Is Aikdo any good in MMA fights?

Question

I am an experienced in punching in kicking techniques, not so much in grappling or wrestling, so when watching MMA fights, UFC etc, i see stand up, ground a pound and wrestling submission techniques. SO, if i have good stand up and learn Brazillian Ju-Jitsu, is there any point in learning something like Aikdo for use in a MMA fight?

Seems to me the techniques in Aikdo rely on an inexperienced fighter, reaching out or trying to grab an oppenent in a fairly relaxed manner, NOT how MMA/Octagon fighters attack.

Please, this is no disrespect to the art of Aikdo, or the teachers/students of that art, just a debate on its relavance to the sport of MMA.

Any thoughts?

Answer 1

Jason delucia is an ex-champ in japan for MMA. He was passionate about kung fu and recently Aikido. The fact is, Aikido is related to jujitsu and judo. Aikido would be very effective for MMA. Any style can improvise their techniques for fighting. Go for it!

Answer 2

well i think of a question : " can u really grab a dude? "

usually they resist for grabing, and it's hard to take them down xD

But i like Aikido, especialy their outfit xD

Answer 3

Like most traditional asian martial arts, Aikido was not designed for sport purposes (my Aikido teacher stated that he felt the term "sport" was demeaning to the practice)

So, it's not really effective for MMA, but that's not why people train it;  MMA techniques tend to be derived from competition based styles (wrestling, boxing, kickboxing, submission grappling, etc.).  Those techniques work best in competition because they were designed to work in competition

Aikido was not

The other writers have done a pretty good job of giving the technical reasons why Aikido isn't cut out for MMA, but I'd also suggest looking at 2 fights:

1)Joel Sutton vs Jack McGlaughlin (an alternate bout in UFC 6):The only MMA fight I know of involving a fighter who listed Aikido as his style (though from the looks of it, he didn't actually use anything I recognized as Aikido)

2) Royce Gracie vs Akebono in Pride: The 180 lb BJJ expert  submits the world's largest Yokozuna (6'8 500 plus pounds) with a classic wristlock, demonstrating how useful a well executed wristlock can be in overcoming someone larger than you

Answer 4

Small bone manipulation is illegal in MMA so lots of Aikido moves can't be used.

Plus you can only use Aikido moves against an attack.  There are no attacking Aikido moves.  This make for a boring fight to watch.

Aikido is a "twisting" M.A. and the element of surprise is important.  So it's not suitable for competitive tournaments.

So Aikido has little relevance to MMA.

Answer 5

It's a defensive art so it's not really geared towards the one-on-one fighting that you see in the UFC. Furthermore, the idea of defusing violence is very much built into aikido. A lot of the techniques have the idea of neutralizing attacks in mind much more than responding in kind to your opponents. That's in part why they are often used by police, who need to subdue suspects without engaging in the same kind of violence they might use. A lot of aikido's effectiveness is also to be found in small joint locks, which are illegal in the UFC. Furthermore, aikido is geared towards self-defense rather than fighting - unlike judo, where you would throw your opponent closer to continue the fight, aikido throws typically involve getting your opponent far away from you, in order to give you an escape route and are not necessarily geared towards maximum injury. On asphalt, this might injure someone, but there's not much use to it on a mat with a trained fighter you have to fight to the bitter end.

While a lot of aikido techniques might be used in the UFC (and they are, usually in their jiu-jitsu form, both arts sharing a common ancestry), the art itself is not adapted to this kind of contest. Its focus is very different.

In short, Aikido is mainly a self-defense art, not a fighting art. Some techniques would be of use, but as a package, it doesn't really adapt to the way the UFC is set up.

Answer 6

I was under the impression that Aikdo was all about deflecting your opponent without hurting them...

Answer 7

Well, first let me say you arent disrespecting Aikido at all. You are simply wondering about its relevance in todays MMA sport.  Like Point Karate tournaments, there are skill sets which work quite well in this particular sport that have no bearing on the effectiveness of an art.  

