Choose a league or competition to subscribe to all of its games, or open it to pick individual teams.
How it’s played
Sports where two opponents face off one-on-one under clear rules: boxing, mixed martial arts, lucha libre, judo, taekwondo and more.
The basics
The family includes boxing, mixed martial arts (MMA, like the UFC), kickboxing, pro wrestling and lucha libre, plus Olympic sports such as judo, taekwondo, wrestling and fencing.
In boxing, two fighters from the same weight class face off wearing padded gloves.
A bout is split into rounds of up to three minutes with a minute’s rest; pro title fights go up to 12 rounds.
You win by knockout, when the referee stops the fight, or by a decision of three judges who score every round.
Key rule: hit only with a closed fist and above the belt, never to the back of the head or the back.
Fights take place in a ring, in a cage for MMA or on a mat for judo. Pro wrestling and lucha libre are shows with planned results.
Fun facts
In 2018, Mexico City’s government declared lucha libre part of the city’s intangible cultural heritage, honoring its place in popular culture.
Judo was created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its name means “the gentle way,” and it made its Olympic debut at Tokyo 1964.
The Marquess of Queensberry rules, published in England in 1867, were the first to require gloves and set three-minute rounds with a minute’s rest. They’re still the backbone of boxing.