MMA Catch All Thread.

Ow. Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow.

TexasRay wrote:

Great info - Paleo...very interesting.

I've seen stuff like that in the past - mainly in some old kickboxing fights that you could catch on PPV back in the 90's...I just haven't seen it in a MMA event that I can recall watching...

I wonder what the response would've been had that been a televised fight? They didn't seem to have an issue with showing the armbar/hyperextension in slo-mo, but I'd think that this would've been something akin to Joe Theisman's leg break where they showed it one time and it was pretty much never seen on broadcast tv again (I can still remember watching that).

It's really easy to get into the mindset that fighters are pretty indestructable. MMA, in particular, does a pretty good job of maintaining that illusion by stopping fights very quickly once an outcome is assured. The number of serious injuries in MMA have been remarkably few in comparison to, for instance, boxing or football.

That said, it's important to recognize exactly how much force these folks are generating at one another. A properly executed leg kick is literally (in the true sense of the word) as powerful and damaging as getting hit with a baseball bat. Smack a baseball bat against a more solid object like a fire hydrant (or a mailbox filled with concrete) and your results will be pretty predictable.

You'll notice that they didn't really show him landing on it. Stuff like that almost always results in an external fracture (breaking the skin). Folks just don't want to see stuff like that.

The last two UFC shows (the Fight for the Troops on Wed. and the TUF finale on Sat.) had a lot of brutal stuff -- Hill's leg break, a dislocated elbow ("I'd like to thank God for the win ... I've been waiting a long time to do that"), a well-played kick-to-the-head KO, etc.

I'm all for watching two guys beat the crap out of each other in legal and organized sporting contests. But a couple of these made me cringe, and I'm glad the Corey Hill fight wasn't a televised bout.

Dana White's take after the FFTT was interesting: "Had this fight happened seven years ago, we probably wouldn’t have been legalized.”

What has changed since then?

Paleocon wrote:

The number of serious injuries in MMA have been remarkably few in comparison to, for instance, boxing or football.

Don't kid yourself. MMA is an incredibly violent sport that in the past two fights have produced some traumatic and possible career-ending injuries for a couple of athletes.

As you say, some of these punches and kicks generate a tremendous amount of force, much more than the body can withstand. Some of these guys are coming home with concussions that can be just as devastating to the human brain as a lifetime of eating left hooks or getting driven to the turf by a pissed-off middle linebacker.

Making any sort of generalizations of MMA versus football or boxing is sort of like arguing over whether NASCAR or NHRA is a safer form of racing.

All I know is that I've been downing calcium fortified OJ like crazy (lactose intolerant) and setting up my shots much more carefully.

I've seen that break before but it still freaks me. I remember doing a similiar injury to a guy while playing rugby in HS. I felt kinda bad. At least he passed out and stopped screaming.

Secret Asian Man wrote:

All I know is that I've been downing calcium fortified OJ like crazy (lactose intolerant) and setting up my shots much more carefully.

I've seen that break before but it still freaks me. I remember doing a similiar injury to a guy while playing rugby in HS. I felt kinda bad. At least he passed out and stopped screaming.

Sort of right there with you. I got my blood work back the other day and I have a pretty acute Vitamin-D deficiency. My doc told me that's pretty common nowadays because everyone is paranoid about getting skin cancer. I'd recommend getting yours tested as well so you'll know if you need to start taking boosters.

Yeah I should get on that Paleo.

Has anybody actually ever seen someone break his forearm by blocking a kick?

I know I feel pretty beat up after blocking a ton of high kicks but I never thought about my forearm snapping. I always hear TKD practioners boasting about that though.

Do you have a favorite style Paleo?
I think you mentioned you studied various styles.
I'm kinda the same way. I enjoy learning diffrent styles.

I don't know how much of Muay Thai my body should take. Its a lot "harder" than my previous styles save karate.

But I'm likeing it a lot

Secret Asian Man wrote:

Has anybody actually ever seen someone break his forearm by blocking a kick?

Not in person; but I have seen it happen during pro fights: Couture (vs Gonzaga) and Frank Shamrock (vs Cung Lee).

CannibalCrowley wrote:

Not in person; but I have seen it happen during pro fights: Couture (vs Gonzaga) and Frank Shamrock (vs Cung Lee).

