The 10 Worst Martial Arts for MMA 

Using magic moves isn't allowed in the UFC because it would be Chi-ting

>Krav Maga: Teaches attacks to the eyes *Jon Jones would like to know your location*

Krav Maga's entire MO is based on punching people in the dick. Literally every drill: "Punch your opponent in the balls!"

Somehow, AIkido "masters" only seem to be effective against their own students.

Fun fact about Capoeira for those who don't know: The slaves who created it didn't want to get caught learning how to defend themselves, so they disguised it as a dance, which is why it looks so fluid and, well, dance-like

I spent twelve years learning to attack pressure points using my chi. For some reason, the ufc won’t even let me attend an event because of the risk I pose when I cheer for one fighter or another. Do you remember when Kevin randleman fell backstage? Sorry about that, I sneezed.

I like how dude just said "screw it, I am not going to go through each of them, just gonna call them 'chi martial arts' and be done with it"

When I see a middle aged, dad bod "master", I'm suddenly very cynical.

As an 8th degree blue belt in the mystic art of Chi Jitsu, I take great offense at being labeled as "useless". I have removed many squirrels from my property just by staring at them😳

When Chi showed up on the list, I was begging to see that clip of that woman getting bulldozed on the beach. Thank you MMA On Point for not letting us down!

I like how unlike some videos this one acknowledges that rules in mma prevent certain techniques and systems from being effective. Especially because your not allowed to kill you opponent or do damage to certain areas.

I've always viewed jkd as the philosophy of making your own fighting style after learning many types

You can always say “you attacked me wrong” when ur style doesn’t work. Gotten me out of a few jams.

You’re being extremely generous when saying that the #1 is a martial art

"Just train Boxing and wrestling for 1 year, you could defeat any kung fu master in China" - Bruce Lee.

Biggest problem for Sumo is just how limited it is in an MMA environment, beyond just the stamina, the entire purpose of Sumo is to force the opponent to either step outside the dohyo or touch the ground with part of the body other than the feet. Striking is limited, and the ground game is non existent as the fight is already over when somebody touches the ground in sumo. It is at its core a beautiful and surprisingly complex and intriguing martial art to watch... but its standing on ceremony and a very wilfully restricted, pure ruleset means that huge parts of the MMA game are simply not possible to learn in sumo, and because professional sumo means regulating entire sections of your life, you're also not able to train elements of combat outside of sumo during that time either.

This is probably the most respectful top 10 worst martial arts list I’ve ever seen

I like how in every martial arts demonstration the attacker freezes as soon as the defender begins their counter action.

Bruce Lee is the Godfather of MMA. He was one of the first martial artists to study a different martial art from his primary one (considered a huge no-no back in the day). He was also the first to make martial arts films that were less fantasy (eg. fighting in mid-air), and made it look more realistic. This also inspired future action films as well.

A pretty legitimate list. I applaud you for not attacking Taekwondo or Karate like too many mma people do. No, by themselves they are not well suited for mma, but they are legitimate and are a part of most mma fighters repertoire.

Phenomenal job done by the narrator in succeeding not to say the words "bullshit", "crap", "stupid" and "useless". Especially as we approach number 1.

This went from kind of legit to mcdojo real quick.

Correction: It's only been recent that we've *rediscovered* a lot of this stuff. The martial arts of the past were much more comprehensive systems than they were 100 years ago. Schools that by 1900 were only teaching judo were teaching not just today's "mixed martial arts" but also weapon skills like the spear and sword. Today's martial arts can only be "mixed" because the arts of the past were separated. But even in 1900, there were things like Bartitsu, which despite its silly nature was actually a real combat style that combined jujutsu, boxing, and cane fighting (as canes were a common implement of the time). Just look at what's happened to TKD over the last 40 or 50 years. It went from a well-rounded system of striking and grappling to kick-fencing. Tai Chi's silly arm circles used to be things like ankle picks and leg sweeps. MMA isn't a mixed martial art, its a complete martial art, like TKD, Jujutsu, and Karate used to be.

KaaaaameeehaameeeHAAAAA!!!! 🤣

Really disappointed that you didn't include slapoeira, Russian slapping martial arts

“and I taught DC how to wrestle” - Steven Seagal

Wing Chun is definitely “useable” however it’s only really useful against someone who doesn’t know a better way around it.

I believe Jeet Kune Do is the most effective one. It is like MMA only without restrictions. It is to create your own style from many other styles. Keep the useful things and forget the useless things.

This channel literally brought me into mma, thank you so much

So in conclusion, some martial arts work better in an actual combat scenario, some were never meant to be used in an MMA environment, and then there's the martial arts which are just fucking magic.

Capoeira forces you to develop a keen eye for reading your opponent's movement. Foreigners may get to see the dancing part more often than the "roda" (or "the circle") aspect of it. Capoeiristas (practitioners of capoeira) are encouraged to step in the roda against an opponent that he doesn't know, with very little to no rules besides "use capoeira". (Fun fact: capoeira as a whole where prohibited in Brazil in the 1930's because those rodas usually take place in the streets and ended up in full blown gang fights among the gyms at site) It's a martial art so focused in "get smart, get good" that, in order to get a leveled up "cordão" (capoeira's belt) a capoerista have to fight an experienced capoeirista and the fight only stops when he gets leg swept and take the fall. Capoeira is a street wise martial art. So, if you see capoeira moves landing in caged fights, probably it came out of nowhere or as a form of taunting.

