After a brief hiatus last week, we’re back with more battles from the fringes of conventional combat sports. Lots of meat on the bone here, and we’re going to carve into it right away.
Jerry, the bossman over at Fight Commentary Breakdowns delivers big this week. First we’re treated to a few Kung Fu practitioners taking on boxing coaches but restricted to a boxing environment.
The first guy actually throws a few elbows up close, which is a no-no. He then ends exhausted on the floor. His technique is clearly not that good, but he gave it the old college try. The second bout is way more confusing, because one guy tries to sort of knock on the other’s head as if it were a door. There’s kicks and it doesn’t end that well, it kind of borders on bullying to a degree. The third guy kind of holds his own, but clearly out of his element.
The last bout is the worst, though.
It’s just two old guys that look like they’ve never been in a real fight or trained for true close-quarters combat. It’s embarrassing to just watch. Clearly, the level of training here is wholly unsuited for being in a ring from either guy. I suppose this levels the playing field in a way, seeing as one of them is supposed to be a boxer, but it’s so bad, I can’t honestly tell who unless you told me. Just utter dreck.
After that, a comparison video in which various self-defense techniques that look absolutely dreadful are put to the test. There’s a twist, though. Jerry and his co-host/demo partner also illustrate that natural reactions might perhaps be even more effective than the junk that’s getting shared online.
For example, the very first escape technique. Let’s ignore for a moment that it’s an highly unusual situation for someone to be held by their wrists from behind like this, but doing a tricep extension isn’t gonna cut it in that situation. Instead, Jerry and Madeleine (who is not a trained martial artist) go with stuff that actually seems much more sensible, like a Ling Xiaoyu step kick to the nuts.
Yeah, it’s actually more impressive than it sounds. And Jerry makes a very, very important observation regarding how these videos are assembled, setting up unrealistic expectations for the viewer. Are some of the proposed solutions silly? Sorta, but not worse than what they’re troubleshooting to begin with. Some of it is just poorly choreographed and unrealistic shenanigans.
Dambe Warriors is back with some rough action, including this bout in which a lot of punishment gets dished out. Spoiler alert: no massive ending here, just grit and determination:
This other match has some drama with pauses and gets pretty wild around the two-minute mark, but unfortunately ends with an injury:
But we’ve also got African Warriors Fighting Championship doing amazing work with their production (seriously, that intro…). Check out this bonkers bout with a devastating ending. The winner tries to offer his opponent some praise after the fight, and the guy can’t even stay upright.
This next one starts off with some feints and reads but turns into a real firefight by the end:
Germany’s Defend FC shared a nice bout that isn’t the most high-level MMA, but certainly shows a higher baseline for talent than some fully established organizations sometimes. That aspect alone makes them worth the watch.
STRELKA is also back, with the confusingly titled MMA FIGHTER vs DAGESTAN FIGHTER. Like, either guy could be both, what are we doing here? It’s two guys being reckless as all hell. Here you go:
Not pretty, but it’s kind of like a movie that isn’t great but you’re invested for some reason to the point where you just have to see how it ends. We’ve all been there.
Finally, check out the finals of the Sambo World Championships in Uzbekistan:
Throw out your Thanksgiving leftovers already, they can’t be good for you at this point.
And remember – you might think you can fight, but there are many guys like you all over the world.
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