Good to know.
Yeah, Cung Lee's kicks are pretty scary.

Secret Asian Man wrote:

Yeah I should get on that Paleo.

Has anybody actually ever seen someone break his forearm by blocking a kick?

I know I feel pretty beat up after blocking a ton of high kicks but I never thought about my forearm snapping. I always hear TKD practioners boasting about that though.

Do you have a favorite style Paleo?
I think you mentioned you studied various styles.
I'm kinda the same way. I enjoy learning diffrent styles.

I don't know how much of Muay Thai my body should take. Its a lot "harder" than my previous styles save karate.

But I'm likeing it a lot

I've seen forearm breaks, but they are less frequent than the shin breaks. Ironically, it is because there is less mass to your arm than there is to your leg. Swing a baseball bat at a tennis racquet and, unless it is braced against something, you're most likely just going to knock it away rather than break it in half. Swing two baseball bats together and you're likely to break one of them. Even still, you don't want to take the full force of a Thai head kick with your forearm under any circumstances. That's why you learn to tuck and let the lat muscle or shoulder take most of it. Remember to tuck the chin into your shoulder. Any exposed neck is going to be majorly rocked if it gets hit.

I'm currently doing a lot of Muay Thai, but plan on doing more judo, ground fighting, and Silat once I get to a fitness and competency level I'm happy with. Groundfighting is still a foreign language to me and I don't want it to be straight panic defense if I ever encounter it. I don't need to be great, but I don't want to be pathetic.

Silat, in particular, is a whole lot more practical than most of the other stuff I've seen. At 42, I'm getting a little old for all the falls (judo) and breaks (MT). The brutal throws, small joint manipulation, and straight up ugly takedowns are definitely not the stuff of a sport form. Imagine Chinese Tan Lang Chuan meets Ninpo Taijutsu or Daito Ryu Aikijutitsu and you've got a general idea.

The point my kru emphasizes with the difference in the applicability of each system is that Silat is something you are far more likely to use in a real life situation than MT. Unless you're competing, you're not often going to get into situations where you get to square off with an opponent. Far more frequently, you're going to have to deal with getting suckerpunched.

Part of what attracts me to the Southeast Asian martial arts like Kali, Silat, Muay Thai, Bando, and Escrima is that they aren't all that far removed from the brutal laboratory of true combat. When martial arts become highly stylized, sportified, or, worse yet, spiritualized into something that exists mostly to preserve culture, elevate the status of teachers, or otherwise obscure the true nature of the art, they become pretty boring to me.

I agree I've been more interested in more practical MA lately also. TKD really made open my eyes about that.

My first form was Wing Chun and although I appreciated what it taught me I felt it was too far removed from actual combat. Chinese MA have lost their appeal to me and this is coming from a Chinese guy.

The ground fighting caught me by suprise. I met a guy at work that practiced BJJ and he dominated me. So I started learning from him. Nothing formal but I'm getting better. Personally going to the ground is a last resort for me. I feel you lose too much situational awareness in real life.

I think MT is pretty practical. Its made my striking pretty sharp and defense much much better. Not to mention forcing me to condition my body by throwing and recieving thousands of strikes.I'm used to have punches thrown at me now and instinctivly react to it.

I understand your point that its still a limited system designed for cometition though. I still rely on a lot of throws and joint manipulation in real life.

I have been looking into Krav Maga for probably the same reasons you have been looking into Silat.

Secret Asian Man wrote:

I agree I've been more interested in more practical MA lately also. TKD really made open my eyes about that.

My first form was Wing Chun and although I appreciated what it taught me I felt it was too far removed from actual combat. Chinese MA have lost their appeal to me and this is coming from a Chinese guy.

The ground fighting caught me by suprise. I met a guy at work that practiced BJJ and he dominated me. So I started learning from him. Nothing formal but I'm getting better. Personally going to the ground is a last resort for me. I feel you lose too much situational awareness in real life.

I think MT is pretty practical. Its made my striking pretty sharp and defense much much better. Not to mention forcing me to condition my body by throwing and recieving thousands of strikes.I'm used to have punches thrown at me now and instinctivly react to it.

I understand your point that its still a limited system designed for cometition though. I still rely on a lot of throws and joint manipulation in real life.

I have been looking into Krav Maga for probably the same reasons you have been looking into Silat.

