Whether you're somebody that participates or somebody that just watches at home, in order to properly understand what's happening in the fight you must be somewhat familiar with some techniques and language within the sport. Below is a list of some common MMA terminology and language.
Americana: arm lock submission in which an opponent's arm is pinned to the mat, bent at the elbow, palm facing upward, hyperextending the shoulder. Also known as a keylock. Note capitalization.
anaconda choke: arm triangle choke hold applied from front headlock position, facing the opponent, with the opponent's arm trapped and rendered defenseless.
ankle lock: joint lock submission that applies pressure to the ankle, Achilles and calf muscle.
armbar: joint lock submission that hyperextends the opponent's elbow after trapping an extended arm between your knees.
arm triangle choke: submission hold in which a fighter, generally in side control, wraps a forearm around the far side of the neck to elicit a tapout.
ax kick: strike in which a standing fighter extends a leg upward and brings it straight down on an opponent, like the motion one would use with an ax.
back control: grappling position in which a fighter is controlling an opponent from behind, usually with "hooks in" -- that is, legs wrapped around the opponent's legs to restrict movement.
body triangle: grappling maneuver in which a fighter wraps legs around an opponent's torso, securing the lock with an ankle, to impede the opponent's movement and in some cases restrict breathing.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu: submission grappling system brought to Brazil from Japan in the early 1900s, based on judo ground fighting.
butterfly guard: when a fighter on bottom in a grappling situation positions feet against the inside of the opponent's thighs to exert distance control.
choke: any submission hold that impedes blood flow in the opponent's neck arteries.
clinch: standing position with fighters facing each other, arms locking their upper bodies together.
closed guard: grappling position in which a fighter on bottom wraps both legs around the opponent and locks ankles to control movement.
collar tie: grappling maneuver in which a fighter grabs hold of an opponent by the back of the neck to control mobility.
cross: straight power punch thrown by a fighter's dominant arm.
crucifix: grappling position in which the top fighter lies perpendicular to an opponent, immobilizing one arm with his own arm and the other with his legs, allowing for unimpeded ground strikes.
D'Arce choke: submission hold locked in from front headlock position, similar to the anaconda choke; named after Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Joe D'Arce.
dirty boxing: clinch fighting in standup that utilizes short punches, elbows and knees to the legs and body.
double-leg takedown: wrestling maneuver in which a fighter grabs an opponent by both legs while driving forward to get the fight to the canvas.
full guard: grappling position in which a fighter on his back wraps his legs around an opponent situated on top of him, which restricts the opponent's movement and minimizes the amount of damage that can be inflicted. Full guard also can become the first step toward a submission from on bottom.
full mount: grappling position in which the top fighter in ground fighting has passed the opponent's legs (guard) and is in full control of the torso. When the fighter on top is situated on the opponent's chest, it is called high mount; when the top fighter is on the opponent's abdomen or thighs, it is low mount.
guard: grappling position in which the fighter on bottom wraps legs around an opponent to impede maneuverability in attack.
guard pass: grappling maneuver in which the top fighter moves from full guard into a more dominant position, such as half guard (good), side control (better) or full mount (best).
guillotine choke: submission technique applied from in front of and facing an opponent, in which a fighter wraps his arms under the neck.
half guard: grappling position in which the fighter on bottom is partially in control of the opponent's body, with one of the opponent's legs trapped between the fighter's own legs, or guard.
headlock: wrestling move in which a fighter controls an opponent by securing an arm tightly around the opponent's head and squeezes.
heel hook: joint lock in ground fighting, in which a fighter wraps both legs around an opponent's leg, immobilizes the opponent's foot in the armpit and twists, to create torque on the ankle.
hip toss: wrestling move in which a fighter uses the hip as a fulcrum to throw an opponent to the mat.
hooks: grappling term for a fighter legs when each is wrapped around one of an opponent's upper legs to prevent the opponent from using legs to escape or gain better position.
jab: straight punch thrown with the lead fist.
judo: grappling-focused martial art that relies on throws and takedowns to immobilize an opponent and set up a joint lock or choke submission. A practitioner is known as a judoka.
karate: striking-focused martial art that relies upon punches, kicks and strikes by a knee or elbow.
kickboxing: fighting discipline utilizing kicks and knees as well as punches.
