MMA is a professional sport played globally. Competitors make use of varying forms of martial arts in one-on-one fights. We see a diverse range of fighting techniques in MMA, but you would be surprised to know that contrary to popular belief, karate is not one of them.
Several factors make Karate not a very suitable fighting technique for Mixed Martial Arts. Karate is a self-defense martial art, whereas MMA requires attacking the opponent. Secondly, Karate lacks the essential ground movies and techniques for competitive fighting. It does not garner the same kind of audience because it is a traditional fighting technique that has not evolved as much as more contemporary ones.
So far, we have only given a brief overview of why Karate is not used in MMA. To explore these reasons in more detail, keep reading.
What Are The Origins Of Mixed Martial Art?
Martial arts is a set of codified and traditional fighting techniques. The term MMA was first used by television critic Hower Rosenberg while referring to UFC 1 in 1993. This fighting form originated when inter-stylistic fighting competitions became famous in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan.
This new mix of fighting with styles adopted from various cultures quickly took the audience by storm and was soon introduced in the United States. MMA has now become an internationally recognized sport, with fighting styles including but not limited to jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, Taekwondo, Judo, and Karate.
What Are The Origins Of Karate
Karate is a form of martial arts originating from Japan. It only became recognized as a martial art around 86 years ago. Although its use was formalized and included in school curriculums following the 20th century, its use dated back to as far as the 13th century and was based in Okinawa.
It was a technique adopted by the locals as a means of self-defense without using weapons. It is primarily a strike-based fighting method using kicks, punches, elbow strikes, and knee strikes.
What Are The Major Reasons Karate Is Not Used In MMA?
There are no formal rules barring MMA fighters from using Karate techniques, but Karate is still generally avoided. Various factors contribute to this.
For more details on this, watch the video below!
Karate Is A Self Defense Oriented Sport
Karate was historically taught as a self-defense technique. It was used to preach patience and avoid conflict. Since Karate is based on Buddhist principles, it focuses on individual self-growth and endurance building by engaging in aggression.
Hence karate focuses more on defending attacks and only blowing light strikes at the opponent.
This passive style of fighting means that if you’re using karate in an MMA fight, it is probable that you will not damage your opponent critically and end up losing the battle.
Karate Techniques Are Too Predictable For Competitive Fighting
Unlike other forms of martial arts, karate emphasizes greatly on posture and technique. This means that most moves have a fixed set of steps that can be easily read and countered by the opponent.
Suppose you’re an MMA fighter specializing in karate and are planning to tackle your opponent using the famous elbow tackle technique. Your posture and hand placement for the method needs to be very specific, which, to the eyes of a trained MMA fighter, will be readily apparent and can be evaded.
This makes it a fighting technique that is not very efficient.
Karate Lacks The Ground Moves Needed For MMA
As mentioned previously, Karate focuses on neutralizing an aggressor before the fighting starts; it is a self-defensive art. In MMA, the use of multiple styles often means that you can end up on the ground being pinned by your opponent.
Karate lacks the set of ground moves required to get out of this situation and would therefore be ineffective in a fight where you need to tackle and escape the opponent.
Karate Is A Bit Outdated
MMA fighting is constantly evolving as players mix and match different styles to their liking and optimize their techniques, such as Bartitsu, a British variant of jiu-jitsu that also includes boxing, jiu-jitsu, french kickboxing, and cane fighting. In front of a professional MMA fighter experienced in Bastitsu, traditional karate using an MMA fighter would stand little change.
In this world of ever-changing techniques, karate is a relatively simple and modest fighting technique. It lacks the agility and flexibility required to adapt to new, more effective fighting forms.
Karate Is Not As Popular With The Audience
Karate is an old art with more sophisticated techniques. In the fast-paced action-packed world of MMA fighting, karate is seen as a basic and somewhat dull fighting form to look at. Since MMA relies on the audience for revenue, it is essential to ensure that the audience remains entertained and engaged.
Hence the use of karate is not recommended as it would result in lower income.
What Is The Most Popular Technique Used In MMA?
Kickboxing is the most popular fighting technique that is used in MMA. It involves jabbing, tackling, and striking the opponent. The jab is the most commonly used move in mixed martial arts as it significantly damages the opponent.
The popularity of such an aggressive fighting style in MMA further shows why martial arts such as Karate are unsuitable. Karate lacks the use of techniques such as jabs and focuses more on strikes.
Is Karate Ever Used In MMA?
MMA fighters train in a variety of techniques which does include karate.
They may typically combine Karate techniques with other martial arts such as Jiu-Jitsu and Kung fu and use them during a fight, but it is not the most common.
The Bottom Line
Karate is a traditional martial art that has been around for centuries. It may have a lot of stand-alone value, but in the context of MMA, it does not serve much utility.
There are several reasons for this, and perhaps this is why we don’t get to see our favorite MMA fighters show us their Karate moves.
