the center.
• Clinch: A standing grappling range where fighters hold each other with ties, hooks or body locks while they strike, wrestle or try to separate.
• Collar tie: A grip where you place your hand behind the opponent's neck to control their head and set up strikes or takedowns.
• Dirty boxing: Short punches and uppercuts thrown from the clinch, often with one hand controlling the opponent's head or arm.
• Elbow: A strike with the point or forearm side of the elbow. Elbows are short and sharp, cut the skin easily and are common in the clinch and on the ground.
• Exit: Getting out of the clinch safely, usually with a strike or a frame so the opponent cannot follow.
• Frame: A structure built with your forearms or hands to keep space from the opponent and stop them from closing in.
• Head position: Where a fighter places their head in the clinch. Getting your head under the opponent's chin or on the side of their head gives you leverage and protection.
• Knee: A strike with the knee to the body, legs or head. Knees to the head of a grounded opponent are illegal under the Unified Rules.
• Over-under: A clinch position where each fighter has one overhook and one underhook.
• Overhook: A control where your arm wraps over the opponent's arm, trapping it against your side. It is also called a whizzer when used to defend takedowns.
• Plum: A clinch where you hold the back of the opponent's head with both hands, often called the Thai clinch. It controls their posture and sets up knees.
• Pummeling: Swimming your arms inside the opponent's to win underhooks and better position in the clinch.
• Spinning elbow: An elbow thrown while turning, often after a missed strike or when breaking from the clinch.
• Underhook: A control where your arm goes under the opponent's armpit and onto their back, giving leverage for takedowns and getting off the fence.
• Wrist control: Holding the opponent's wrist to stop them from striking, posting or framing, both in the clinch and on the ground.

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Takedowns and Wrestling

• Ankle pick: A takedown where you load the opponent's weight onto one leg, often by pulling their head, then grab that ankle.
• Body lock takedown: A takedown from a body lock, usually finished with a trip or by lifting and turning the opponent.
• Double leg: A takedown where you change levels and drive through the opponent's hips while wrapping both legs.
• Front headlock: A position where you control a bent-over opponent's head and an arm, often after defending a takedown. It sets up guillotines, snap downs and knees.
• Level change: Dropping your hips by bending your knees before a shot, which also makes punches miss high.
• Mat return: Lifting a standing opponent and bringing them back to the mat, often after they get up from the bottom or against the fence.
• Reactive takedown: A takedown timed to the opponent's punch or kick, shooting while they are committed to their strike.
• Scramble: A fast exchange on the mat where neither fighter has control and both work to come out on top.
• Shot: A leg attack where you change levels and drive forward to take the opponent down.
• Single leg: A takedown where you attack one of the opponent's legs and finish by lifting, tripping or driving them down.
• Slam: Lifting an opponent and driving them into the mat. Slams are legal in most MMA rule sets, though spiking an opponent on their head or neck is generally illegal, and amateur rules are often stricter.
• Snap down: Pulling the opponent's head and shoulders down to break their posture and bring them to the mat or into a front headlock.
• Sprawl: Shooting your legs back and dropping your hips onto the opponent to stop a takedown.
• Sprawl and brawl: A style built on stopping takedowns and keeping the fight standing, where the fighter has the advantage.
• Suplex: A throw where you lock around the opponent's body and arch backward to bring them over you onto the mat.
• Takedown: Any move that brings a standing opponent to the mat with you in a better position. Judges count successful takedowns as part of effective grappling, and failed attempts carry little weight.
• Takedown defense: The skills used to stop or escape takedowns, including sprawling, whizzers, underhooks and staying off the fence.
• Technical stand-up: A way to stand up from the mat while posting one hand and keeping a leg raised to guard against kicks and strikes.
• Trip: A takedown that removes the opponent's leg from under them with your leg, often from the clinch or a body lock.
• Wall walk: A way to get back up by putting your back against the fence and using it to climb to your feet.

