Jump to
Welcome back, kids. We’ve got more martial arts antics this week, although not of the comedic variety. Today we focus primarily on Stanley Nandex, an electrifying martial artist that was a delight to watch.
But we’ve got a lot of other fun stuff in the bag, too. Speaking of bags, don’t forget to submit your questions (fighting or otherwise) over to [email protected]. We’ve already started answering questions, and are ready to answer yours.
Nandex The Headhunter
Stanley Nandex was an absolute phenom. A decorated kickboxer that unfortunately had his most of his career before social media exploded. And yet his performances were lovely. To see Nandex perform was to instantly be hooked.
Yet it’s odd that he’s not really very visible these days. Sure, there’s some highlights and tributes, but the man himself is basically off the grid. No social media presence, nothing. He’s got every right to live as a private citizen, but it would be nice to see more of an innovator that did some marvelous work in his day.
This first sequence is brutal. Ducks away from opponent…
Resets, launches, and appears to bust his opponent’s nose up.
Here’s one that reminds me of the ill-fated canvas for UFC 200. Nandex backs his opponent up, lulls him with movement.
Notice where Nandex has his right leg, he’ll use that to swing and strike with venom.
This is the kind of move that would make Anderson Silva himself blush. His opponent bounces off the ropes doing the inflatable man arm dance and collapses.
Here’s another great sequence. Nandex keeps it close, throws a lot of punches. Then Nandex takes a breather off the break, having already gauged his distance. Then he strikes.
His opponent does his best Solid Snake tactical crawl but can’t get up. That man got hit with a wrecking ball and he knows it. Here’s another angle of the precision and force that Nandex nailed him with.
Fabio Basile is good, man
Another banger from Judo Highlights, this time it’s Italy’s Fabio Basile. A decorated competitor in the 66KG category, he’s got a mean streak. Here’s some of his top Ippons, and they’re lovely. Check out his footwork and the strength with which he drives forward. Wouldn’t want to lock horns with this guy.
Turkish whirlwind
Meet Eray Samdan. A Turkish silver medalist in the 2020 Olympics, this dude is basically The Flash. Lucky for us, Sports ForEver collected some of his performances and they’re amazing. You’ll need to rewind on a few, and that’s not hyperbole.
SAMBO from Serbia
Once again, we’re fortunate enough to have some more videos courtesy of SAMBOFIAS. Check out these World Championship clips from Serbia, starting with a rugged positional battle between two competitors. A lot of smart and tactical grappling takes place, and it’s short and sweet.
Next up, two burly boys jockeying for position. This one ends in a hard-fought submission, those guys had to be spent by the end. The interesting thing to me is how they kept trying to up the ante with reversals. Anyone that’s grappled has had hard rounds not too different from this, regardless of skill level. The finale is a bit cathartic, and you feel the relief once it’s all over.
Let’s end with something nice
Finally, we end with what is not your usual Taekwondo clip. This young lady tries her best to break this board. Make it to the end and you’ll see where a little ingenuity and a lot of determination can take you. Times are tough. Have a smile. You only get so many chances to do so.
That’s all we got in the tank this week, kids. Treat yourselves nicely. Get some sleep, drink some more water. Maybe enjoy a succulent Chinese meal or something. I dunno. Just try to be nicer. And remember – you might think you can fight, but there are many guys like you all over the world.