karate

(Props: DreamPrideVictory)

In this excerpt from Lyoto Machida's "Karate for Mixed Martial Arts" instructional DVD set, the Dragon demonstrates one of the techniques that make him so elusive: the step-fake/counterpunch. Then, he shows us how to set up a knee-pick takedown after intercepting a jab. Order today, and receive a bonus DVD which covers eyebrow grooming and alternative nutrition.

(Courtesy of BadBoy.com)

Does anybody else feel sorry for Thiago Silva after watching this video of Lyoto Machida preparing for their fight at UFC 94? Machida really is one of the most focused, technically sound fighters in the world, and if he can score the mount on Silva as easily as he does with his training partner at the video's 0:42 mark, forget about it. Plus, he has that "spirit" thing going for him, which is nice.

As Machida's brother Chinzo points out, Lyoto "will only attack an opponent when he knows that the strike will hit its mark." And of course there's the matter of his confounding defense. FightMetric put together this comparison of Lyoto Machida and some of MMA's current champions, based on the number of strikes they absorb per minute of fighting ("SApM"):

It's a very telling statistic, when you consider that many MMA fans would name Fedor/Anderson/Georges/BJ as the top four pound-for-pound fighters in the world, in that order. Does Machida deserve to be ranked among them? He certainly has the talent; maybe by the end of the year he'll have the accomplishments as well.

(Props: Fightlinker)

It's time for a look at the weird, wild, wacky side of martial arts. First is the above clip of a XARM (Xtreme Arm Wrestling) match, where two competitors have their hands taped together, then proceed to beat each other senseless. I think the goal is still to pin your opponent's arm on the table, but as you'll see, that's not quite how it plays out. The saddest part is that one of the dudes behind this spectacle is Art Davie, one of the co-creators of the UFC. Christ, even Bob Meyrowitz laughs at this guy. I feel bad for those XARM'ers wrists. And their mothers, of course.

(Props: MMA Junkie)

Meet Craig and Paul Pumphrey, stars of G4's upcoming series Human Wrecking Balls. Both are members of the International Karate and Kickboxing Hall of Fame, and both enjoy breaking shit with their bare hands. My favorite part of this promo clip is 0:36-0:39, where the dude just straight-up runs through a wall. I thought that only happened in Kool-Aid commercials. Oh yeah!