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Ground Game and Submissions

• Anaconda choke: An arm-in choke from the front headlock where you loop your arm under the opponent's neck and arm, lock your hands and roll to tighten it.
• Arm triangle: A choke where you trap the opponent's head and one arm together and squeeze with your arm and shoulder, often from mount or side control.
• Armbar: A joint lock that straightens the opponent's arm and hyperextends the elbow against your hips.
• Back control: A position where you are behind the opponent with your legs hooked around their hips or locked in a body triangle. It is one of the strongest positions in MMA for both strikes and chokes.
• Body triangle: A way to control the opponent's back by locking your legs in a figure-four around their torso.
• Closed guard: A guard where you wrap your legs around the opponent's waist and cross your ankles, controlling their posture from the bottom.
• Crucifix: A position where you trap one of the opponent's arms with your legs and control the other with your arm, leaving their head open to strikes or chokes.
• D'Arce choke: An arm-in choke where you thread your arm under the opponent's neck and arm from the side and lock it with a figure-four grip.
• Ground and pound: Strikes thrown from a top position on the ground, such as punches, hammer fists and elbows. It is one of the most common ways fights end by TKO.
• Guard: Any bottom position where you use your legs to control the opponent. In MMA, guard players have to defend strikes as well as passes.
• Guillotine: A front choke where you wrap your arm around the opponent's neck and lift your forearm into their throat. It is a common counter to a poorly set up takedown.
• Half guard: A position where the bottom fighter traps one of the top fighter's legs between their legs.
• Heel hook: A leg lock that twists the heel to put force on the knee. It is legal in most professional MMA rule sets and can cause serious damage before pain sets in.
• Kimura: A shoulder lock where you hold the opponent's wrist with a figure-four grip and rotate the arm behind their back. It is named after Japanese judoka Masahiko Kimura.
• Kneebar: A leg lock that straightens the opponent's leg and hyperextends the knee against your hips.
• Mount: A top position where you sit on the opponent's torso with a knee on each side, giving you strong control and a clear path for strikes.
• Neck crank: A submission that bends or twists the neck instead of compressing the arteries. Neck cranks are legal under most professional MMA rules and banned in many amateur and grappling rule sets.
• Rear-naked choke: A choke from back control where one arm wraps around the opponent's neck and the other locks behind their head. It is one of the most common submission finishes in MMA.
• Side control: A top position where you lie across the opponent's torso from the side, chest to chest.
• Submission: A win when the opponent taps, verbally gives up or is rendered unconscious by a choke or hold. For a deeper list of grappling positions and holds, see the BJJ glossary.
• Tap: The signal to submit, made by tapping the opponent or the mat or by saying so. The referee ends the fight as soon as they see or hear it.
• Triangle choke: A choke where you lock your legs around the opponent's neck and one of their arms in a figure-four, usually from guard.
• Turtle: A defensive position on the hands and knees, curled up to protect the head. In MMA it exposes the back and the sides of the head to strikes.

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Rules, Scoring and Judging

• 10-8 round: A round where one fighter wins by a wide margin. Judges consider dominance, damage and duration, and a 10-8 can be given without a knockdown.
• 10-point must system: The scoring method used in MMA, where judges must give the winner of each round 10 points and the loser 9 or fewer. Three judges score each round, and their totals decide the fight if it goes the distance.
• 12-6 elbow: A downward elbow strike thrown straight down like the hands of a clock pointing from 12 to 6. It was banned for years under the Unified Rules, and the Association of Boxing Commissions voted in 2024 to remove the ban, so whether it is legal depends on whether the local commission has adopted the change.
• Accidental foul: An unintended foul, such as an eye poke or low blow, that injures the opponent. The fighter usually gets up to five minutes to recover, and if the fight cannot continue, the result depends on how far it has gone.
• Athletic commission: The state, tribal or national body that licenses fighters, assigns officials and enforces the rules for combat sports events in its area.
• Catchweight: A weight agreed between the fighters that does not match a standard weight class, often used for short-notice fights or when one fighter misses weight.
• Corner stoppage: A TKO that happens when a fighter's coaches stop the fight, usually between rounds, to protect their fighter.
• Disqualification: A loss given to a fighter who commits an intentional foul that ends the fight or who keeps fouling after warnings. It is often written as DQ.
• Doctor stoppage: A TKO called when the ringside physician decides a fighter cannot continue safely, often because of a cut or eye injury.
• Draw: A result where the judges' scorecards do not produce a winner. A fight can end in a unanimous, majority or split draw depending on how the three judges score it.
• Effective aggressiveness: The second judging criterion, used only when striking and grappling are even. It rewards making attempts to finish the fight, and simply walking forward does not count.
• Effective striking and grappling: The first and most important judging criterion. Judges look at legal strikes, takedowns, reversals and submission attempts that have an immediate or cumulative impact.
• Fence grab: Holding the fence with fingers or toes, usually to stop a takedown or keep position. It is a foul that can draw a warning or a point deduction.
• Fighting area control: The third judging criterion, used only when the first two are even. It rewards the fighter who dictates where and how the fight takes place.
• Foul: Any illegal action under the rules. Common fouls under the Unified Rules include eye pokes, groin strikes, headbutts, strikes to the back of the head or spine, throat strikes and kicks or knees to the head of a grounded opponent.
• Grounded opponent: A fighter who counts as down under the rules, which protects them from kicks and knees to the head. The exact definition depends on the rules version the commission uses, so it is worth checking before a fight.
• Knockout: A win where the opponent is rendered unable to continue by a legal strike. It is usually written as KO.
• Majority decision: A win where two judges score the fight for one fighter and the third scores it a draw.
• No contest: A result with no winner, often because an accidental foul ends the fight early or because a result is later overturned. It is written as NC.
• Point deduction: A penalty where the referee takes a point away from a fighter for a foul, which judges then subtract from that round's score.
• Referee stoppage: A TKO where the referee ends the fight because a fighter is no longer intelligently defending themselves.
• Round: A timed period of fighting. Most professional MMA rounds are five minutes with one minute of rest, with three rounds for most fights and five rounds for title fights and many main events.
• Small joint manipulation: Attacking fingers or toes by bending them. It is illegal under the Unified Rules, though attacks on larger joints such as the wrist, elbow and ankle are allowed.
• Split decision: A win where two judges score the fight for one fighter and the third scores it for the other.
• Stand-up: A referee's call to bring both fighters back to their feet when action on the ground stalls. How quickly referees stand fighters up varies a great deal.
• Technical decision: A result where the fight goes to the judges' scorecards because an accidental foul ends it after enough rounds have been completed, commonly after two rounds in a three-round fight.
• Technical knockout: A win where the fight is stopped because one fighter cannot continue safely, whether by the referee, the doctor or the corner. It is usually written as TKO.
• Unanimous decision: A win where all three judges score the fight for the same fighter.
• Unified Rules: The Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, the standard rule set adopted by most US athletic commissions. They cover weight classes, fouls, scoring and fight outcomes, and they have been revised several times.
• Weight class: The weight division a fighter competes in. The most common men's classes are flyweight (125 lb), bantamweight (135 lb), featherweight (145 lb), lightweight (155 lb), welterweight (170 lb), middleweight (185 lb), light heavyweight (205 lb) and heavyweight (up to 265 lb), and women's divisions commonly run from strawweight (115 lb) to featherweight.

