Mixed martial arts is a steadily growing sport within the United States and throughout the country as a whole. Every year more and more individuals find ways to get involved and begin training. As with any other sport, newcomers should take head to particular steps to make sure they have a smooth transition into the world of MMA.

Selecting a School
Selecting a training school is a very important step in the process to becoming a mixed martial artist. Many individuals are starting schools when they themselves do not have a solid background within the sport. Before you sign up at any institution, do some research on the instructors at the facility. You should try to find a school that has teachers who have actively participated in the sport. Schools that have former or active fighters can give you an accurate look into the world of MMA. Also, research the fees required with training as everyone must work within a budget.

This past week was an exciting time in mixed martial arts. With the final show of World Extreme Cagefighting before their merger with the UFC, to the announcement of major fights, fans will have a lot to look forward to in 2011.

Strikeforce Sets the Table
Strikeforce has confirmed the matchup between Middleweight title holder Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Robbie Lawler. Earlier this month Lawler destroyed Matt Lindland with a crushing first round knockout. Lawler is a former EliteXC Middleweight Champion but that belt was relinquished when the organization folded. Souza is undefeated in Strikeforce since his debut in 2009. The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt has victories over the likes of Tim Kennedy, Matt Lindland and Joey Villasenor.

This fight has been rumored to occur during Strikeforce’s January 29th card. Additional fights that have not yet been confirmed by the organization include a title defense by Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz, Hershel Walker back in action, a matchup between Jason Miller and Tim Kennedy and a heavyweight confrontation between Antonio Silva and Fedor Emelianenko.

The monthly publication, Maximum Fitness, did a feature story on mixed martial arts champion and star Georges “Rush” St. Pierre for their November/December 2010 issue. In this issue they spoke to the champion about what makes him train so hard and push through his hard battles. Another main point of the story was the information of a training routine that St. Pierre uses to prepare for each competition.

Created by Jonathan Chaimberg, St. Pierre’s Strength and Conditioning coach, created a workout plan for the champion that does so many things vital for mixed martial artists. The seven-circuit workout plan will help you burn fat while building muscular strength and endurance. To go along with these boosts, you will also develop the power and explosiveness that fighters need at various points in competition. This program targets points across your whole body to give you the balance needed during training. This is very important because a muscular imbalance can lead to injuries during training.

Thursday’s WEC 53 brought a spectacular close to an organization that was known for action packed battles. While the fighters are being brought under the UFC banner, many new challenges and potential fights are available. While the obvious battles wait; such as that to unify the lightweight title, here are some others that would excite the fans and introduce stars of the WEC to the mainstream mixed martial arts fan.

Donald Cerrone versus Cole Miller
Donald Cerrone wasted very little time pointing out whom he would like to face in the UFC as he set his sights on lightweight fighter Cole Miller. Cerrone had just submitted Chris Horodecki with a triangle and was ready to move on. A Cerrone versus Miller matchup would sure to be an action packed battle as both fighters are well versed on both their feet and the mat. Another aspect is that both of these fighters have already begun taking shots at each other via their Twitter pages. Miller offered to “remove one of your arms” while Cerrone simply replied “bring that (stuff) on.” If these two fighters bring as much intensity to the fight as they will the pre-fight hype, fans will not be able to sit down.

As if the World Extreme Cagefighting organization had not provided fight fans with enough excitement during its tenure, WEC 53 was the perfect final act to close down the show. With two title fights, submissions and knockouts, this show was exactly what everyone could have asked for.

Anthony Pettis provided one of the types of sports moments that will hold a spot on highlight reels for years to come. He and Benson Henderson provided fans with an amazing main event for the WEC Lightweight Title. Both fighters went back and forth exchanging blows, takedowns and submissions attempts. Pettis was able to continue pushing the pace and secure more dominant positioning as the fight went one. What shocked fans and MMA experts alike was when Pettis sprang off the cage and landed a right kick squarely to Henderson’s chin. This move dropped the defending champion and allowed Pettis to continue punishing him until the final bell.

A variety of news bites from the Ultimate Fighting Championship were released on December 15th that will set the stage for some events to come.

UFC is going back to Brazil

The biggest news of the day came from what some people may consider the motherland of mixed martial arts: Brazil. During a live conference that was hosted on numerous MMA media sites, UFC President Dana White, confirmed that the organization would be returning to Rio in 2011. Set for August 27th, the event will be held in the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro.

Bellator Fighting Championships announced a major development that will help the organization continue to grow as a major MMA promotion in the United States. An official statement was released announcing that the company had formed a partnership with MTV2 to air live events and specials. This three year deal will begin in early 2011.

Before this announcement, Bellator events had aired on Fox Sports Net. However, these events were often only on television in tape delay format because Fox had the obligation to air other shows. Eric Conte, Vice President of Programming and Production, released the following statement in regards to the announcement, as reported by MMAfighting.com:

Running on a treadmill can be a benefit to your training routine. Unlike completing your road work outside, in your neighborhood or on a track, you can make adjusts to a treadmill that will greatly affect the intensity of your training. One of the best ways to quickly boost the impact of your running time is to increase the incline of the treadmill.

According to a report on Menshealth.org, running on a treadmill with an incline adjustment is harder than running on a flat plane. Going uphill is harder on your legs, but also adds more benefits to your training time. Using the incline will help you build stronger legs and boost your fitness levels at a faster rate than if you ran without using the option.

In a conversation with MMAfighting.com UFC President, Dana White, discussed the possible coaches for the 13th season of The Ultimate Fighter, which is set to begin taping at the beginning of the year. He stated that a decision has not been made at this time, however some names have been thrown around.

Potential names for the coaches of the next season included MMA icon Wanderlei Silva coaching against the brash talking Chael Sonnen. However, the UFC may be hesitant to place the limelight on Sonnen with the recent allegations and hearings surrounding his usage of testosterone. Sonnen has to serve a six month suspension which would make him eligible to fight sometime in March of 2011.

The full end of the year Dynamite!! card has been announced. Featured in the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan the final DREAM card of the year will feature a number of interesting matchups.

In the main event, the DREAM Featherweight Championship is on the line when current champion Bibiano Fernandes defends his title against Hiroyuki Takaya. Fernandes won the championship when he defeated Takaya by split decision in the finals of the DREAM 11 Grand Prix tournament. With this victory he became the first ever DREAM featherweight title holder. Since that fight both, Fernandes and Takaya have had their taste of success.

DREAM Welterweight Champion Marius Zaromskis will face Kazushi Sakuraba in another title defense set for the Dynamite!! event. Sakuraba is a legend in mixed martial arts While “The Gracie Hunter” has not shown the dominance that he once held during the earlier years of his career, his name still draw with the Japanese MMA fan. Zaromskis has experienced his greatest success in the DREAM organization where he holds a four fight win streak; three of these have been by first round knockout.