There is a whole lot I like about the Wing Chun sticky hands drill. There is a lot of that in Silat system as well. Especially when you're trying to bridge distance while maintaining contact, knowing where the person is without having to rely on your eyes/ears is a pretty powerful thing. Working a Silat flow drill really helps you reduce the claustrophobic panic that comes naturally with being in bent arm punching range.

I still admit that ground fighting is a bit of a foreign language to me. I'm getting better at it, but I'm still frustrated by it. I'm confident, however, that my striking, stand up clinch, and small joint manipulation would mostly keep me out of trouble since most wrestlers aren't used to getting hit by someone who can actually hit or getting locked by someone who knows finger and wrist locks. The stand up clinch work really helps as well. If you can reliably draw someone up and make him eat straight knees, he's going to think again about going for the running double. I'm also convinced that much of ground fighting is very "sport". Without things like small joint manipulation, elbows to the back of the head, or holding and hitting to the head (all things forbidden in MMA rules), going to ground looks a lot more attractive. I'm convinced, for instance, that the guard (a staple of MMA) is entirely a sport position. Someone tries that in any fight I'm in and I'll either walk away or start throwing rocks.

I looked at Krav Maga but wasn't altogether impressed with the quality of instruction. I like the aggression, but have to say I've met basic H2H instructors with less than 2 years of training with better actual technique. If that's what I'm paying for, I might as well just purchase sparring gear and start an underground amateur fight club.

Paleocon wrote:

I'm also convinced that much of ground fighting is very "sport". Without things like small joint manipulation, elbows to the back of the head, or holding and hitting to the head (all things forbidden in MMA rules), going to ground looks a lot more attractive.

Actually, I think that the top position is even better without the restrictions imposed by MMA rules. Plus the ground surface becomes a factor (head + pavement = bad for bottom guy / throwee). None of the things you mentioned make it any harder to take someone down and once on the ground they require position to use effectively.

What MMA organization outlaws "holding and hitting to the head"?

Paleocon wrote:

I'm convinced, for instance, that the guard (a staple of MMA) is entirely a sport position. Someone tries that in any fight I'm in and I'll either walk away or start throwing rocks.

Outside of MMA it's a defensive position that can work well for weathering the onslaught of a larger opponent with the added benefit of being able to turn things around when a gap opens. It certainly isn't a preferable to being on top; but it's a lot better than being mounted or under side control.

Paleocon wrote:

I looked at Krav Maga but wasn't altogether impressed with the quality of instruction. I like the aggression, but have to say I've met basic H2H instructors with less than 2 years of training with better actual technique.

I can't see myself paying for instruction in any art where one can become an instructor in a few weeks or less.

CannibalCrowley wrote:

Actually, I think that the top position is even better without the restrictions imposed by MMA rules. Plus the ground surface becomes a factor (head + pavement = bad for bottom guy / throwee). None of the things you mentioned make it any harder to take someone down and once on the ground they require position to use effectively.

What MMA organization outlaws "holding and hitting to the head"?

I don't want to give the impression that training in ground fighting is unnecessary. Going in skill-less against an experienced groundfighter is a very bad idea. That said, there are a number of restrictions that favor the grappler in MMA competition.

The "no holding the cage" restriction was a direct response to Kimo's "defense" in his match against Royce Gracie in UFC 1. Royce could not take him to ground and couldn't seem to figure out a way to hurt him while he was standing up. His being a one-dimensional fighter didn't help. Since UFC was really set up to be a showcase for BJJ, something needed to be done to prevent that tactic from being a future problem.

My understanding is that you can not elbow to the head while holding it in place in UFC. I understand the restriction as it could actually result in very serious injury. Incidentally, it is also a restriction in sport Thai boxing. Though, in a fight for my life, I would not hesitate in using it.

Outside of MMA it's a defensive position that can work well for weathering the onslaught of a larger opponent with the added benefit of being able to turn things around when a gap opens. It certainly isn't a preferable to being on top; but it's a lot better than being mounted or under side control.

No argument that being mounted, side controlled, or armbar submitted sucks ass. And you are right that there are limited applications in real life environments where the guard is preferrable to the alternative. That said, I've seen numerous MMA matches where folks go to ground and prefer to stay there when the real life situation would have called for getting up.

