WTF: Silat championships and a Dambe knockout that is out of this world

So we begin as usual with our buddy Jerry over at Fight Commentary Breakdowns. And once again, we’re seeing more traditional styles clashing with…

By: Victor Rodriguez | 9 months ago
WTF: Silat championships and a Dambe knockout that is out of this world
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

So we begin as usual with our buddy Jerry over at Fight Commentary Breakdowns. And once again, we’re seeing more traditional styles clashing with modern amalgamations of fighting forms or at least being updated and adapted to suit modern conditions.

This time, it’s a particular Kung Fu style that’s reliant on forward movement. Yes, it looks pretty dope.

It’s well-implemented here. Personally, I’m curious as to how much more of this we get to see, as well as a better understanding of the origins and evolution of it. Good stuff.


From there, it’s off to the majestic continent of Africa. African Warriors Fighting Championship.

It’s like when you think you’ve seen the most intense knockouts, something like this happens. Man got ultra combo’d at the end and dropped hard.

And here’s another duel that’s straight fire with both guys going for it. Problem with engaging in a shootout like this is that you’re liable to catch a stray the second you get careless. And that’s precisely what happens.


Up next, we’ve got a fight from the Lethwei x Unbeatable crew over in Japan. This bout isn’t exactly under strict Lethwei rules, since the participants are wearing gloves and there isn’t any hurry for headbutts. It’s not pretty, but the ending is rough.


After that, we’ve arrived at the grappling portion of the festivities. Malakhro is something we’ve featured before, and these guys get into a dizzying display of attempts to topple each other. Even the stalemates get intense here, with participants flinging each other around in ways that look kind of fun until you realize they’re really trying to slam each other silly.


We’ve also got Silat on offer this week, featuring this championship bout from earlier this month in Malaysia (courtesy of Silat Fan TV on YouTube). This one’s actually a bit more exciting than some other bouts you might find out there, and it’s fairly unpredictable and fun to watch.


Finally, we’ll leave you with some examples of what not to do. First, a novel defense for rear naked chokes. Let me know if you spot where the flaw may be with it. I certainly can’t see any faults here.

But! There’s also weapon defense! One of my most guiltiest of guilty pleasures! Check out how this goes and sound off in the comments if this has ever happened to you.

That’s it for this week, so remember to find joy in even the simplest things out there. And remember – you might think you can fight, but there are many guys like you all over the world.

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About the author
Victor Rodriguez
Victor Rodriguez

Victor Rodriguez has been a writer and podcaster for Bloody Elbow since 2015. He started his way as a lowly commenter and moderator to become the miscreant he is now. He often does weekly bits on fringe martial arts items across the globe, oddball street combat pieces, previews, analysis, and some behind-the-scenes support. He has trained in wrestling, Karate, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and the occasional Muay Thai and Judo lesson here and there. Victor has also been involved with acting and audio editing projects. He lives in Pennsylvania where he plays way too many video games and is an S-rank dad.

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