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Hey there, kids. It’s that time of the week again, where we look at the good, the bad, and the absolute weird from the world of martial arts. Of course, that means fringe content as well, and this week brings us more of fun items to peruse.
But we have to start with another item that is just a heavy serving of silly. No sides needed, just a big, delectable mess of delusion and unintentional comedy. We’ve had a solid run in the past few weeks finding weird Kung Fu stuff, and this one is just textbook stuff. And before we dive into that, a friendly request that you please subscribe to our Substack for more bonus content and be part of the cool kids club.
Decades of Kung Fu vs eight months of boxing?
Look, I gotta be frank with all of you: this stuff just doesn’t get old to me. It should, if you think about it for a while. Truth is, some of these cats are just operating on a different plane of reality. So what we see is people that have been in a bubble for decades only to test their skills against combat styles that have actual practical value.
I’ve said this many times, arts like Kung Fu are beautiful. They should continue to be taught and celebrated forever. They exist as art and should keep flourishing. Let’s just not lie to ourselves about how well some styles do against what is proven to be more effective.
Now that we’ve set the table, it’s time to feast. And what a succulent turkey we’ve got. It’s courtesy of our pal Jerry over at Fight Commentary Breakdowns, and is quite the familiar tale. A man with ~30 years of Kung Fu experience takes on a guy that’s only been boxing for about eight months. And you know it’s gonna be sensational by just looking at the thumbnail. You’ll notice that you’re going to get that raw uncut by virtue of Mr Kung Fu having no gloves on against a boxer. It’s gonna be swell.
We gotta give Mr Kung Fu some grace here, as he’s a bit undersized and doesn’t have the benefit of youth. Ah, youth. Divine treasure. It doesn’t reward patience, and the boxer here doesn’t give the older guy a feeling out process.
After some initial hand-shuffling from the older guy, the boxer pumps some feints and Kung Fu guy tries an artful parry. The boxer lets him know what he thinks of that display and nails him with a right hand right in the face. But before that, peep the stance. Hands together like that Birdman meme:
Mr Kung Fu flails like a cartoon robot that had water poured on it and melts to the ground. But you always have to be ready, even if your opponent is giving you a break to compose yourself. Check the stance. Drama.
They reset, and as the young whippersnapper closes in, Mr Kung Fu has a realization. He’s got a lot of life ahead of him. He has a lot more love to experience and joy to bring to the world. He’s played Mario 1, 2, 3, and couldn’t bear The Lost Levels. I mean, we can all relate, right? He puts a single hand up and calls it off.
My man decided he had many more songs to sing and maybe it was time to put on some pants an actual adult would wear. Grand opening, grand closing. Won’t be doing that again anytime soon. Be well, Kung Fu wanderer.
Another round of Dambe carnage
Nigeria keeps pumping out Dambe events nonstop, and this week we’ve got a lovely little set of highlights from African Warriors Fighting Championship. It’s all finishes here, but you get a bit of setup as well. There’s some true jaw-droppers (and jaw-breakers) in this batch.
Sambo action is back, get hyped
The crew over at SAMBOFIAS assembled another collection of highlights with amazing throws and techniques. All of this is just lovely, as it includes both sport and combat SAMBO action.
Fencing? Sure!
While we focus primarily on unarmed combat, fencing has been praised by martial artists of other disciplines. The footwork, the timing, the explosiveness, there’s a lot to love. See that Dambe video up above? Similar principles apply. Misdirection and movement are essential, and it makes for lovely drama. So this is as good a moment as any to showcase French fencer Enzo Lefort in this amazing highlight vid.
We’ve got Silat, too!
Indonesian martial art Pencak Silat is something we’ve visited in the past, and we’ve got a cool little bit of sparring and competition footage here. It’s mostly juniors, but they’re not slacking on the technique front. The action kicks off early, too. Peep the gorgeous changeup that happens at the 1:14 mark.
The kids are alright, man.
Muay Thai Mayhem!
Yokkao’s official YouTube channel is a goldmine. They’ve got a wild vid with a handful of Muay Thai finishes including a body KO that is just tragic.
Nak Muay Pro is also delivering, giving us another collection of absolutely vicious hits.
And since we’re in such a giving mood this week, here’s a highlight vid of the absolute treasure that is Superbon. If you’re not acquainted with him and his reputation, Uncle Victor’s got some great news for you.
Sumo is fun, kids
As you may have noticed, our guy Tim Bissell has been putting a ton of work into the Sumo Stomp series. There’s a lot to love there, and the world of Sumo is very intriguing. To celebrate that, we’ve got a bit of fun between these two gents entertaining the audience with a bit of what perhaps could qualify as Sumo slapstick.
It goes on for a bit, and there’s not an actual match. Trust me, it’s as close to the Harlem Globetrotters as you’re going to get.
Finally, we’ll close out the week with a commercial featuring two Sumo wrestlers that could only have been made in the early-to-mid aughts. What a time. What a finale.
That’s all we’ve got in the tank this week, kids. Remember that Titanfall 2 is still amazing online. And remember – you might think you can fight, but there are many guys like you all over the world.
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