How Technology Is Changing MMA

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a brutal sport that combines striking, grappling, and takedowns to give fighters the ultimate fighting experience. It has always been popular but popularity has recently gone sky-high. 

The game has shifted and changed over the years and so has technology, allowing players better training experiences and even better experiences in the octagon. Technology has also changed the ways that fans can interact with MMA, through sports betting, online streaming, and more.

Let’s explore the various ways technology has impacted MMA. 

Online Sportsbetting

Online sports betting platforms have grown in popularity and people everywhere now have access through mobile apps or online platforms. Thanks to technology, sports fans who live in countries or states with limited wagering options can still place their wagers online via offshore or international sites. For example, in the US some states allow sports betting yet others don’t, and the best offshore sportsbooks for US players are often international sites that are registered and licensed in countries with more lenient gambling rules. The convenience of online betting means you don’t need to visit a physical bookie to place your bets – a benefit that has resulted in an increased interest in sports betting over the years.

Technology has brought websites that list player statistics like streaks, past wins or losses, player strengths and weaknesses, and even news of injuries. Bettors can place well-informed bets, making decisions like choosing crypto gambling over cash bets, incurring less risk in the long run. Tech has also given rise to in-play betting, allowing MMA fans to place bets online while the fight is live based on the game’s momentum.

The Fan Experience

Technology is also changing MMA for fans. Streaming services make fights more accessible to people everywhere, while VR experiences can even offer a virtual ringside seat. The use of biometric sensors could even track a fighter’s performance metrics in real-time, giving fans deeper insights into the fight. 

As technology continues to advance and develop, it’s likely that MMA will continue to also grow in popularity as a wider audience can watch and enjoy MMA thanks to high-tech streaming services from home or on the go. 

High Tech Training

Technology has not only helped in MMA sports betting and fan engagement. The fighters and trainers themselves make use of technology on and off the arena. Training has always been a coach’s forte and is based on the coach’s expertise and knowledge of the player. Today, coaches have tools that assist them in monitoring fighter performance, and here’s a list of some of the tools that have helped make the MMA more tech-savvy over the years:

Wearable Tech

With wearable tech, trainers don’t have to work overtime to get fighters in shape. Instead of guessing about the right distances for runners to run or the calories that may have been burned, trainers now have full access to all this information at their fingertips. They can measure fighters’ heart rates, track their location and distance, and analyze their effort in real time through devices like Fitbit, and many others. This leaves time for coaches to focus on creating personalized training programs for each individual for maximum effect and it reduces the risk of fighter injury because the coaches can monitor each person’s vitals as they go. They know how to push fighters in training and when to stop.

Virtual Reality

Beyond wearable tech, virtual reality is also changing MMA. Virtual reality has also begun to fill a space in the world of sports. Traditionally, fighters who shared a training center or a coach would spar together meaning that whichever fighter was the best in that group didn’t really get challenged during training sessions, and most likely only faced real challenges in the octagon during competitions. Here’s where VR has changed the game. Each fighter gets to experiment with different skill sets by fighting virtual contenders who each have unique styles and techniques. Difficulty settings can be changed depending on the individual who is training to match their skill level and give them a bit of a challenge. Coaches can alternate between real-world sparring and virtual sparring for their fighters, heightening their skill sets and giving them a higher chance of victory in the arena.

Motion Capture

Yes, you read it right, motion capture – typically used in filmmaking – is making its way into the world of MMA. In order to gain insight into their technique and to improve performance, coaches have started to capture fighter techniques using motion capture sensors. Fighters are put into specialized sensor suits and with the help of VR, they engage in different sparring matches or fights. The suits capture their movements and later the players, together with their coach, can analyze their movements in order to correct mistakes or capitalize on techniques that may benefit them in the arena. 

Personalized Training Apps

There’s an application for nearly anything you can think of nowadays and there is one to help with personalized training too. The fighter enters his information into the app – things like age, height, weight, diet, preferred workout duration per day, and many others. The application will then generate a suitable training regiment for the fighter. Some apps will even suggest daily or weekly meals that keep you nourished enough to cater to the rigorous workouts. Other apps may go a step further and offer video tutorials for new techniques or movements that a fighter might find useful.

AI in Training

Although AI will not replace coaches soon, it helps to improve fighter technique and decision-making. AI’s value lies in its ability to learn patterns and when it comes to actual fight time, coaches or trainers can use it to get real-time analyses of the opponent’s striking tendencies and weaknesses. In the moment, a human eye could miss some of the opponent’s weak spots and AI helps keep the team informed and ready to attack strategically. Artificial Intelligence is also useful for predicting outcomes or what each player will do next. By gathering intel throughout the fight, AI can predict future turning points in a fight by analyzing fatigue levels, fighting styles, and other factors. 

Judging 

A lot of conflicts have arisen over the years due to judges giving preferential treatment to some players, the system not being clear enough, and many other issues. Developers are now working to eliminate human bias and error by creating AI-powered scoring systems which are expected to create more fair outcomes.

Conclusion

From the training room to fight night, technology is changing MMA. In the training arena, wearable technology is used to track performance, virtual reality throws fighters into simulated octagons against various opponents, motion capture technology analyzes techniques, and apps offer personalized training plans and video tutorials, making MMA training more accessible than ever. For MMA fans, technology has led to a more engaging wagering experience and the ability to stream MMA from anywhere.