Most people don't know how it feels to be kicked in the face. They don't know the sharp pain of a knee to the tummy or an elbow across the chin. Most have never experienced the primal fear of suffocation, the neck entwined by the thighs and ankles of a jiu-jitsu master, constricting like a boa. And yet, from almost complete disrepute just a few years ago, mixed martial art (MMA) has emerged to become perhaps the fastest growing spectator sport in China. Still in its infancy, the Art Of War Championship was launched in 2005, with the 8th competition to be held this month. Held every two months, it is China's first professional fighting championship, and is attracting a new breed of fighter.

One of those is Jiang Longyun, who left a business career to join China's fledgling MMA circuit, some ten years since he'd last been in the ring.

"This is a fair street fight," Jiang said of MMA. "When I was a kid, we had street fights, but this reminds me of a street fight that's fair." Jiang, of Heilongjiang Province, begins his daily training routine on the running track at the Beijing Olympic center. He started free combat (sometimes known as Sanda or Chinese Kickboxing) and wrestling aged 19, and the following year entered the Heilongjiang Free Combat League as an athlete, sweeping several boxing titles for the province. At 28, he hung up his boots and launched a trade venture. A trip to South Korea two years ago saw him switch direction.

"I traveled there with my trade partner and watched an MMA competition. The match inspired me to return to the ring," Jiang said excitedly. He searched online, wondering whether it had caught on in China, and found the Art of War. Jiang came to the capital and joined Beijing Jiu-Jitsu Academy, run by a Chinese-American man, in pursue of his fighting dream, and is now in training for the upcoming Art of War match. "I've been a friend of the free combat industry for almost 20 years and I've been to nearly 100 matches. This is better than I thought it would be."

"My family and friends are all against me because of my age. But I insisted to seize the last chance to realize my dream."

Two months ago he beat Japan's Maeshiro Noritaka in 10 seconds, making a nice debut on the Art Of War Championship.

Jiang earned 9,000 yuan ($1,200) for two matches this year. But he said taking part in the game mattered much more than prize money.

Five other professional MMA competitors belong to the Jiu-Jitsu Academy, most from Mongolia. Ao Hailin, 27, is a veteran of the MMA Championship. He swept the title of Middleweight under 84 kg in the 7th Universal Reality Combat Challenge (UCRR) in the Philippines in 2005. His fellows call him "golden lion", because he dyes his hair yellow before taking to the ring. "It is my lucky color," he said confidently.

Mixed martial art is a combat sport in which a wide variety of fighting techniques are used, including striking and grappling. Well-known MMA organizations include the Ultimate Fighting Championship and PRIDE Fighting Championships. There are more conventional rules, like no biting, no head butting, no hair pulling, no eye gouging and no attacks to the groin or throat. Then there are the more exotic restrictions, like no "fish hooking" (putting fingers in an opponent's mouth and ripping at the cheek from inside) and no "small-joint manipulation" (yanking, bending or breaking an opponent's finger or toe).

China's Art of War Championship divides each match into two bouts, 10 minutes for the first and 5 minutes for the second. Most of the fighters are aged between 20 and 25. The Eighth Art Of War Championship will be held on September 22 in Daxing District. Hotline: 010-51295028