I can't see myself paying for instruction in any art where one can become an instructor in a few weeks or less.

Agreed. The school I attend isn't the most expensive in the world but isn't cheap either. If I'm going to spend real money to learn something, the instructor better damned well know something I want to learn. Luckily for me, he knows a hell of a lot more.

edit: I guess I should also add that there has been a steady arms race in MMA fighting that has emphasized the need to really learn it all. The original UFC was really set up as sort of a rigged showcase to promote BJJ and, in particular, the Gracie schools. Luckily for the sport, however, it managed to attract folks from enough disciplines that it became a relatively wide open laboratory. Wrestlers gained early dominance, but were supplanted by ground and pounders. Concurrent to that, folks got really good at takedown defense, thus making stand up striking a hell of a lot more potent. Standup grappling and clinch is getting a lot more important now as folks like Carlos Condit have figured out formulas that work (CC's high knee knockout from the clinch, for instance). Other folks (eg: Yoshimitsu Maeda) are now starting to see the virtues of judo style takedowns without the immediate "go to ground" as well. In short, it's not enough to be any one thing anymore. You really do have to have a working knowledge of enough of it to hold your own.

Paleocon wrote:

The "no holding the cage" restriction was a direct response to Kimo's "defense" in his match against Royce Gracie in UFC 1. Royce could not take him to ground and couldn't seem to figure out a way to hurt him while he was standing up. His being a one-dimensional fighter didn't help. Since UFC was really set up to be a showcase for BJJ, something needed to be done to prevent that tactic from being a future problem.

There are a few problems with that statement.

  • Kimo didn't fight Royce until the UFC's third event.
  • Kimo stuffed Royce's initial takedown attempts by using his gi, pummeling, and balance. Grabbing the cage wasn't a factor. Vid
  • The no grabbing the fence rule first appeared in Ultimate Ultimate 2, which was 10 events after the Kimo fight.
Paleocon wrote:

My understanding is that you can not elbow to the head while holding it in place in UFC. I understand the restriction as it could actually result in very serious injury. Incidentally, it is also a restriction in sport Thai boxing.

There are 31 possible fouls in the UFC; but I don't see that one listed:

UFC wrote:

1. Butting with the head.
2. Eye gouging of any kind.
3. Biting.
4. Hair pulling.
5. Fish hooking.
6. Groin attacks of any kind.
7. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent.
8. Small joint manipulation.
9. Striking to the spine or the back of the head.
10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow.
11. Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea.
12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh.
13. Grabbing the clavicle.
14. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent.
15. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent.
16. Stomping a grounded opponent.
17. Kicking to the kidney with the heel.
18. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck.
19. Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area.
20. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent.
21. Spitting at an opponent.
22. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent.
23. Holding the ropes or the fence.
24. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area.
25. Attacking an opponent on or during the break.
26. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee.
27. Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat.
28. Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee.
29. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.
30. Interference by the corner.
31. Throwing in the towel during competition.

http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=Lear...

CannibalCrowley wrote:
UFC wrote:

16. Stomping a grounded opponent.

Does an axe kick count as stomping a grounded opponent because I swear I've seen that before.

I feel the rules of UFC need some tweaking. I remember Silva submitting someone by elbows to the top of the head. The elbows were coming strait down on the head but since they were on the ground it was a horizontal strike.

I also remember a fight where someone threw in the towel because he was poked in the eye mulitple times. The last one was bad and his eye was closed up.

The one who poked him was credited the win. I thought he was going to be DQ due to illegal strikes but he was credited the win.

I always see people holding on to gloves to avoid the choke also. I think the rear naked choke wouldn't work if you were able to grab fingers.

CannibalCrowley wrote:
Paleocon wrote:

The "no holding the cage" restriction was a direct response to Kimo's "defense" in his match against Royce Gracie in UFC 1. Royce could not take him to ground and couldn't seem to figure out a way to hurt him while he was standing up. His being a one-dimensional fighter didn't help. Since UFC was really set up to be a showcase for BJJ, something needed to be done to prevent that tactic from being a future problem.

There are a few problems with that statement.

