Time to get weird, kids. We’re back with zany Kung Fu antics, intense knockouts, and everything from the fringes of the martial arts landscape. There’s not that much else happening midweek, so it’s nice to have you all come on in and gawk with us at the wilderness of combat.
I know you probably read that title and got excited. Allow me to inform you now that it’s time to temper your expectations by a lot. You’ll see.
Your Kung Fu is invalid here
We begin once again with our pal Jerry over at Fight Commentary Breakdowns. Nobody has more Kung Fu antics and exploits the way he does, and boy does he give us a gem for the week.
his video would probably make a fine entry in a series called Whupping the Whippersnapper, where older dudes just feast on younger dudes. Well, it would if this were a more impressive drubbing. See, at first we’ve got the older guy looking rather spry. The Kung Fu guy doesn’t really know how to handle things and starts spamming kicks. It begins to show signs of promise for an actually good fight!
Then the fight starts, and oh… oh, dear… Turns out this Kung Fu guy isn’t doing anything really effective. And the old guy? He’s not impressed.
He’s not even trying, if anything he seems bored and is just toying with the kid. Lazy backfists, a few swats, and some of the most ass-ugly punches this side of the Mississippi. Being 45 doesn’t make you geriatric, but this man has lived enough to recognize when another dude’s Kung Fu just doesn’t have the juice. Just look at this.
And then, this happens.
Sifu down. Good god. It’s like he punched him out of frame like a fighting game transition to another platform. Kung Fu guy gets dropped bad and gets back up to act like it’s some regular thing, no harm done. Nope. Dude is clearly not happy with that.
The Kung Fu guy puts on his best poker face, but my man is snakebitten. The older dude immediately swings big and then keeps him trapped in the corner. Once again, Kung Fu in closed spaces against a lanky guy might not be the best recipe.
Oh hey, hope you like backfists.
The fight goes on like this and really doens’t get any better. The older guy wins against the Kung Fu dude, but it feels like a way bigger L than it actually was. We kinda all take an L on this one, because there’s no reason it should have been this sloppy. Just goes to show that there’s no real baseline for skill when it comes to gym challenges sometimes.
Mini Hulk? Mini Hulk
Meet Ryuju Nagayama. This Judoka is a terror, and Top Judokas has a great set of highlights of what makes his game work and how impressive this dude is. Just amazing.
Indian wrestling is undeniably tough
YouTube user Chadi graces us yet again with more grappling goodness, as he delves into Indian mud wrestlers and their conditioning. These guys live a rough life, and their extensive and grueling regimes are on another level.
More Muay Thai
Yes, we’re going back to Rajadamnern for more action. This first clip is a banger between Javad Azhdari and Comeback. This one ends with a shocking finish.
This is another Thailand vs Iran matchup, as Oodnoi takes on Reza Mahdipour. This ending gets a little tough to watch, but the action is totally solid.
Taekwondo time
You know, it’s funny how just stumbling on this random Taekwondo sparring clip made my day a little brighter. These guys aren’t playing around, and the action is all over the place. That said, the action is pretty great.
Alvin Prouder, innovator
We’ll end the week with yet another banger from Old School Fighter. This time it’s a tribute to Alvin Prouder, a kickboxing wizard that was pulling off some real magic in them long pants.
It’s such a joy to see some of these fighters that get absolutely no recognition whatsoever having a bit of time in the spotlight. This was fun. As it should be.
So that’s all I’ve got left, kids. Be kind to yourselves, and each other. And remember – you might think you can fight, but there are many guys like you all over the world.