There is no official total for how many combat sports are there: the answer depends on whether you count broad disciplines, individual styles, or separate rule sets. A useful short answer is that there are dozens of widely recognized sports, with many more regional arts and variations.
This guide explains how to count them without mixing unlike categories. You’ll see the main types, examples of well-known disciplines, why lists disagree, and how combat sports differ from martial arts, self-defense systems, and competition formats.
So, how many combat sports are there?
There is no single agreed-upon number. Organizations and reference lists define “combat sport” differently, and no global authority maintains a complete register of every discipline practiced worldwide. The count changes depending on what qualifies as a distinct sport.
If you count only major, established disciplines, you can name dozens. If you also count regional traditions, closely related styles, and distinct rule sets, the total becomes much larger. That makes a precise figure misleading unless the rules for counting are stated first.
For a practical overview, group combat sports by what athletes are allowed to do: strike, grapple, or combine both. Then list recognizable disciplines within those groups. This gives you a useful map without pretending that every style has a universally accepted place in a single numbered list.
Why different lists give different totals
Two lists can both be reasonable and still arrive at different totals. One may count a sport once, while another separates its styles or competition rules. The difference is often about classification rather than a disagreement over whether a practice exists.
Sport, style, and ruleset are not the same thing
A discipline is a broad competitive activity, such as boxing or judo. A style is a particular approach or tradition within a discipline. A ruleset is the written set of actions, scoring methods, and restrictions used in a contest.
These levels can overlap, but they are not interchangeable. If a list counts several styles of one discipline as separate sports, it will have a higher total than a list that groups them together. The same problem arises when one discipline has multiple formats with different permitted techniques.
For example, a ruleset may allow punches and kicks but prohibit takedowns, while another permits takedowns and ground control. Those formats can feel quite different to competitors, even if they share a historical connection or name. Whether they count as separate sports depends on the list’s method.
Traditional practice is not always a competitive sport
Some martial arts include forms, weapons practice, self-defense instruction, or cultural training. They may also have competitive events, but that does not mean every part of the tradition is a combat sport. A sport usually has agreed contest rules, a way to determine a winner, and organized competition.
That distinction matters because adding every fighting method or self-defense system to a sports count can blur the answer. A practice may teach fighting skills without being organized around sport competition. Conversely, a traditional art may have a modern competitive branch that clearly functions as a sport.
The main types of combat sports
The clearest way to understand the range is to sort sports by their main competitive actions. These groups are useful, not perfect: some sports combine skills or permit techniques that cross category lines.
| Type | What competitors do | Examples | Best way to think about it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Striking | Use permitted punches, kicks, or other strikes to score or win | Boxing, kickboxing, karate, taekwondo, Muay Thai | Stand-up contests with rules controlling legal targets and techniques |
| Grappling | Use throws, holds, pins, or submissions to control an opponent | Judo, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, sambo | Contests focused on position, control, and takedowns rather than striking |
| Mixed | Combine striking and grappling, often across standing and ground phases | Mixed martial arts, combat sambo | Rules allow more than one major fighting range |
| Weapon-based | Use approved training or competition weapons under defined rules | Fencing, kendo, some forms of sport wushu | Weapon contests with specialized equipment and safety rules |
Weapon-based events are sometimes included in broad combat-sport lists and left out of narrower lists focused on unarmed fighting. That is another reason totals vary. A careful list should say whether it includes armed competition.
Examples of widely practiced combat sports
The following examples show the variety within the broad category. They are not a complete global inventory, and a list like this should not be treated as an official count. Some disciplines have multiple formats, and local names or traditions may not fit neatly into one international category.
Striking sports
- Boxing: Competitors use punches under rules that define legal targets, rounds, scoring, and protective equipment.
- Kickboxing: A group of competitive formats that allow punches and kicks. The permitted techniques vary by ruleset.
- Muay Thai: A striking sport known for allowing punches, kicks, knees, and elbows within its competition rules.
- Karate: A broad martial arts family with different styles and competition formats. Some sport formats emphasize controlled scoring strikes.
- Taekwondo: A Korean martial art with a prominent competitive format that emphasizes kicking techniques.
- Sanda: A Chinese combat sport combining striking with throws and takedowns under its rules.
- Lethwei: A Burmese striking sport with its own competition customs and rules.
These examples show why “striking sport” does not mean every contest works the same way. Legal techniques, scoring, protective gear, and match structure can differ sharply.
Grappling sports
- Wrestling: A family of competitive styles centered on takedowns, positional control, and pins. Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling are prominent international forms.
- Judo: A Japanese sport focused on throws, pins, and permitted submission techniques.
- Brazilian jiu-jitsu: A grappling sport that emphasizes ground control and submissions, with different competition rules available.
- Submission grappling: A general label for contests that prioritize submission holds, often with rules that differ by event.
- Sambo: A combat sport developed in the Soviet Union, with sport and combat variations that use different rules.
- Sumo: A Japanese wrestling sport in which competitors try to force an opponent out of the ring or make them touch the ground with a body part other than the soles of the feet.
Grappling sports can look similar to a casual observer, but their scoring and legal techniques may be quite different. A pin may decide one contest, while another rewards a throw or a submission attempt.
