A UFC glossary

Mixed Martial Arts guide

The three main phases of combat are commonly known as:

Standup: The standup involves any form of boxing, kickboxing or Muay Thai, an Asian extension of kickboxing. So if the announcer proclaims that a fighter has a good "standup" or "prone position" game, it simply means the fighter is an advanced boxer and/or skilled kickboxer.

Clinch: Clinching involves more close-quarters sparring. Typically a good clinch fighter prefers to be in close to an opponent, where knee strikes and foot stomps play to the advantage. Generally a good clinch fighter is also effective at using his arms to wrap around an opponent's head or neck to strike upward with either the forearm, elbow or knee.

Ground: Fighters with a good "ground game" are proficient in many different aspects of wrestling. Many of these wrestlers utilize Brazilian jiu-jitsu, judo and Sombo (a Russian martial art) to aid in the submission of an opponent in addition to protecting themselves from being submitted.

Words you might hear during fight:

Guard: A defensive position in which a fighter on his back tries to elude punches and kicks by keeping his opponent between his legs. There are many different variations to the guard, but the most common are open (legs opened), closed (legs closed), half (one leg wrapped), butterfly (legs hooked into opponent's hip), and rubber (one leg wrapped around opponent's back while other is wrapped around fighter's own arm thus controlling top fighter and leaving an attack arm free).

Mount: A control position in which one fighter is above his opponent and has the advantage in raining down punches, forearms or elbows.

Sprawl: Sprawling is a wrestling move that allows a fighter to elude his opponent's advance at the lower body in hopes of a takedown. A sprawl is done by lowering one's center of gravity and spreading the legs to either side thus making it tougher to wrap and take down an opponent.

Submission terms:

Choke: A choke simply reduces an opponent's air supply forcing him to tapout. The two main chokes are the guillotine (reverse headlock with upward pressure applied to a fighter's neck) and the triangle (method in which the arms and legs are used to apply a pulldown choke around the head).

Kimura: Position in which an opponent's arm is bent at an awkward angle behind the fighter, which if effectively applied could dislocate the shoulder or even break an arm. Named after Japanese fighter Masahiko Kimura.

Omoplata: A lock similar to the kimura but instead of an arm, the leg is used to incapacitate.

Armbar: An arm lock in which the arm is hyperextended at the elbow by grabbing the wrist and extending the hips upward.

Three common misconceptions:

The fighters' stage is called the "Octagon" due to its eight-sided structuring; it's also called the cage, but it's never referred to as the ring.

Fighters are prohibited from headbutting - but it was a technique once used in the early era when MMA was considered "no holds barred."

Even though deemed barbaric by many, the sport's rules and regulations are expertly designed to keep fighters safe in the ring. To date, no fighter has ever died competing in a sanctioned mixed martial arts event in the United States.