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Fight Week and Business

• Bonus: Extra money paid by a promotion for a standout performance or fight, often called Performance of the Night or Fight of the Night.
• Ceremonial weigh-in: A public weigh-in held for fans and cameras after the official weigh-in, usually followed by a face-off.
• Co-main event: The second-to-last fight of the night, just before the main event.
• Early weigh-ins: Official weigh-ins held the morning before the fight, which give fighters more than a day to rehydrate before they compete.
• Face-off: The moment when two opponents stand face to face for photos after a press event or weigh-in.
• Fight camp: The training period before a fight, usually 6 to 12 weeks, focused on preparing for a specific opponent.
• Fight week: The final week before an event, filled with media, weight cutting, medical checks and the weigh-in.
• Late replacement: A fighter who takes a fight on short notice after the original opponent pulls out. Short-notice fights are often booked at a catchweight.
• Main card: The final and most featured group of fights on an event, often shown on pay-per-view or the main broadcast.
• Main event: The last and most featured fight on the card. It is also called the headliner.
• Media day: A scheduled day during fight week when fighters do interviews with reporters.
• Medicals: The medical tests a commission requires before a fighter can be licensed, which commonly include blood work, an eye exam and sometimes brain imaging. Requirements vary by commission.
• Missing weight: Coming in over the agreed limit at the official weigh-in. The fighter usually forfeits part of their purse to the opponent, and title fights may lose their title status.
• Official weigh-in: The commission-run weigh-in where fighters must make the contracted weight. Non-title fights commonly allow 1 pound over the class limit, while title fights must hit the limit exactly.
• Open workout: A public training session during fight week, held for fans and media.
• Pay-per-view: A broadcast that fans pay for separately to watch an event, commonly written as PPV.
• Prelims: The earlier fights on an event before the main card. Early prelims start before the regular prelims on some events.
• Purse: The money a fighter is paid for a fight. Many contracts split it into show money for competing and win money for winning.
• Rehydration: Restoring fluids, electrolytes and food after a weight cut. How well a fighter rehydrates can affect their energy and durability on fight night.
• Title fight: A fight for a championship belt, usually scheduled for five rounds.
• Walkout: The fighter's entrance from the locker room to the cage, usually set to a song they pick.
• Weight cut: Losing weight, mostly water, in the days before a weigh-in to make a weight class. Severe cuts carry real health risks, and some commissions monitor them closely.