Mixed and weapon-based sports
Mixed martial arts (MMA) combines striking and grappling within a defined ruleset. Competitors may use techniques from several backgrounds, but the contest is not simply an unrestricted fight. Rules limit actions, specify legal targets, and establish how officials manage safety and scoring.
Fencing is a weapon sport using specialized equipment and rules for foil, épée, and sabre. Kendo is a Japanese sport using bamboo swords and protective armor. Some styles of wushu also include weapon events. Whether these belong in a particular count depends on whether the writer includes weapon sports in the definition.
How to decide whether something counts as a combat sport
Use a consistent test instead of counting every named fighting style. These questions help separate a competitive sport from a broader martial art or training method:
- Is there a contest? Participants must compete against an opponent under a defined format, rather than only practice drills or demonstrations.
- Are the rules clear? The activity needs rules for legal actions, prohibited actions, scoring, and how a match ends.
- Can officials determine a result? A winner should be determined through a repeatable process, such as points, a pin, a submission, or a referee’s decision.
- Is the activity organized as a sport? Clubs, leagues, federations, or event organizers may establish consistent competition, though the level of organization varies.
- Are you counting a discipline or a format? Decide whether related styles and rulesets will be grouped or counted separately.
This test is a practical guide, not a universal legal definition. Some practices are in transition, with one branch organized for sport and another focused on cultural preservation, fitness, or self-defense.
Combat sports, martial arts, and self-defense: the difference
The terms overlap, but they describe different things. Combat sport refers to competition with rules. Martial art refers to a system or tradition that may include sport, forms, ethics, fitness, or cultural practices. Self-defense describes training intended to help someone respond to real-world threats.
One discipline can fit more than one description. Judo is a martial art and an Olympic sport. Boxing is a combat sport and a form of athletic training. A self-defense class may draw techniques from martial arts without operating as a competitive sport.
Competition rules also shape what athletes train. A move that scores in a ring or on a mat may be unsafe, impractical, or legally inappropriate outside that setting. Sport performance should not be treated as a complete measure of real-world self-defense ability.
Olympic combat sports are only a small subset
People sometimes use the Olympic program as a shortcut for counting combat sports. That gives a clear list for a particular Games program, but it does not represent all combat sports worldwide. The Olympic roster changes, and many established disciplines are not included.
For example, boxing, judo, wrestling, fencing, and taekwondo have appeared as Olympic sports. Karate appeared at the Tokyo 2020 Games, held in 2021, but was not included in the Paris 2024 program. Olympic status is therefore a useful distinction, not a definition of whether an activity is a combat sport.
There are also differences between an Olympic sport and a specific event or style within that sport. Counting every event as a separate sport would inflate the total. For a broad count, group events under their governing discipline unless the goal is specifically to count competition formats.
Common counting mistakes to avoid
- Counting every style as a separate sport: A discipline may contain many styles, but each style is not automatically a separate sport.
- Counting every ruleset as a new discipline: Different permitted techniques can create distinct formats without creating wholly separate sports.
- Assuming all martial arts are sports: Some are taught mainly as traditions, performance systems, or self-defense methods.
- Leaving out regional disciplines: A list focused only on globally televised events can overlook sports with strong local or national followings.
- Treating MMA as the name for all fighting: MMA is one sport with particular rules, not a catch-all label for every combat contest.
- Using “combat sport” and “Olympic sport” as synonyms: Many combat sports are not on the Olympic program.
A useful rule: state your counting method before giving a number. Say whether the count includes weapons, regional styles, separate wrestling formats, and distinct competition rulesets. Readers can then understand what the total means and compare it fairly with another list.
Choosing a combat sport to learn
If you are asking about the total because you want to start training, the best choice is not necessarily the most famous one. Think about the kind of practice you want, your comfort with contact, and the quality of instruction available nearby.
- For striking: Try a beginner class in boxing, kickboxing, karate, taekwondo, or Muay Thai. Ask how partners are matched and when sparring begins.
- For grappling: Look at judo, wrestling, or Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Expect close contact and learn how the school teaches safe falling, tapping, and partner control.
- For mixed skills: MMA training combines striking and grappling, but beginners can build those skills gradually. A sound program should not rush new students into hard sparring.
- For weapons: Fencing and kendo use specialized equipment and structured instruction. Ask what protective gear is supplied and how beginners learn safe handling.
Visit a class before paying for a long membership. Look for clear coaching, clean equipment, beginner-friendly instruction, and a respectful approach to safety. The style matters, but the quality of the school and how comfortably you can train matter too.
One detail beginners often miss: a sport’s competition rules shape the skills taught, but a class may also include conditioning, drills, or noncompetitive practice. Ask the coach what a typical beginner session involves rather than assuming every class looks like a match.
There is no fixed worldwide total for how many combat sports are there. Dozens of established disciplines are easy to identify, but the count grows or shrinks depending on whether you include styles, rule sets, regional traditions, and weapon sports.
For a useful count, group sports by their main actions and state what you are counting. If you want to train, visit a beginner class, ask about safety and sparring, and choose a discipline and school that fit your goals.