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As the highest peak in the MMA world, the UFC is known for hosting the greatest mixed martial artists across the globe. MMA began as an attempt at identifying the best martial arts style in the world. However, the early UFC tournaments revealed a different reality altogether. There is no such thing as the best martial arts style.
Instead of a singular superior martial arts style, the best approach to unarmed combat entailed a system of martial arts that covered every facet of fighting from grappling and striking to ground-fighting and mixing everything together in a coherent form. The system must have a synergy.
While the likes of freestyle wrestling and kickboxing are common sights in the UFC, there are other martial arts that are rarely employed by Dana White's best fighters. This list looks at 5 martial arts that are not often seen in the UFC.
#5. Karate
While there have been standout karatekas in the UFC, how many—outside of Conor McGregor, Stephen Thompson, Lyoto Machida and Henry Cejudo—can spectators name throughout the promotion's entire history? Even the likes of Robert Whittaker and Georges St-Pierre largely abandoned their karate roots.
The lack of prevalence of karate was such that before the rise of Lyoto Machida, it was a commonly held opinion in MMA circles that karate couldn't be applied in a practical setting like mixed martial arts. Thus, fighters strayed away from it, least of all due to the style's perceived weakness to low kicks, among other things.
'GSP' traded his striking roots for wrestling, while Conor McGregor only ever used elements of karate before fully committing to a more boxing-heavy approach, as did Robert Whittaker. Only Lyoto Machida, Uriah Hall, Stephen Thompson and Henry Cejudo remained true to the Japanese martial arts style.
#4. Taekwondo is rarely seen in the UFC
Like karate and all of its subsets, taekwondo is a martial arts style that's received a significant amount of scorn in MMA and kickboxing circles. The effectiveness of the Korean martial art has been questioned and even dismissed, and it's apparent that the belief is prevalent in the UFC due to its lack of appearances.
Former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis is possibly the most high-profile taekwondo practitioner in the promotion, having used it to great effect to capture world championship gold. Other fighters like heavyweight Chris Barnett and featherweight action fighter Yair Rodriguez are also well-known TKD black belts.
While other fighters like Rose Namajunas and Benson Henderson hold black belts in taekwondo, they rarely implement their skills. 'Thug Rose' has become a kickboxer with a greater focus on boxing, while Benson Henderson fought predominantly as a wrestler with the odd low kick during his UFC tenure.
Similarly, Edson Barboza favors his Muay Thai skill-set over his TKD background, which earned him a reputation as one of the most vicious low-kickers in MMA.
#3. Judo
Several fighters, past and present, dabbled in judo. The likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Hector Lombard hold black belts in the Japanese grappling art. Other fighters exhibit elements of judo due to the need to be competent in clinch-based grappling in MMA bouts.
However, seeing judo being used to its full extent as a primary style is a rare occurrence in the UFC. While 'The Eagle' and his compatriot Islam Makhachev have used the odd hip toss, sweep and trip, they are mainly chain-wrestlers. Hector Lombard is one of the few fighters who used judo extensively in the promotion.
No fighter is more well-known for using judo as their foundation than former women's bantamweight titleholder Ronda Rousey. 'Rowdy's entire career was defined by her hip tosses and arm-drags en route to securing an armbar for the finish.
While women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko also owns a judo black belt, she is primarily a kickboxer who relies on her Muay Thai-based counter-striking during her bouts.
#2. Capoeira
Capoeira is one of the most dynamic martial arts as far as striking is concerned. Its Brazilian roots have led to its only consistent practitioners in the UFC being Brazilian. The momentum required to execute the wide, sweeping kicks that define the Brazilian martial arts style renders it extremely risky.
While the payoff can be significant, the drawbacks are rapidly decreasing cardio and large openings for an opponent's counter-strikes. Thus, even most capoeira practitioners in the UFC stray from their background. Brazilian welterweight Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos favors a Muay-Thai-based approach and barely, if ever, uses his capoeira expertise.
Similarly, Cezar Ferreira fought mainly as a grappler during his UFC run after his use of capoeira earned him three knockout losses. Only Michel Pereira makes extensive use of his capoeira background.
#1. Sumo
There have only ever been two sumo fighters in the promotion's history. Neither man had flattering MMA records. The first was Taylor Wily, formerly known as Teila Tuli. A longtime sumo wrestler, the hulking Hawaiian took part in the first-ever UFC tournament.
It was his first and last MMA bout. After stumbling following an ill-executed attempt at a sumo charge, the mountainous Hawaiian was intercepted with a brutal kick and punch from Gerard Gordeau. The fight lasted 26 seconds, ending via TKO with Taylor Wily missing several of his teeth.
The only other sumo wrestler in the promotion's history was amateur champion Emmanuel Yarbrough. At six feet eight inches tall and 600 lbs, he was one of the largest-ever fighters in the promotion. He was part of UFC 3, where too suffered a first-round TKO before fighting twice more in other promotions en route to a record of one win and two losses.
Due to the introduction of weight classes and the 265lbs limit for heavyweights, sumo wrestlers struggle to find a place in today's heavyweight division.
