WTF: Man of Kung Fu brings some serious style to the ring
Man, I gotta get me one of them tracksuits for myself.
After the high of last week’s Bellator card and in anticipation of this week’s UFC card, we’ve got a nice little groove going. For the midweek special, we’re gonna try to keep that vibe up.
So Fight Commentary Breakdowns gives us a gem this week, with a Kung Fu master that looks... great? It’s not that easy to explain. He starts off looking goofy with his Drunken Fist style, but when he finds success, it is clean:
Of all the Kung Fu guys we’ve seen test themselves outside of a traditional setting, this guy is now unquestionably my favorite. He even flops around and falls on his butt in true drunken style. Granted, this would dock him points in a Muay Thai fight, but the first scenario is just a kickboxing match.
In a second match he even goes for an Alexander Otsuka dropkick to the leg. It’s not quite as exciting, there’s a lot of movement more than anything. But it does provide some more interesting looks at how someone uses such an unorthodox method to find moments of unquestionable success. Best part is, he’s not some grandmaster of any sort. He’s just some dude that trains in a few Kung Fu styles and he’s made this work for him.
In a third bout, he dresses up in the iconic Bruce Lee jumpsuit from Game of Death. No intoxicated shenanigans here, though. For a guy with his frame, he’s surprisingly spry and agile. This one alone is worth price of admission for all the kicks he throws - despite not landing much. Finally, there’s footage of him sparring and working on some creative attack patterns.
I have no idea if this guy plans to keep fighting or if he’s done, but this was fun. He is fun. And it’s a nice way to start things off for the week.
The crew from SlapFIGHT have been making serious strides over the past year or so. To further illustrate how their shows go down, they’ve managed to compile a collection of some of their most ruthless knockouts over the past year.
See, knocking someone out with a punch is one thing. But with a slap? That takes a different kind of strength and effort. And there’s plenty of that from these competitors.
Next we’ve got a beauty from SilatFanTV. It’s a competition bout from the 2019 Silat Belgian Open, and it’s pretty out there.
Certainly not what most people are used to, and there’s plenty of movement and impact. There’s not much of a feeling out process and these guys really do aim to finish.
As a bonus, here’s a championship bout from 2018:
Personally, I don’t watch too much competitive Silat. I appreciate the strategy and technique, even if some of the movement seems erratic to me. Perhaps it’s just what I’m used to, and your mileage may vary. But it’s great to get some looks at what else is out there and wonder what else is possible in terms of broader application.
We’re basking in the glory of Sumo once again, but a little differently this time. YouTube user Don Don has a collection of ref work gone awry as they end up in some truly unfortunate circumstances. I’d hate to be those guys dealing with this kind of static. Let’s hope they at least get decent healthcare and time off.
It starts with a jaw-dropper from the jump. Poor guy got erased, and I doubt he had an easy time getting up from that one. Maybe that should be some kind of ancillary event, have the two wrestlers try their hardest to box the ref out the paint, see how they fare. Gotta build character somehow, might as well cook on it.
For this segment, another tribute. “Czech Samurai“ Jan Soukup gets the superfan treatment with an assortment of highlights showing him training and then letting loose in competition. A Kyokushin practitioner, he lands devastating knees to the body and just looks like a nightmare to deal with. Enjoy.
Finally, a bit of levity from a Japanese television special. It’s delightful and borrows from Japanese stage antics of the past.
When life seems hard, you never know how you can innovate to find solutions. And remember - you might think you can fight, but there are many guys like you all over the world.