Fencing vs Mixed martial arts
Fencing and Mixed martial arts side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.
| Fencing | Mixed martial arts | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | combat sport and Olympic sport | combat sport |
| Competition at the Olympics | Yes – 108 Olympic events recorded | — |
| Notable practitioners here | 3202 | 2071 |
| Top countries of practitioners | France, Italy and United States | United States, Brazil and Japan |
| Equipment and weapons | foil, épée and saber | glove, mouthguard, breeches and helmet |
| Weight classes | — | Yes |
| Energy use (MET) | 6.0 MET (Fencing, general) | — |
Fencing
Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: foil, épée, and sabre (also spelled saber), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fencers specialise in one of these disciplines. The modern sport gained prominence near the end of the 19th century, evolving from historical European swordsmanship. The Italian school altered the historical European martial art of classical fencing, and the French school later refined that system. Scoring points in a fencing competition is done by making contact with the opponent with one's sword.
From the Wikipedia article Fencing (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact combat sport based on striking and grappling, incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world.
From the Wikipedia article Mixed martial arts (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Facts from Wikidata (CC0): Q12100, Q114466. Practitioner counts are the people with a profile on this site. Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.