Niall, Author at Fight Quality

The Science Behind Knockouts in MMA

Posted on April 25, 2025April 10, 2025 by Niall

Knockouts are one of the most exciting and highly anticipated moments in mixed martial arts (MMA). A sudden knockout, where a fighter is rendered unconscious or incapacitated from a strike, represents the culmination of precision, timing, and power. But beyond the spectacle, there’s an intricate science behind knockouts that involves biomechanics, neurology, and the understanding of human anatomy. This article dives deep into the scientific principles behind knockouts in MMA, helping to demystify what happens when a fighter “goes to sleep.”

The Impact of Martial Arts on Mental Health and Wellbeing

Posted on April 21, 2025April 10, 2025 by Niall

Martial arts are often associated with physical fitness, self-defense, and combat skills. However, beyond the physical benefits, martial arts have a profound impact on mental health and wellbeing. With practices that range from intense combat sports like Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and Muay Thai to more meditative forms like Tai Chi and Aikido, martial arts offer a holistic approach to physical and mental health. Over the past few decades, there has been increasing research and anecdotal evidence highlighting the impact of martial arts on mental health, revealing benefits such as stress reduction, improved emotional regulation, and enhanced self-esteem.

Choosing the Right Mouthguard: Custom vs. Boil-and-Bite

Posted on April 14, 2025February 19, 2025 by Niall

Mouthguards are an essential piece of equipment for martial artists, boxers, and anyone involved in contact sports. Protecting your teeth, gums, and jaw from impact injuries is crucial, and the right mouthguard can make a world of difference. However, not all mouthguards are created equal, and athletes often face the decision between custom-made mouthguards and boil-and-bite mouthguards. When choosing the right mouthguard, there are several factors to consider: comfort, protection, cost, and longevity.

The History and Significance of the Black Belt in Martial Arts

Posted on April 11, 2025February 19, 2025 by Niall

The black belt is arguably one of the most iconic symbols in martial arts, representing not only technical proficiency but also a deeper mastery of discipline, dedication, and personal growth. Despite its modern-day associations with high-level skill and authority, the history and significance of the black belt in martial arts extends beyond mere technical achievement. The black belt has evolved over time to symbolize different things in different martial arts disciplines, carrying cultural, historical, and symbolic weight across the globe.

The Best Apps and Online Resources for Martial Artists

Posted on March 21, 2025February 5, 2025 by Niall

Martial artists, whether beginners or seasoned practitioners, need to focus on a wide range of skills to excel. From refining techniques to improving fitness levels and tracking progress, martial arts training is a multifaceted journey. In today’s digital age, apps and online resources are powerful tools that can significantly enhance your training experience, offering instruction, motivation, and analytics in the palm of your hand.

In this article, we’ll explore some of the best apps and online resources for martial artists that can aid in sharpening skills, building strength, and even deepening your understanding of the various martial arts disciplines.

Jiu Jitsu (2020) – Fight Quality Film Review

Posted on January 28, 2022February 4, 2022 by Niall

Where to start with the film Jiu Jitsu (2020)? It’s listed as a ‘science fiction martial arts film’. The plot revolves around the ancient order of expert Jiu Jistu fighters who, every six years, must defend earth from alien invaders.

A Brief History of Greco-Roman Wrestling

Posted on August 2, 2021August 9, 2021 by Niall

Greco-Roman wrestling, as its name suggests, is a modern style of wrestling that’s designed to be as similar as possible to the styles of wrestling practiced by the ancient Greeks and Roman’s in competitions like the ancient Greek olympics. Thankfully the tradition of wrestlers competing naked didn’t get carried on into the modern version of the sport.

A Brief History of Sanda

Posted on July 26, 2021 by Niall

Sanda is China’s official full contact combat sport. It was formerly known as Sanshou and get’s called Chinese Boxing or Chinese Kickboxing. It’s seen as the equivalent to Thailand’s national sport of Muay Thai, but with its own complex history of development.

Skipping for Cardio: Fight Quality’s Favourite Approaches

Posted on June 7, 2021June 16, 2021 by Niall

A skipping rope is an extremely versatile training tool. Small enough to pack any time your traveling its the easiest way to get in work on the move. Despite this, skipping can be incredibly challenging and really push your cardio to another level. There’s a reason skipping has been a training tool for fighters for generations. Alongside developing cardio fitness it improves other aspects of your skills like footwork and rythmn. From black and white video of Muhammed Ali swinging a leather rope to 20 minute long Muay Thai warm ups you find ropes in every gym. However, like all training, not having a plan before you can set you up for a rubbish time. Thankfully Fight Quality is here to help and we’ve listed our favourite ways to utilise skipping to improve your cardio. Read on and find out our favourite ways to approach our skipping sessions.

