They're mixing it up

All this without chipping a French-manicured nail (or one of her similarly polished toenails, for that matter).

“I’m still a girl at the end of the day,’’ said Kim Gonsalves, 43, of Lynn, with a shrug and a laugh.

It’s not just for stereotypical tough guys: The lean, agile Gonsalves exemplifies the assortment of warriors and brawlers attracted to mixed martial arts, or MMA, a controversial sport that is now ferociously expanding locally and across the globe.

All told, the versatile discipline - a melding of wrestling, jujitsu, judo, Thailand’s Muay Thai, and many others - draws students to about 50 schools in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, estimated Rick Caldwell of Lowell, who runs a local website for the sport, www.northeastmma.net. It’s on the cusp of being sanctioned in Massachusetts, which would ultimately draw in high-profile fights and furnish the state with a percentage of revenues.

“It’s so popular, because, quite frankly, it’s the most exciting sport in the world,’’ Caldwell contended. There are lots of fights to watch and, simply put, it provides the intense action people want. “It’s easy to be a fan.’’

Last weekend, dozens of fighters - from teenagers to muscled giants to graying baby boomers - crammed the mats at Somerville’s Brazilian Martial Arts Center to sharpen their battle tactics with the one they call the “Ax Murderer,’’ top fighter Wanderlei Silva.

The grizzled battler acquired his not-so-cuddly nickname from his full-on, savage fighting style with several outfits, most recently the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In his home country of Brazil, he has an equally threatening alias: “Cachorro Louco,’’ or “Crazy Dog.’’

But despite the intimidating nom-de-punch, the muscled, near-fat-free, cauliflower-eared Silva, 33, was soft-spoken, even genial, as he led the class through a series of rigorous, relentless drills.

Huddled in a small, sweaty, second-floor walk-up - with a bouncer verifying names at the door - Silva served as taskmaster in an intense warm-up of high knees, squats, crunches, push-ups, and jumping jacks.

Then, on to the warfare: Stand-up grappling, alternating knee strikes to the ribs and inner and outer thighs, waist-high kicks, and full-on combinations - squat; jab; cross; lunge and lift opponent from the waist.

Each exercise was done at half-power, or less, as emphasized by Silva. “Please, no hurt, no hurt, just touch,’’ he urged with a Portuguese accent.

As they repetitively practiced the maneuvers, Silva wove among them, occasionally pausing to realign jabs or hooks or nod in approval. Cursive tattooed script was scrawled across his outer forearms; a tribal tattoo clutched the back of his skull, just barely visible beneath the fuzzy outgrowth on his otherwise bald head.

All around, the fighters let out exhalations and hisses on impact: “cheh!’’ “heh!’’ “shhhh!’’ Under their combined weight, the gray-and-red-matted floor rumbled. Despite the air conditioning, the swirl of exertion and humidity steamed up the floor-to-ceiling mirrors.

But forget how it looks - it’s not barbaric, fighters stressed. Only one death has been reported as a result of a sanctioned fight in the United States. Sam Vasquez, 35, took a blow to the chin in an Oct. 20, 2007, fight in his Houston hometown and slipped into a coma for 42 days until he died.

“It gets a bad rap as violent,’’ explained Gonsalves, who has practiced MMA for two years, moving on to it after weight training and karate. “But it’s a good, solid, self-defense sport.’’

As well as a game of strategy. “Man, there is so much going on, it’s like chess,’’ noted James Walsh, 36, of Boston, sweaty and red-faced during a break. “The skill [required] is unbelievable.’’

At 6 feet 4 inches, Walsh was, quite literally, head and shoulders above everyone else in the humid training room. But the longtime MMA devotee, who’s been in one professional bout, asserted that egos, gruff attitudes - and, in his case, imposing size - don’t equal success. “It’s more about trying out the technique you just learned, rather than being the tough guy.’’

Part of the game is neutralizing opponents’ attacks. Grappling can subdue adversaries on the mat “without injuring them,’’ noted Bond Hsu of Somerville. “Conflicts are inevitable,’’ added the 34-year-old teacher, a student of MMA for four years. “It’s best to defend yourself, to be prepared.’’

Mixed martial arts isn’t just about those few minutes in “the octagon’’ - or the ring - as Silva stressed.

It’s a lifestyle: Fighters must eat well and get proper sleep, train their bodies, and learn to carry themselves with confidence, he explained through translator Mayk Sousa of Malden. Silva emigrated from Brazil two years ago and now lives in Las Vegas; he does seminars internationally, and his next fight is tentatively scheduled for February, he said.

Despite his devotion to MMA, Silva had a much broader suggestion for all: that everyone pursue a sport or exercise. “Get out there,’’ he said through Sousa, “Get active.’’

Contact Taryn Plumb at tarynplumb1@gmail.com.