  • Kimo didn't fight Royce until the UFC's third event.
  • Kimo stuffed Royce's initial takedown attempts by using his gi, pummeling, and balance. Grabbing the cage wasn't a factor. Vid
  • The no grabbing the fence rule first appeared in Ultimate Ultimate 2, which was 10 events after the Kimo fight.
Paleocon wrote:

My understanding is that you can not elbow to the head while holding it in place in UFC. I understand the restriction as it could actually result in very serious injury. Incidentally, it is also a restriction in sport Thai boxing.

There are 31 possible fouls in the UFC; but I don't see that one listed:

UFC wrote:

1. Butting with the head.
2. Eye gouging of any kind.
3. Biting.
4. Hair pulling.
5. Fish hooking.
6. Groin attacks of any kind.
7. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent.
8. Small joint manipulation.
9. Striking to the spine or the back of the head.
10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow.
11. Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea.
12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh.
13. Grabbing the clavicle.
14. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent.
15. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent.
16. Stomping a grounded opponent.
17. Kicking to the kidney with the heel.
18. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck.
19. Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area.
20. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent.
21. Spitting at an opponent.
22. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent.
23. Holding the ropes or the fence.
24. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area.
25. Attacking an opponent on or during the break.
26. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee.
27. Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat.
28. Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee.
29. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.
30. Interference by the corner.
31. Throwing in the towel during competition.

http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=Lear...

Fair enough. I got the chronology wrong, but there is quite a bit in the rules that favors the groundfighter.

9. Striking to the spine or the back of the head.
10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow.
14. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent.
15. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent.
16. Stomping a grounded opponent.

These ones, in particular, are disproportionately advantageous to the grappler. Though I agree that there need to be appropriate protections for fighters, I think these ones have the possibly unintended consequences of creating "gamey" behavior.

For instance, I've seen combattants go into a fetal tuck to avoid getting hit in the face or body knowing full well that hitting to the back of the head and spine was against the rules. I've seen folks go in for the running double knowing that a Thai elbow spike to the back of the neck would just about end the fight if it were legal. The final three rules on this list are precisely the sorts of rules that make staying on the ground disproportionately advantageous.

The elbow spike ban is particularly interesting. This is the exact prescription for the stand up striker for dealing with folks that go for the double or tackle. You sprawl and spike the hell out of the person for failing to protect his head. Banning it almost guarantees that the fight will end up on the ground.

Yeah I agree that UFC has rules to favor ground fighting.

No kicking a downed opponent is probably the biggest.

It’s kinda frustrating to see a person lying on his back like a turtle waiting for his opponent to come down to him.
If the standing fighter could kick it would be a very different outcome.

But I believe K1 allows this. Anybody see a different ground strategy in these rules?

Secret Asian Man wrote:

Yeah I agree that UFC has rules to favor ground fighting.

No kicking a downed opponent is probably the biggest.

It’s kinda frustrating to see a person lying on his back like a turtle waiting for his opponent to come down to him.
If the standing fighter could kick it would be a very different outcome.

But I believe K1 allows this. Anybody see a different ground strategy in these rules?

Like I said though, there are obvious reasons why the rules are there to protect people. I am not sure you could create a safe competition in which folks were allowed to stomp a downed opponent or knee him in the head. That said, it does, like I said, lead to some very gamey behavior.

If someone were on his back trying to upkick me, it wouldn't take a whole lot for me to control one or both ankles and stomp his crotch. He can ankle swim all he wants, but that split second is all I need to put a heel stomp right in his jumblies. I'm sure that makes me a cruel and heartless asswipe, but I'm pretty sure I would not hesitate to use it if the situation warranted it.

Likewise, if someone goes for the tackle or double and misses (or I successfully defend it and he submarines), I am sure as hell not going to wait for him to get up or turn over before I put a knee in the back of his neck. Call me prison rules if you like, but at 42 I figure my ring days are over anyway.

Secret Asian Man wrote:
CannibalCrowley wrote:
UFC wrote:

16. Stomping a grounded opponent.

Does an axe kick count as stomping a grounded opponent because I swear I've seen that before.

I feel the rules of UFC need some tweaking. I remember Silva submitting someone by elbows to the top of the head. The elbows were coming strait down on the head but since they were on the ground it was a horizontal strike.

I also remember a fight where someone threw in the towel because he was poked in the eye mulitple times. The last one was bad and his eye was closed up.

The one who poked him was credited the win. I thought he was going to be DQ due to illegal strikes but he was credited the win.

