5 Traditional Martial Arts We Have Yet to See (Successfully) Applied to MMA

Where do we begin with the styles we've seen in MMA?

We've seen Judo, Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Shotokan Karate, Kyokushin Karate, and Jiu-Jitsu in more forms than we really care to count. But,while there might be various versions of one style, what of the original styles that we always wanted to see but have not yet seen?

Could we see some techniques from certain martial arts in our little combat sport of MMA?

Here's a few ideas to get us started.

Bokator

The Cambodia Travel Blog, as well as the description for a video on the official Youtube channel of "The Brooklyn Monk" Antonio Graceffo, describe the video—from Graceffo's Martial Arts Oddysey—as follows:

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"In the shadow of Angkor Wat, Antonio Graceffo travels to Siem Reap, Cambodia to train with Pirum, the lead instructor at the first major Bokator academy outside of Phnom Penh. Grand Master San Kim Saen had a vision of sending emissaries to all of the corners of Cambodia, and eventually all over the world, to help spread and preserve the ancient Cambodian martial art. The school in Siem Reap is extremely important because Siem Reap enjoys more than twenty times as much tourism as Phnom Penh. The Siem Reap school is the one more likely to be visited by foreign students."

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To differentiate between Muay Thai and Bokator, Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) descended from Muay Boran and, as we all know, Muay Thai eventually became the national sport of Thailand.

Bokator, the oldest Cambodian fighting system in existence, was designed to be used on the battlefield and incorporated not only strikes, but also submissions and ground fighting in ways that could beat an opponent into submission or even death (again, this was designed for the battlefield, not the Octagon or the cage or the ring).

Does that mean it's never been used in the cage for competition?

Absolutely not—especially if you've gotten the chance to see Graceffo and Tun Serey of the Bokator Academy in action at the Mayhem II tournament in Malaysia.

Graceffo's record stands at 5-1 professionally, including a recent win at Malaysia FC 4 over Nik Harris, and a draw coming in an exhibition bout.

Safe to say that the style is effective enough to be used inside the Octagon?

I think so, and I think we should definitely see a lot more of it inside the Octagon.

Capoeira

After Marcus Aurelio, Anthony Pettis' WEC run, and Anderson Silva's onetime flirtation with "the art of Brazilian dance-fighting," Capoeira seemed to quietly leave us, and we're not quite sure why.

Aurelio used the art about as effectively as anyone ever has, and few will have their complaints if they have to see it again, as it does employ footwork and athleticism in the disguise of simply dancing around the cage or the ring.

Perhaps there is a time in the near future in which Capoeira can once again be effectively used in MMA, even if for one night only.

I know I'd welcome this back...would you?

Krav Maga

Ah, the world's favorite Israeli Martial Art.

It's quick, it's meant for combat and self-defense, and it does damage.

The only thing it can't do, it seems, is get a competition that features this art in action in the same way that there are Jiu-Jitsu competitions and Judo competitions, as well as K-1 tournaments and Muay Thai championships, but its purpose is to inflict the most damage possible.

Even still, if you feel any Krav Maga slapped on you in MMA competition, watch out, because it will hurt like crazy, and it could be hazardous to your overall life span.

Kuk Sool Won

It's been a while since we've even seen the term "Kuk Sool Won" in any connection with MMA.

Gary Goodridge was announced as a Kuk Sool Won fighter when he fought Paul Herrera in the early days of the UFC, but many consider Goodridge more of a kickboxer than anything.

In any event, we want to see the crucifix make its mark once again in MMA as it is, but those who have only heard the name through Goodridge's fight could potentially see this style in action one day.

Tang Soo Do

Tang Soo Do is a Korean martial art with techniques used mostly for self-defense, but they often are advertised as Karate schools.

Many techniques from this style have not been seen by many fans of the MMA world outside of these schools because Tang Soo Do is one of many martial arts that is for self-defense and/or combat, but not necessarily for competition.

With the unified rules of MMA, and with some of the techniques of Tang Soo Do, who knows if the style will ever be incorporated into MMA entirely, but the beauty of MMA is that it takes a little bit of every discipline and blends them together in a way that, more often than not, showcases almost every aspect of the sport.