Kimura: armlock named after Japanese judoka Masahiko Kimura, who used the maneuver to defeat Brazilian jiu-jitsu pioneer Helio Gracie in a seminal mixed martial arts bout in 1951.
kneebar: leglock submission in which a fighter traps an opponent's leg between his or her own legs and applies pressure with the hips to force the opponent's leg to straighten and hyperextend the knee.
muay Thai: martial art from Thailand that utilizes standup strikes (punches, elbows, kicks, knees), some delivered from in a clinch.
mount: dominant grappling position in which a fighter controls an opponent by sitting on his torso while facing toward the opponent's head. See "full mount."
no contest: fight result when a bout ends with no winner or loser and is not scored a draw. Usually the result of an accidental foul rendering one of the fighters unable to continue.
north-south position: grappling position in which a fighter is lying prone on top of an opponent in an inverted position, with head over the chest of the opponent.
omoplata: shoulder lock submission similar to a Kimura, except the fighter uses a leg to apply the lock rather than a figure-four of arms.
open guard: full guard grappling position in which the fighter's legs are not wrapped around the opponent's back, allowing the opponent mobility on top but also allowing the fighter on bottom to set up a submission.
over-under position: wrestling position in which each fighter has an underhook on one side.
overhook: wrestling maneuver in which a fighter controls an opponent by wrapping an arm over an opponent's arm while in a clinch, securing either the arm or torso. Also known as a "whizzer."
Peruvian necktie: choke hold in which a fighter uses arms and legs, as well as the opponent's own arm and positioning, to apply pressure to the neck.
question mark kick: kick aimed initially at the body that, in mid-movement, changes direction and targets the head.
rear naked choke: submission move in which a fighter immobilizes an opponent from the back and wraps arms around the neck to elicit a tapout. Abbreviated as "RNC."
rubber guard: grappling position in which a fighter on bottom, maintaining full guard, positions one foot against the opponent's hip and hooks the other leg behind the opponent's neck, to control posture and potentially set up a submission. See "mission control."
sambo: martial art developed in Soviet Russia in the 1900s. Sport sambo is similar to wrestling and judo, involving grappling and some submissions, while combat sambo is more similar to MMA, with striking involved.
shrimping: grappling maneuver in which a fighter uses hip movement to either escape from underneath an opponent or create distance and better positioning.
side control/side mount: dominant grappling position in which a fighter lies perpendicular to a face-up opponent, controlling the torso without the opponent having any control with the legs, as would be the case in guard position.
single-leg takedown: offensive move in wrestling that sounds just like it is -- a fighter gets an opponent down by "shooting for" and grabbing a leg to put the other fighter off balance.
sprawl: defensive wrestling technique in which a fighter quickly moves his legs backward and out of the way of an opponent shooting for a takedown, while landing his torso on the opponent's back to foil his attack.
submission: fight result when a fighter cannot escape a choke or joint lock and either taps out or verbally submits.
superman punch: striking technique in which a fighter brings the rear leg forward in a kicking motion, then snaps it back while throwing a punch, generating power.
suplex: wrestling throw used in a clinch, involving lifting the opponent and bridging backward in order to slam the opponent to the mat.
sweep: grappling maneuver in which a fighter on bottom changes the positioning in order to end up on top.
taekwondo: Korean martial art that emphasizes head kicks, sometimes incorporated into a fighter's standup repertoire.
technical knockout (TKO): fight result in which the referee ends the contest, in the belief that a fighter being struck can no longer put up intelligent defense.
teep: straight kick to the legs or body, similar to a jab. Technique derived from muay Thai kickboxing discipline. See "push kick."
triangle choke: submission maneuver in which a fighter chokes an opponent by wrapping legs around the opponent's neck and one arm in a figure-four alignment in the shape of a triangle.
turtle position: grappling position in which a fighter covers up on the mat in order to avoid as much damage as possible. When one turtles up, the end is near, as the referee will jump in if the fighter is putting up no defense.
twister: spinal crank submission in which a fighter forces an opponent's body to bend sideways while cranking the neck, causing stress to the cervical spine.
underhooks: wrestling maneuver in which a fighter gains control by hooking arms under the arms of an opponent.
unified rules: set of MMA rules utilized in whole or in part by most of the leading state athletic commissions and fight jurisdictions.
weight class: The UFC has 12 divisions, eight for men and four for women. Men: heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and flyweight. Women: featherweight, bantamweight, flyweight and strawweight.
wheel kick: a spinning kick in which a fighter pivots on the front foot and swings the back foot in a circular motion toward an opponent.
whizzer: wrestling maneuver utilizing leverage from hooking over an opponent's arm to avoid a takedown. See "overhook."