Sports

I only watch two sports these days.

If there is boxing on, I'll have a look see. It's been an interest since way back when Ali was fighting. Sadly, boxing has gotten pretty rare on TV, even though I have a zillion channels.

More often, I watch Mixed Martial Arts. I have several channels that offer quite a bit of this stuff. I love it.

A normal fighter in MMA punches like a boxer, kicks Muay Thai style, and grapples like either a wrestler or a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guy.

There are variations of course. Not many have backgrounds in Karate, at least not amongst the sport's elite.

The most successful MMA athlete with a significant traditional Karate background is George St. Pierre. He is the current world welterweight champion, and has defended the title 6 times. He hasn't lost a match since 2007, and has a total record of 22-2. He has a background in Kyokushin Karate. More recently he has worked on boxing, Jiu-Jitsu, and especially wrestling. I love watching him fight, but can find no evidence of Karate in his style.

The other big MMA name that came from Karate is Lyoto Machida. His record is 17-2. He held the Light Heavyweight title for a while in 2009-2010. He is a JKA Shotokan guy. When he won the title, he famously yelled, "Karate is back."

Machida isn't only a Karate guy. He started at age 3, earning a Black Belt at 15. He has also trained in Sumo since he was a teenager, and also in Jiu-Jitsu. The special thing about him is that he was a successful international competitor in tournament Karate, and his movement, kicking and striking all reflect this.

Machida moves exactly like a tournament Karate guy should. In tournament fighting the first strike gets the point. He fights this way. He'll zip in, strike hard, and zip out. The boxer types are often willing to exchange. Machida isn't. A boxer is happy to take one punch to land two. Machida isn't. He wants to land one and receive none at all.

He is the only MMA athlete who fights as a Karate guy.