Fight Quality Film Review – Mr Calzaghe (2015)

Posted on April 19, 2021August 9, 2021 by Niall

Mr Calzaghe is a 2015 documentary that follows the career of legendary Welsh boxer Joe Calzaghe. It charts his journey through his highly touted amateur career, the jump to turning pro, challenges with repeated injuries all the way through to breaking through to popularity in America and his retirement – undefeated with a record of 46-0.

The Fight Calendar: Upcoming MMA Events for the Week

Posted on April 13, 2021April 7, 2025 by Niall

We’re all counting down the days until we get to see some more action and it can be a challenge to keep track of what MMA events are coming up. We’ve taken a look at the calendars for some of the major MMA organisations and have put together a list of this week’s upcoming MMA events for you, so you can plan out what fight cards will fill your week’s viewing!

Fight Quality Film Review – FightWorld (2018)

Posted on March 29, 2021August 9, 2021 by Niall

Okay so let’s start off by admitting that this one technically isn’t a film review. FightWorld, a Netflix docu-series following Frank Grillo – ‘actor and life long fight enthusiast’ – as he travels the world learning about local fight cultures. The series sees him in Mexico, Thailand, Myanmar, Senegal and Israel looking at the significance of their combat sports.

A Brief History of Vale Tudo

Posted on March 22, 2021March 22, 2021 by Niall

There’s a chance you’ve heard of Vale Tudo (if you’ve watched MMA long enough you’ve probably heard it referenced somewhere). You might know that MMA developed from Vale Tudo, but do you know much about the Brazilian fighting style itself?

A Brief History of MMA

Posted on March 1, 2021March 2, 2021 by Niall

Mixed Martial Arts is one of the biggest sports on the planet at current – ONE Championship averaged 29 million viewers per event in 2019 (according to their CEO Chatri Sidyodtong) the UFC was involved in the largest sports acquisition in history when it sold to WME-IMG for four billion dollars and the sport has generated superstar athletes like Conor McGregor who have surpassed the sport and became household names. Not bad for a sport that was widely banned and compared to human cockfighting in the not too distant past. But how did this global phenomenon come to be the sport it is today?

A Brief History of Kickboxing

Posted on February 15, 2021March 2, 2021 by Niall

The term kickboxing can have a pretty broad application. Technically it refers to any stand up martial art that allows kicking and punching and so covers a pretty broad spectrum of styles. The narrower focus of the name would be styles that identify as kickboxing, which still includes a lot of sports, but for the sake of this article we’ll be focusing on the history of Japanese Kickboxing, and its spread to Europe, and North American Kickboxing which has similar roots but developed separately. Alongside Muay Thai, which we’ve covered separately, much of modern kickboxing has come from these styles.

A Brief History of Capoeira

Posted on February 1, 2021March 2, 2021 by Niall

Capoeira is an unusual style of martial art that has an Afro-Brazilian origins, focuses predominantly on using your lower body to kick, sweep and take your opponents down, though elbow and hand strikes are also incorporated, and is designed to allow a fighter who’s outnumbered to take on even armed enemies.

Common Training Injuries and How to Treat Them – Orbital Fracture

Posted on January 25, 2021March 2, 2021 by Niall

You’re going hard in sparring, working with someone bigger than you to get ready for an upcoming fight. Or maybe you’re having the fight, with small gloves being swung hard back and forth. Suddenly your guard drops lower than it should as you throw a punch and you catch a counter hook right on the edge of your eye socket. There’s a lot of pain and some quick swelling, you might get double vision or your eye might bulge right out. Welcome to your new orbital fracture.

Returning to Running After a Training Break

Posted on January 11, 2021March 2, 2021 by Niall

Gyms may still be shut and the country locked down (at least here in the UK) but with the vaccine rollout underway there’s some light starting to show at the end of the tunnel. We know many of you might have found ways to keep training throughout the pandemic, you might have started working on improving other aspects of your training or, like us, you might have spent a bit too much time sitting on the sofa watching movies.

Wai Kru, Mongkol and Prajioud; Ancient Traditions in Modern Muay Thai

Posted on January 4, 2021August 9, 2021 by Niall

With shows like ONE Championship putting Muay Thai, a martial art with a long and storied history, at the centre of some seriously high profile events they’ve given Muay Thai a platform and reach that it’s never really achieved before. At FQ we love ONE Championship, and we’re incredibly pleased to see our favourite martial art reach so many new fans, and fighters get rewarded for the years of hard work they put into their training, but it’s easy to see that some of the traditions that go alongside it might get pushed to one side, or be seen but not understood. We want to do our part to help people new to Muay Thai to understand the significance of some of what they see in big shows like ONE, and what they might encounter if they branch out and watch Muay Thai from different promotions!

Five Top Tips For Martial Arts Beginners

Posted on December 21, 2020August 9, 2021 by Niall

Here at FQ we firmly believe that martial arts are for everyone. You can find a million motivational quotes about how martial arts teach you so much, but there’s truth behind them – it’s more than just a way to get in great shape.

Author: Niall