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Culture and Slang

• Cage: The fenced, usually eight-sided enclosure where most MMA fights take place. Some promotions use a ring instead.
• Chin: A fighter's ability to take a punch without being knocked out. A fighter who is hard to hurt is said to have a good chin.
• Cornerman: A coach or teammate who works a fighter's corner, giving advice and care between rounds.
• Fight IQ: A fighter's ability to read the opponent, make smart decisions and adjust during a fight.
• Flash knockout: A quick knockout where a fighter goes down from a single clean strike, often without visible buildup.
• Gas tank: A fighter's cardio and endurance. A fighter who runs out of energy is said to have gassed out.
• Gatekeeper: An established fighter who tests rising prospects. Beating a gatekeeper often signals a prospect is ready for the next tier.
• Grappler: A fighter whose main strength is wrestling, jiu-jitsu or other ground fighting.
• Lay and pray: A slang term for holding top position without doing much damage, hoping the judges reward the control.
• Mixed martial arts: A full-contact combat sport that allows striking and grappling, both standing and on the ground. It is usually shortened to MMA.
• Octagon: The eight-sided cage used by the UFC. The word is often used for MMA cages in general.
• Pankration: An ancient Greek combat sport that combined striking and wrestling. It is often cited as an early forerunner of modern MMA.
• Pound for pound: A ranking of the best fighters regardless of weight class, based on skill and achievement.
• Prospect: A young or early-career fighter who is expected to rise in the rankings.
• Ring rust: The loss of timing and sharpness that can come from a long break between fights.
• Rocked: Hurt badly by a strike but still standing or conscious. A fighter who is rocked is often wobbly and in danger of being finished.
• Striker: A fighter whose main strength is punching, kicking, kneeing and elbowing on the feet.
• Vale tudo: A Portuguese term, meaning "anything goes," for Brazilian no-holds-barred fighting that helped shape modern MMA.
• Walk-off knockout: A knockout so clean that the winner walks away without needing the referee to step in.
• Well-rounded: A fighter who is skilled in striking, wrestling and grappling, with no clear weakness.

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Gear

• Bag gloves: Lightly padded gloves used for hitting heavy bags and pads, built to protect the hands during long bag sessions.
• Boxing gloves: Fully padded gloves, often 14 to 16 ounces for sparring, used in MMA gyms for safer striking practice.
• Compression shorts: Tight shorts worn under fight shorts to support the muscles and hold a cup in place.
• Cup: A protective groin guard. Male fighters are required to wear one in sanctioned MMA, and most gyms expect it for sparring.
• Fight kit: The matching shorts, shirts and other gear some promotions issue to fighters for fight week and fight night.
• Fight shorts: Shorts built for MMA, usually with side splits or stretch panels for kicks and a secure closure that holds through scrambles. Most commissions ban pockets, zippers and exposed metal.
• Focus mitts: Padded mitts a coach wears to catch punches during pad work. They are also called punch mitts.
• Hand wraps: Cloth wraps or gauze and tape wound around the hands and wrists to protect the bones under the gloves. On fight night, commission officials usually watch the wrapping and sign off on it.
• Headgear: Padded head protection worn in sparring and some amateur bouts. It reduces cuts and surface damage and does not prevent concussions.
• Heavy bag: A large, heavy bag hung from the ceiling or set on a base, used to build power and conditioning.
• MMA gloves: Fingerless gloves with padding over the knuckles, usually 4 to 6 ounces for competition, that let fighters strike and still grip. Sparring versions are larger and more padded.
• Mouthguard: A guard worn over the teeth to protect them and limit jaw injuries. Fighters must wear one in sanctioned bouts, and a lost mouthguard is replaced at the next break in action.
• Petroleum jelly: A thin coat of jelly that a cutman applies to the face before a fight and between rounds to help strikes slide off. Commissions control how much can be used and where.
• Rashguard: A fitted, stretchy shirt worn for grappling and MMA training that protects skin from mat burn and wicks sweat. See how to choose a rashguard.
• Sauna suit: A suit that traps heat and sweat to help fighters lose water weight. It is widely used in weight cuts and adds risk when combined with severe dehydration.
• Shin guards: Padded guards that cover the shins and often the tops of the feet, worn during kicking drills and sparring.
• Spats: Compression tights worn for grappling and MMA training to protect the legs from mat burn and limit skin contact.
• Sports bra: A supportive top required or commonly worn by women fighters in competition. Commissions and promotions may set rules about its style.
• Thai pads: Large, thick pads a coach straps onto their forearms to catch kicks, knees and elbows.

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Keep learning

A glossary gives you the words, and the cage teaches you what they mean. For the grappling side of the sport, the BJJ glossary goes deeper on guards, passes and submissions. When you are ready to learn more about gear, care and training, browse the full Pressure Point Learn hub.

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