Sambo is a self defense and combat technique that was developed in Russia.  The literal meaning is "SAMozashchita Bez Oruzhiya" or "Self-defense without weapons".   It was develped as a hand-to-hand combat method for police and military.  There are two forms: Sport Sambo which involves throws, takedowns, ground and submission fighting and Combat Sambo which incorporates realistic and efficient techniques including striking, throws, takedowns, submissions, chokes, weapon removal and defence against multiple attackers.  Fedor Emelianenko, one of the most dominant Heavyweight fighters in MMA, is a Sambo fighter.

In the spirit of full honesty, I relied heavily on the followng websites for my information: The American Sambo Association and Ultimate Sambo.