Still, there have been more than a few fighters who proved that big muscles can work in MMA fighting. Despite carrying a lot of muscles on their frame looking closer to jacked bodybuilders, these fighters have all been able to reach the highest levels of the sport and even become UFC champions. Keep reading this article to find who they are, and their interesting stories.
MMAchannel.com Staff
Lethwei is one of the most versatile striking arts ever created as it trains you to use your entire body as a weapon. At the same time, it is very a brutal fighting system since fighters compete bare-knuckle, and it includes dirty moves like headbutts.
Even though you may see sports versions of the following martial arts in some cases, these deadly martial arts were first designed to prepare you for any situation that may bring harm to you.
Sanda is a full-contact martial art, often seen as a sport version of Kung Fu. It consists of hand strikes, kicks, elbows, and knees as well as trips, throws, and wrestling takedowns. In some way, you can look at Sanda as kickboxing with takedowns and grappling.
American Kickboxing style emerged in the 1970s that is based on both western boxing and karate techniques. This unique style of kickboxing prohibits striking below the waist. Striking above the waist was for perceived safety reasons when American Kickboxing was created.
Dutch kickboxing emerged in the 1970s in the Netherlands and it is a mix of Muay Thai, Kyokushin, and western boxing techniques. It differs from other styles because the emphasis is on non-stop forward pressure, high output of punches, and low kicks. If a kickboxer is using punches far more than kicks in a fight, that fighter is probably trained in Dutch Style.