WTF: Stunning knockouts from Dambe and the Chinese art of Sanda

Welcome back to the fringes, kids. Uncle Victor’s got some goodies this week, and I’m absolutely thrilled to share them with you. For this week, we’re changing things up a bit and putting the silly stuff aside. This gives us an opportunity to focus on more of the actually cool fight stuff, and there’s so much of it to cut into. And we’re starting off with some Chinese kickboxing/Sanshou/Sanda action.

So, sorry… no Turkish shenanigans this week. Please excuse the lack of OK YUMRUK.

But before we get to that, I have a fair bit of admonishment for all of you. You’re slacking on the mailbag, man. Come on, you know the drill. Hit me up at Mailbag@BloodyElbow.com and I’ll personally address your questions and concerns. Remember, you get priority as a Substack member — so remember to include your handle there in the e-mail. If you don’t, I’ll have to cut a Jeff Monson promo on you, but in Chinese. Got to keep it in the spirit of what we’re looking at today.

Chinese sanda knockouts

Gonna keep it simple here, because there’s not much to season this with. This is one of the coolest highlight vids I’ve seen out of China in a while.

This spinning kick is ruthless, bruh.

Some are less elegant than others, but they’re all nuts. They say Chinese KFC is leagues better than it is stateside, and I imagine this man dreaming of it after he ate this shot to the dome.

Shout out to the ref, too. He was on that immediately.

Then there’s this: a headkick that leaves the foot caught on the opponent’s neck. It’s always gnarly and a bit scary when that happens.

Here’s something we don’t see often in MMA: a side thrust kick to the dome.

Just nuts. All of it. Maybe some MMA fighters should get the Adam Silver speech when they can’t cut it in the cage anymore and try their hand at this.

Dambe dynamite

I dunno, figured this header would work as well as the title of this banger. Anyway, we’re back in Nigeria for Dambe Warriors, and things are a lot different for them. Their presentation has had a massive upgrade and their distribution seems to have expanded. All of this is fantastic, because it opens the possibility of greater visibility for the sport.

But what does that change on the action front? Not a goddamned thing. This is still sensational, and here’s a collection of finishes that include some jaw-droppers and breakers.

Deguchi is a menace

Are you familiar with Christa Deguchi? She’s a fascinating Judoka that’s making waves, and our guy Chadi on YouTube made a nice little package breaking down some of her highlights. Check it all out right here:

Bonkers Bunkai

In very little time, Sports ForEver on YouTube captured my attention in a very strong way. With a focus on Karate, the channel pours a lot of love into all elements of the art. Here we have a sensational look at Bunkai, which is perhaps best explained as an extension of Kata. It’s a demonstration of what is possible, basically.

Now, that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing practical. There’s a fair amount to learn from here. And from an aesthetic perspective, a lot to enjoy. Check it out right here:

Kamel Jemel, certified legend

I must apologize in advance, but I legitimately have something nice to say about the dastardly French. We’re taking a brief look at Kamel Jemel, a kickboxer that has had a lovely career and put on some wars in the ring.

I was first made aware of him due to the impossibly handsome Lucas Bourdon. He’s still got his YouTube channel with tons of kickboxing and Muay Thai classics, and I highly suggest you check that out. Jemel had been in a brutal rivalry against Samir Mohamed, and both phenoms collided in two explosive encounters.

Here’s the second fight.

This man is an underappreciated treasure, and it’s a shame there isn’t a lot on him out there. As for Lucas, talk to him nice. He will beat your ass.

That’s all that we had in the cooker this week, kids. Glad to report that the final version of Lies of P is indeed that good. And remember – you might think you can fight, but there are many guys like you all over the world.

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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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