What Is MMA, Really? The Four Arts Behind the Cage
4 min read · Updated Jul 3, 2026
MMA stands for mixed martial arts, and the name is the whole idea. It is not a single style. It is the sport of combining several fighting arts into one, so a fighter can handle any part of a fight. You learn to strike standing up, to take someone to the ground or stay off the ground yourself, and to control or finish the fight once it is there. Underneath all of it sit four arts: boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling, and Brazilian jiu jitsu. Each one answers a different question. Put them together and you have MMA.
That is all MMA is: four proven arts, taught as one system. Nothing you need to be born with, just skills learned in order.
The four arts, and what each one does
Boxing is your hands and your footwork. It teaches punching, movement, and how to read the person in front of you. Coaches call that ring IQ, which just means seeing what is coming and staying calm when the pace picks up. It is the foundation of almost everything you do standing up.
Muay Thai is the art of eight limbs. The name comes from the eight points you learn to strike with: two fists, two elbows, two knees, and two shins. It takes what boxing gives you and adds elbows, knees, and kicks, and it builds real conditioning along the way.
Wrestling is how the fight gets to the ground, and how you keep it standing when you want to. It is takedowns, control, and grit. That is why coaches call it the base for every other discipline.
Brazilian jiu jitsu is the ground game. Its whole idea is leverage over strength, so a smaller person can control a bigger one. Once the fight hits the mat, jiu jitsu teaches you how to hold position and finish with a submission, which is a hold that ends the fight without a single punch. You can train it in the gi, the traditional jacket and pants, or no gi, which is closer to how MMA is actually fought.
Why they fit together
Here is the part that makes it click. Each art covers a gap the others leave open. A boxer who cannot wrestle gets taken down. A wrestler who cannot strike gets hit on the way in. A striker with no ground game is lost the moment the fight leaves the feet.
MMA exists because no single art answers every question. Striking wins the fight standing up. Wrestling decides where the fight takes place. Jiu jitsu wins it on the ground. A complete fighter can move between all three ranges and never feel out of place. So when you train MMA, you are not learning four separate hobbies. You are learning one connected system, one range at a time.
Learning it from people who have been there
You do not have to piece this together on your own. Team 515 in Longview is home to two UFC veterans, Derrick Krantz and Kevin Aguilar, and the coaching staff has cornered fighters at the UFC level, with real professional and amateur experience of their own.
For a beginner, that matters in a simple way. The people teaching you the fundamentals have tested those same fundamentals at the top of the sport. You get the real thing from your first night, taught slowly, with no egos in the room. All levels are welcome, and the gym serves Longview and the wider East Texas area, from Kilgore and Gladewater to Marshall, Henderson, and Tyler.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to fight or compete to train MMA? No. Most people train for fitness, self defense, and the plain challenge of learning something hard. Competing is a choice you can make later, not a requirement for walking in.
Should I pick one art first, or start with MMA? Either works. You can jump into the Adult MMA class, or build a base in a single art first, like jiu jitsu, boxing, or Muay Thai, and let the pieces connect over time. A coach will help you choose based on where you are.
How do I get started and what does it cost? MMA All-Access runs $125 a month, month to month, with no contract. Call the gym at (903) 930-4599 to confirm class times, since the schedule shifts a little by season.
Your very first class is always free, so you can feel all four arts in one room before you decide anything. Show up about fifteen minutes early, wear comfortable workout clothes, and bring water. A coach walks you through the fundamentals next to other people at your level, and no one spars on day one. When you are ready, come train free or see the schedule and pick a night that fits.