How Effective is Taekwondo In MMA?
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Some of the best MMA fighters, like Anthony Pettis, Anderson Silva, and Yair Rodriguez, have a background in the art of Taekwondo. Taekwondo is a Korean martial art that focuses on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and quick kicking skills. It also uses punching and kicking methods.
Tae kwon do literally means “kicking,” “striking,” and “the art or way of”. They are a type of martial arts in which one occasionally uses weapons along with hands and feet to strike or protect at any time or place.
Korean martial arts focus primarily on kicks, which makes it an excellent foundation for MMA, as kicks are an essential part of the sport. However, taekwondo is considered too one-dimensional in MMA and is, therefore ineffective in its own right. It is largely limited to a variety of different kicks. An MMA fighter must blend Taekwondo techniques with another style to win a match.
Some of the best fighters in the sport of MMA have incorporated Taekwondo strikes in their arsenal along with striking, grappling, and ground fighting. One of these elements will be the primary emphasis of each martial art. Due to this, fighters frequently mix techniques they have mastered from several branches of martial arts. Learning tactics in all combat styles is a need for success in MMA.
MMA fighters who successfully incorporated Taekwondo into MMA
Over the years, many fighters have shown their high-level Taekwondo skills in MMA. People like Yair Rodriguez, Benson Henderson, and Anthony Pettis have successfully incorporated Taekwondo and used its illusive kicks to win fights and strike down opponents.
Anthony Pettis
Anthony Pettis was a gifted individual who began learning taekwondo at the age of five. At the age of 18, Pettis wore a third-degree black belt in taekwondo around his waist. Later, he was successful in BJJ and went on to an MMA career. Anthony Pettis, a former UFC and WEC champion, is one of the best athletes to ever compete in the 155-pound weight class.
We could not imagine anyone taking him down when Pettis was at the top of his game. But for whatever reason, after he relinquished the UFC title, his career went down the tubes, and he could never get things back on track.
Benson Henderson
Benson Henderson was a former boxer and remains one of the best 170-pound boxers of all time. He was the 2012 MMA Fighter of the Year and a former UFC and WEC champion. His Korean mother demanded that he and his brother take taekwondo lessons when they were nine years old. According to reports, Henderson said, “She’s Korean, I’m half-Korean, and it’s the traditional Korean martial art, so she wanted us to do it to get a little bit of the culture and tradition.”
Henderson accomplished what his mother wanted by earning a black belt in taekwondo. In high school, however, he switched to wrestling and later earned a black belt in jiu-jitsu.
Yair Rodriguez
One of those gifted fighters who can change the sport’s nature is Yair. No one in the history of MMA has ever shown such fluidity, dynamism, and movement.
Yair Rodriguez, who is a black belt in Taekwondo, is one of the most authentic representatives of this fighting discipline in the present. He simply does not care what kicks he delivers or when he delivers them, and his kicking techniques are incredible. Some of his bizarre kicking methods do not even have names.
Anderson Silva
Many fans consider Anderson Silva to be the best MMA fighter of all time, and it’s hard to disagree. He’s truly flawless in everything he does with his feet. Anderson Silva has changed the game in every way, including movement, timing, precision, and speed.
Silva began practicing Muay Thai, Capoeira, and Taekwondo at a young age. To this day, Silva has remained true to his martial arts roots.
Fighters who have just finished their taekwondo training are probably not used to ducking or blocking punches, and they are almost certainly unable to deliver their punches with any degree of force or accuracy. The fact that they often hold their hands with extremely low coverage only adds to the confusion. Hence, although MMA is infinitely better for self-defense Taekwondo itself as a sport is a good incorporation into MMA training.
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Siddid Dey Purkayastha
(528 Articles Published)