Kit Cope is a perfect example of the contrasts between two sports.  He is arguably one of the best American Muay Thai fighters in recent memory, but his transition to the octagon has been a little difficult, though every one today feels they need Muay Thai training to flourish in MMA (and they're right!).  Aikido, and its primary goal of minimizing injury and protecing oneself, against one or multiple targets, doesn't translate well to MMA.  Think about this:  everyone accepts the effectiveness of BJJ in MMA.  And its effectiveness in self defense can,t be ignored.  However, if being attacked by two or more opponents, the last thing you would want to do is put a guy on his back, pass guard, and lock up an arm bar!  You might get another guy who decides to step on your head!!lol.  

If you are pursuing a mastery of the sport of MMA, and not the art of martial training, I dont see any merit in studying Aikido, over say, Judo or BJJ (both of which do have some similiar attributes with Aikido).

Hope this helps!

Answer 8

unfortunately the answer will be no. Aikido relies a lot on skill and reflex and accuracy, it would takes years and years to master the system. Also, it is impossible to grab someone if they throw in a few fakes strike before they hit you. Aikido works best when someone try to grab you, or throw a predictable punch.

In the long run, it is possible for aikido to defeat muai thai, but in the short run say your twin brother does muai that for 2 years and you have been doing Aikido for 2 years. Well, you will be no match for him.

The best way to do well in MMA is to look at the top fighter in each division and see what they have been learning that make them so good. What style have they been learning?

Then, you can find out where you can learn those styles. No time to experiment of Styles like Aikido in the cage. Example, Anderson Silva, a great fighter, with muail thai and bjj.

Answer 9

Generally the guys I train with employ a mixture of boxing/stirking, Muy Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Free Style Wrestling ad plenty of cardio training.  

Being unpredictable in the cage can be an advantage but having strong defense and an offensive plan is important to.  

As you observed it would appear some martial arts appear to require a relaxed/unprepared opponent.  The element of surprise let's call it.  Once you step into the octagon your opponent knows and expects you to attack him/her.  No element of surprise here.  That is when the chess game begins.  In BJJ you have a multitude of options when you begin a match, each player selects moves to take advantage of a position or situation.  They may bait or setup their opponent to gain advantage, superior position and ultimately submission.  

Likewise, In the cage much the same thing occurs.  One opponent may attempt to setup a specific take down to gain a superior position and attempt a submission or employ complex striking combinations to setup a knock out, kick or strategic strike.

Ultimately MMA has taken athletes to new levels of fitness and training.  You need many tools in your arsenal to truly be competitive and superman cardio to sustain three or five rounds of all out explosive action.

I think it best to train in many areas to strengthen your weakest attributes also work hard on your cardio and explosive power.  Get coaching from experts, eat right, get plenty of rest between training sessions, hydrate, learn from the best and train with the best athletes you can find.  Also compete in various arts like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu No Gi tournaments to work on your competitive ground game.  You can also compete in Pankration to get the feel for MMA fights without getting your nose broken.  It's a step towards full contact cage fighting and can be very rewarding in your learning process.

It takes a lot simply to step into the cage, but to be champion it takes full dedication to many martial art forms.  

Good luck in your endeavors.

KK

Answer 10

No, in Aikido no competition or aggressive elements. You have no chance against aikido master. For you is better to challenge good street fighter. It will be a very useful experience

Answer 11

No Aikido is no good in a sports environment, particularly in the UFC.

The very essence of aikido is to avoid confrontation, there is no aspect of competition as Ueshiba (founder of aikido) believed that this only served as cultivating ego and wasn't productive.

Aikido is a purely defensive art and cannot be used to attack people. Aikido was not developed as a form of entertainment or to big up peoples ego's it was to learn how to defend and disarm efficiently without permanently injuring the other person.

Don't assume Aikido is ineffective by judging what few clips you may have seen. In order to become part of the Japanese riot police, it is a requirement that you become black belt in Yoshinkan, the hardest form of Aikido. There are many people who learn and practice Aikido and have been able to defend themselves in violent situations. Aikido is taught in some police forces and in the army (according to a former member of the Royal Highland Fusiliers).

Remember, every art in principle is effective, it just depends on how it is applied and the practitioner themselves as to whether it does the job adequately.