Why dont ufc fighters ever know karate?

Question

theres never a ufc fighter that is a blackbelt in karate, how come. they usually are like blackbelt in TKD, BJJ, or something along those lines. y not karate?

Answer 1

Several Karateka have competed in UFC.  Kyokushin and its off shoots like Shidokan have successful competitors in UFC.  However since Karate is primarily a striking art, any Karateka that wants to compete in UFC will have to supplement their training with a grappling/ground art like Judo, BJJ, Wrestling, etc.

Answer 2

Watch the early (first 5 or so) Ufc's and you'll see why arts like Kartate do not fight in the ufc anymore.

Answer 3

I never really heard of any fighters doing TKD except Patrick Smith. There is however, some UFC fighter doing Karate along with Judo and other martial arts. And Chuck Liddell does Kenpo.

Answer 4

It is a more effective fighting style, BJJ will win 99 out of 100 times vs a blackbelt in karate, they are fighters, not trying to look cool. They just want what is most effective

Answer 5

Watchya talking bout foo?  Bas Rutten, Chuck Lidel and GSP all do Karate, Bas has a blackbelt, not sure about the other two and im sure there are many more UFC fighters that are karate blackblets

TKD blackbelts are p**s easy to get, Bas Rutten got one in 1 year!  Karate is a little harder, BJJ is the harderst and I bet there arn't as many blackbelt BJJ guys as you think there are, most people train BJJ but not many go all the way to blackbelt

Answer 6

lyoto machida 205lbs. contender

george st-pierre 170lbs. ( champ )

sam stout 155lbs. contender

there are lots of fighters how know karate. you just don't now them.

Answer 7

Lyoto Machida is a highly proficient karate practitioner. He has effectively carried his fighting style into 12 fights and come out victorious each time. Most fighters haven't been able to convert Karate into an effective MMA style because of its inherit weakness to wrestling. You can'tKarate chop somebody off your back.

Answer 8

Lyoto Machida knows Karate

Answer 9

watch ufc 84. witness lyoto machida punishing tito ortiz. lyotos base is a form of karate. he also knows some other martial arts, but his style is based on karate. i think the reason karate is not more common is it doesnt work well in a cage against a great wrestler or great jui jitsu practitioner. i think this is because most karate is purely stand up with little consideration for ground game. so a great wrestler takes them down and lays on them and that takes away their karate. lyoto machida has black belt in karate and jui jitsu though so he knows what to do if the fight goes to the ground. hope this helps

Answer 10

UfC fighters ussually don't take karate because most ufc fighters train in arts that use more muscles and size due to there training.

Answer 11

karate sadly is not a very practical style of fighting...i have taken taekwondo for 9 years (which is extremely similar to karate) and the most useful lessons taught are the life skills (confidence, self-control, respect, etc...).

bjj is practical and adaptable to a street fight situation...

as for the UFC goes, bjj is one of the best arts to get you by in a match against another trained martial artist, however, if u get in a fight against an untrained fighter, any training will give u at least some kind of advantage...fighting in the octagon is a completely different thing.

Answer 12

to those people who mentioned the likes of gsp, bas, chuck liddell, and lyoto machida dont forget that they only represent a small portion of pro fighters and that they cross train a ton

Answer 13

Lyoto Machida is a karate black belt, and he's got a black belt in  BJJ as well. Lyoto has KO'd Rich Franklin, Stephan Bonnar and will fight Tito Ortiz very soon.

GSP and David Lousseau (SP) are I believe, Kyokushin Karate stylists.

Karate has good striking, but almost all of the fighters in the UFC now are well rounded. You don't see many people who only do jujitsu or only do boxing. Today in the UFC, fighters have to know boxing, clinch, submission and takedowns along with their defenses, or they will not go far.

Answer 14

Most of you are totally wrong. Big foot and hannism are the only ones even close to the truth. The truth is that maybe most of the best karate people do not want to fight in the uFC and have nothing to prove to anyone.

Wefij A- Go challange somebody from an okinawin karate school that trains realisticly, then you will find out the only good style of karate is not  Kyokoshin many are excellent. Another person that saw it on Human weapon so now it is the best. I doubt you even train, unless it's lifting 12 oz cheering for so and so.

Answer 15

^ ^ ^

all those guys did karate when they were kids b/c their parents signed them up for it.  they dont use any of it b/c its worthless.

the only karate style worth anything is kyokushin, all others are ****.

the only fighter that really uses any karate is machida.

Answer 16

In MMA, you need to have a good base.  The most popular base is BJJ.  Karate on the other hand is'nt a Base that Most MMA fighters want to have...  Karate experts would get beat everytime in the UFC....  Karate moves take a little too much time to develop. Take a round house for example..   IF you try to throw a round house to say Rampage, then he will drop down and take you to the mat..   KArate just is'nt a good technique for MMA..