I always see people holding on to gloves to avoid the choke also. I think the rear naked choke wouldn't work if you were able to grab fingers.

Axe kicks aren't regarded as stomping and are allowed.

Which Silva are you talking about? There are three that come to mind.

The fight you're thinking of is the Anthony Johnson and Kevin Burns fight. Burns had broken his hand(or finger, something of that nature) and had to strike open palm. I guess the reason he won the fight was because he didn't hit him in the eye the required number of times to merit a DQ. But that would also be odd.

Faceless Joe wrote:

The fight you're thinking of is the Anthony Johnson and Kevin Burns fight. Burns had broken his hand(or finger, something of that nature) and had to strike open palm. I guess the reason he won the fight was because he didn't hit him in the eye the required number of times to merit a DQ. But that would also be odd.

The reason he won the fight is because from the ref's angle it looked like an uppercut that knocked Johnson down, not an eyepoke. Once the ref makes a call, it's final.

Sinatar wrote:
Faceless Joe wrote:

The fight you're thinking of is the Anthony Johnson and Kevin Burns fight. Burns had broken his hand(or finger, something of that nature) and had to strike open palm. I guess the reason he won the fight was because he didn't hit him in the eye the required number of times to merit a DQ. But that would also be odd.

The reason he won the fight is because from the ref's angle it looked like an uppercut that knocked Johnson down, not an eyepoke. Once the ref makes a call, it's final.

That makes much more sense.

I'm glad that it's final when the ref decides. I wouldn't want to hear about a case between Jackson and the UFC on who won the Griffin vs. Jackson fight.

Am I the only one who was completely disgusted with Rashad Evans on Saturday night? I don't mind some antics in the cage/ring, but the crap he has pulled in his last several fights infuriates me.

I used to defend the guy when people would complain about what he does - my wife and I met him and his wife at the UFC event in Houston and both he and his wife were very friendly and my wife and I were both converted to Rashad supporters after that meeting.

After that, he has shown himself to be a jackass of the highest order and I regret defending him to my friends and family.

TexasRay wrote:

Am I the only one who was completely disgusted with Rashad Evans on Saturday night? I don't mind some antics in the cage/ring, but the crap he has pulled in his last several fights infuriates me.

I used to defend the guy when people would complain about what he does - my wife and I met him and his wife at the UFC event in Houston and both he and his wife were very friendly and my wife and I were both converted to Rashad supporters after that meeting.

After that, he has shown himself to be a jackass of the highest order and I regret defending him to my friends and family.

I sort of feel the same way about Brock Lesnar. He's a Paulson student and has participated in events my school has been part of, but I can't get myself to like him.

This isn't exactly a sport that attracts gracefull, well-educated folk though.

I cant recommend any of the Filipino Martial Arts enough for practical self-defense. Eskrima has saved my life once already.

Edit: actually i should say training saved my life. Not specifically this style, but being able to react to a threat and eliminate instantly.

Faceless Joe wrote:

Which Silva are you talking about? There are three that come to mind.

Anderson Silva vs...some bald white guy...

ranalin wrote:

I cant recommend any of the Filipino Martial Arts enough for practical self-defense. Eskrima has saved my life once already.

Edit: actually i should say training saved my life. Not specifically this style, but being able to react to a threat and eliminate instantly.

My school has a Kali/Silat/Escrima night on Tuesdays that I make every once in a while. The Silat stuff is particularly useful. Unfortunately, I have to choose my classes since I can only go to 4 hours/week. Right now I'm really concentrating on improving my Muay Thai.

Secret Asian Man wrote:
Faceless Joe wrote:

Which Silva are you talking about? There are three that come to mind.

Anderson Silva vs...some bald white guy...

Was this in the UFC? I've looked for the fight, but I can't seem to find it.

Faceless Joe wrote:

Was this in the UFC? I've looked for the fight, but I can't seem to find it.

He's talking Anderson Silva vs. Travis Lutter.

Sinatar wrote:
Faceless Joe wrote:

Was this in the UFC? I've looked for the fight, but I can't seem to find it.

He's talking Anderson Silva vs. Travis Lutter.

That was an interesting fight. As far as I can tell(from the Anderson Silva wiki) it says he was submitted by the triangle, but I'm almost certain it was the elbows that caused him to tap.