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Alrighty, then. We’ve got a big PPV this weekend and the shutting down of all things sports over at Showtime. PFL is coming soon around the bend and KSW just had another wild event. There’s a ton of stuff to sort through in the combat sports world, and that’s not even counting the dumb influencer stuff. Well, that and the stuff outside of fighting. And today… you get Taekwondo.
But that doesn’t mean we don’t have some extra weirdness for you as well as cool stuff from around the globe in martial arts and combat sports. Have a seat, coffee’s on its way.
Also, mailbag. Mailbag, mailbag, mailbag. Mailbag@BloodyElbow.com.
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Taekwondo wins, MMA is exposed
We’re gonna revisit our guy Jerry over at Fight Commentary Breakdowns. This time, he’s got a video that starts more or less how any other bout starts and then… well, it changes. A lot.
The central premise here is simple. A Taekwondo guy takes an MMA fight against a guy that’s been training in MMA. Basic stuff, right? Get this, the Taekwondo guy gets some licks in, and then he shuts the MMA guy down. How, though? That’s what we’re gonna dive into.
First we need to note that this cage is basically a phone booth. They must’ve repurposed a kid’s playpen for this. Second, the Taekwondo guy is tall and long as hell. Make note of that now, because it’s very important. Things start rather diplomatically, with the brofist of truth.
In the initial exchanges, they get tangled up a bunch and separated by the ref. Mostly it’s due to Taekwondo guy getting his kicks caught. So after a bit of that, he remembers he’s got other items in his arsenal.
Boop. Got his ass.
He then prevents a takedown with the time-honored tradition of grabbing the fence and saying “nuh-uh”, which gets him a minor reprimand. So the fight continues.
Taekwondo Guy™ has realized that the only thing he needs to keep doing to guarantee success is let the other dude catch his kicks and make him eat hands. And it’s smart, because it’s there all day for him and for free.
Does the fight hit the ground? Yes. Does anything interesting happen while there? Absolutely not. Watch this part instead.
This time he made him think the kick was coming without even really feinting. Caught him sleeping. Then it was spin kick time and even the ref is starting to feel concern.
Here’s the grand finale. MMA guy punches while TKD guy goes with the thing that brought him to the table. Then comes the finish.
After a few more punches, the other guy is basically shelled up and done. If you were expecting Kim Kaphwan, you’re probably disappointed. But the guy showed up to scrap and wasn’t limited to just one thing. That’s dope, even if the other guy went out sad.
Dambe showdown
Check out this heavyweight bout from Dambe Warriors. Sometimes it’s the shots you don’t expect to put the other guy down that end up doing so.
Kendo mastery
Here’s the semifinals and finals of the men’s U.S. Kendo Championships from July. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but the technique and focus are intense.
Judo!
Here’s some highlights from the Judo Junior World Championships held recently, courtesy of Judo Highlights.
Lethwei duel
Another look back at Lethwei Japan, this time a spirited battle between Daryl Lokuku and Teruhiko Kubo.
Shaolin Soccer
We’ll end the week with a look action comedy Shaolin Soccer, a martial arts and sports hybrid that benefitted from some wild choreography and CGI at just the right time.
Have fun and be safe kids. Remember Mario Wonder and Spider-Man 2 both drop this week. And remember – you might think you can fight, but there are many guys like you all over the world.
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