I, like many MMA aficionados have often wondered, why we don’t see any of the 5 animal fighting styles, we see in Kung Fu action movies, in UFC fights and how legendary action heroes such as Bruce Lee would have fared in the octagon.
Many Kung Fu moves are illegal in MMA rules and many are simply too complex to execute against a non-compliant opponent. Furthermore, Kung Fu does not seem to offer much in the way of clinching/grappling and ground wrestling.
Think of Kung Fu as a multi volume Encyclopedia Britannica and MMA as only one of the volumes, including some sub topics outside the Encyclopedia. Kung Fu is an umbrella term, encompassing all Chinese martial art forms and several hundred fighting styles, that have developed over the centuries in Greater China.
Kung Fu Was Not Developed To “Win In A Ring”
Kung Fu originated from the need for self-defense, hunting techniques and military training in ancient China. Hand-to-hand combat and weapons practice, were important, in training Chinese soldiers to survive on ancient Chinese battle fields. Unlike in an octagon, you would not wish to spend any time in grappling an opponent on the ground, surrounded by many enemies with swords and spears.
On a battle field, surrounded by enemies, you do not want encounters to last longer than seconds, strikes, armed and unarmed must preferably kill and you must continuously be striking or evading the next opponent.
Much Kung Fu Is Not About Fighting
Many Kung Fu practices were developed by Shaolin Monks to condition and strengthen their bodies and minds and so in this respect Kung Fu is more of a complex life style, steeped in ancient Chinese Philosophy, medicine and meditation techniques.
Much Kung Fu Is Devoted To Theatrical Display.
I once saw a stage play in China, incorporating choreographed Kung Fu, in the way Western Opera may incorporate Ballet. Movements are not always identical to how techniques would be applied in combat.
Many forms have been elaborated upon on, to look more aesthetically pleasing. One manifestation of this tendency toward elaboration beyond combat application is the use of lower stances and higher, stretching kicks. These two maneuvers are unrealistic in combat and are used in forms for exercise purposes.
Many modern schools have replaced practical defense or offense movements with acrobatic feats that are more spectacular to watch, thereby gaining favor during exhibitions and competitions.
You Perform, The Way You Are Trained
Because Kung Fu is so multifaceted much of the training is devoted to perfecting complex sequential forms, by kicking and punching into air. Rarely does it involve real combat stress, for which you can only be prepared, by continuously sparring with non-cooperative opponents who are actively trying to win.
One can see many videos uploaded on YouTube of fights between so called Kung Fu ‘masters’ and MMA trained fighters, where the masters of form are knocked out in the first round by the more spar ready.
Notice that Kung Fu masters who do win, drastically limit the Kung Fu repertoire to such an extent that their fighting form more closely resembled MMA styles.
The first UFCs were open to all. They were very much about putting style vs. style. So, they had karate, Taekwondo, kung-fu, wing-chun, judo, wrestling, etc. But after a brief number of UFC’s, a pattern emerged: Grapplers generally “owned” the strikers, who were mostly traditionalists and “purists” with no knowledge of grappling whatsoever.
It was embarrassing for the traditionalists. Brazilian Jiujitsu emerged from obscurity to become the most well-known and well-respected styles that prepared people for MMA fights. Karate, kung-fu, and other traditional arts were starting to be seen as inferior
Remember Jason Delucia from the early UFC’s? He started out as a 5 Animals kung-fu stylist. He accepted the “Gracie Challenge” to come and fight the Gracies at their school. He lost, by being taken to the ground very early.
He trained at the Lion’s Den to sharpen his MMA skills and it was the stuff he learned there that he used in his following UFC fights, even though he was billed as a “kung-fu fighter”. By then, he had completely discarded kung-fu.
You Always Need A New Trick To Stay Ahead
Think of MMA combat as Darwinian evolution, where after many repeated bouts between many competing styles, you start seeing fewer and fewer styles returning to the octagon until most fights incorporate only a few of the ‘fittest’ surviving styles. Currently these are Kickboxing, Muay Thai and Brazilian Jujitsu.
However, if too many fighters know these tricks and too many of the moves become predictable, they may lose their effectiveness against well-rehearsed fighters.
Good fighters should never stick to the expected and predictable. According to Bruce Lee, the perfect style is ‘no style’, implying that rigidly sticking to one pure style makes you predictable and hence a less perfect fighter.
What’s there to prevent fighters from digging into the deep well of Kung Fu and mixing up their jab-punch moves with less expected, yet legal, Kung Fu, side hammer fist punches?
Kung Fu Which Is Adapted For Ring Fighting
Sǎnshǒu (Sanda), also known as Chinese boxing, is the official Chinese full contact combat sport. It is a fighting system which was originally developed by the Chinese military, based upon the study and practices of traditional kung fu and modern combat fighting techniques.
It combines full-contact kickboxing, which includes close range and rapid successive punches and kicks, with wrestling, takedowns, throws, sweeps, kick catches, and in some competitions, even elbow and knee strikes.
Bouts were commonly held between soldiers to test and practice barehanded martial skills, ability and techniques. Rules were developed and the use of protective gloves etc. was adopted.
It was originally used by the Kuomintang at the first modern military academy in Whampoa in the 1920s. Later it was also adopted as a method by the People’s Liberation Army of China.
Notable MMA Fighters With A Sǎnshǒu Background
- Muslim Salikhov (born June 9, 1984), is a Russian mixed martial artist and Sanda fighter who currently competes in welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A multiple time Wushu Sanda world champion, Salikhov occupies a place alongside Hossein Ojaghi as one of only two non-Chinese athletes to have won the Wushu Sanda King’s Cup.
- Eduard Folayang (born November 22, 1984) is a Filipino mixed martial artist and wushu practitioner who fights in ONE Championship, where he is a two-time ONE Lightweight Champion. He also competed for Universal Reality Combat Championship, where he was the last welterweight champion.
- Bazigit Atavovich Atajev. (born 3 December 1979) is a Russian mixed martial artist and Sanshou kickboxer, who currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional since 2000, he has competed in RINGS and PRIDE Fighting Championships. He is known for a fierce spinning heel kick and Sambo style grappling.
- Zhang Weili (born August 13, 1989) is a Chinese mixed martial artist. She started training in martial arts at a young age, beginning at 6 with Shaolin Kung Fu under the tutelage of a local master, after she was inspired by Kung Fu films. She is the former Kunlun Fight (KLF) strawweight champion and competes in the strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is a former UFC Women’s Strawweight World Champion. She is the first ever Chinese and East Asian champion in UFC history.
Conclusion
Although there are no Kung Fu purists in the UFC, all MMA stand up fighting techniques may be found in Kung Fu fighting. With fighters continuously on the look out for new tricks to give them an edge and some MMA champions already having a modified Kung Fu background (Sǎnshǒu), Kung Fu has already sneaked back into the octagon through the backdoor.
