Shootfighting
Shootfighting is a Martial Art and Combat Sport that includes techniques from many different Martial Arts. Shootfighting was a (Mixed Martial Art), before that term had ever been used.
Shootfighting originated way back in the 1970s, when Karl Gotch, a Professional Wrestler taught some Japanese Professional Wrestlers Catch Wrestling techniques. This was called shooting (shooting in for a Takedown), and later Shoot meaning real fighting as opposed to worked or scripted Wrestling. This laid the foundation for Shoot Wrestling.
In 1976 one of these Wrestlers, Antonio Inoki hosted a series of Mixed Martial Arts matches. Inoki would go on to fight in several of these matches including a match, wouldn't call it a fight, with Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammed Ali. Inoki stayed on his back throughout this event and Kicked Ali in the legs. Ali landed a total of six punches to Inoki, and it was called a draw.
Even after this spectacle, Mixed Fights led to an interest in real fighting, and from this interest, Shoot Wrestling was born. And some Shoot Wrestling organizations began putting on legitimate Mixed Martial Arts fights, called Shoots. In the 1990s as interest grew in these Mixed Fights, organizations such as Pancrase turned into pure "Shoot" organizations. And the term "Shootfighting" was used to describe these events.
The term Shootfighting is not used very much anymore since it became a registered trademark of Bart Vale. Bart Vale is an American Wrestler who Wrestled in Japan, (and was the Champion for almost three years) in a Shoot-type Wrestling organization. Bart Vale coined the phrase "Shootfighting" and uses it to describe his Mixed Martial Arts Fighting System that was developed from techniques out of Shoot Wrestling, Karate, and Kickboxing.