11:00 dude, when that guy got knocked out, i started DYING of laughter

I read worst and I saw Steven seagal in the thumbnail, say no more

Idk why but Roy Nelson having kung fu tournament trophies made me laugh out so loud

So from what I'm seeing, several of the styles on this list are not good in MMA.... because they're outdated. I think this especially applies to Jeet Kune Do- a style (that's not really a style) that was never fully developed because its pioneer died prematurely.

Well, about Chinese kung fu, I have learnt that most of it has disappeared over time, the real practical kung fu is not practised in many institutions and fake kungfu such as chi are practised.However, there are other very practical martial arts of china such as Shaolin Kung fu and Bai jin quan.

Watch out for those chi attacks got hit with a spirit bomb in high school, and I still walk with a limp

"Sidekicks don't always inflict as much damage"... Except when it's Wonderboy throwing them

Great list. And very fair descriptions of each Martial Art on the list.

One thing I liked about aikido was how we were taught to move towards your opponent, makes you less afraid of taking a hit

I have to say, this video was fantastic. I thought it would be a mildly amusing roast of fake martial arts, but you went in depth about the merits of aspects of each and their fundamental shortcomings in competitive fighting, treating each one with respect. I was thoroughly impressed.

Me spamming Aikido in the comments

I practiced Wing Chun for a few years, just before UFC became a thing. It was back when you could say "we don't need full contact sparring. Just remember these techniques and no one can hit you." :D

My friends and I were pretty heavy practitioners of Chi.. In second grade at recess. ='D

As a former practitioner of Aikido... Yes 100%, any MMA fighter would destroy an Aikido master. It's mostly spiritual and a form of thinking. It doesn't translate to reality very well at all

Honorable mention to Joe Son Do - though in all fairness, repeated nut-punches are a good way to throw off any kind of martial artist

You already said it at the beginning of the JKD section. It's not a martial arts system, just a philosophy of not being constrained by martial arts systems. That is a common approach to modern MMA combat.

Interesting video! Please compare those MA's with ones that work and explain reasons. I wonder if those MA's might be inefficient in MMA if they are used alone and not mixed with other MA's, as it should be in MMA.

9:42 when being attacked with a combat knife, its a good idea to grab the blade with your hand. nothing bad can happen there.

Thanks for still being respectful. Some practitioners of these arts do it for the tradition and artistry. It's not always about fighting nowadays. Cheers!

Sumo wouldn't work in MMA, but if you get the chance to go to a Sumo tournament, definitely take it. It's truly awe inspiring seeing two mountains of humanity rush at each other full power. The volume of the slaps needs to be heard in person to be appreciated. Truly one of the most amazing sporting events that one can see.

As a former highschool wrestler there are defenses to a double leg take down I presenting: the sprawl. Although it is true sprawling could potentially hurt you if you get tricked into it in MMA but also if have quick knees that is another option

It blows my mind that we still haven’t seen a proper shoryuken

11:36 the subtitles automatically translates "chi martial arts" to "cheap martial arts". it knows what's up

I've read the "systema manual" and really feels more like a book on self improvement than anything else. It's not bad in that department though.

Just gonna say, thank you dude. I appreciate that you didn't completely dismiss a lot of these Martial Arts, like Capoeira, Aikido, and Kung Fu/Chinsese Martial Arts in general. While they may not be effective in a ring fight, they are effective in certain situations, or for different purposes. Tai-Chi is great for your health, for breath control, and for meditation purposes. And aspects of it can be used in other martial arts as a supplement, however, anybody that thinks that they can expel Qi from their bodies is unfortunately delusional. Qi is breath...breath is life, and the only place you can expel Qi from, really, is the mouth and nose. Qi (or Chi) is a very old Chinese spiritual/philosophical concept, used notably in Taoist practice, through meditation and ritual. People twist a very old, and surprisingly grounded Spitual concept (in regards to how some spiritual ideas are) into something that would be better suited to Fantasy, or Sci-fi. Qi is not the Force, no matter how much you hope it is...unfortunate, because little kid me really super hoped it was. But, as an adult, I'm happy with knowing that what I practice, even if I am a novice, is something that can bring some inner peace to me. I hope I can get a proper trainer someday, but until then I'm happy reading and practicing on my own.

Aikido is a great martial art when you are fighting for the last biscuit at the supper table Steven Seagal is a champion food snatchet

About the Jeet Kune Do part, I remember Frank Shamrock cited Jeet Kune Do as one of the systems he practiced. Also Bruce Lee died when he was still experimenting with his training including the use of submission holds.

10. Kung fu: too old 9. Krav Maga: just practicing what you see on TV at home 8. Jeet Kuhn do: you’re not Bruce Lee 7. Wing chun: too predictable 6. Capoeira: if you’re an android you could probably do this but you’re not. 5. Akido: there’s a reason even Segal is considered a master. 4. Sumo: big and strong but slow 3. systema: it’s a Russian martial art so of course it doesn’t work 2. Kyusho jitsu: you’re not in Naruto 1. Chi: you’re 6 and love dragon ball

What a great video. Nice work. Respects.

*Lee Jun-Fan's Jeet Kune Do* •boxing's head & body punch, footwork• •savate's head & body kick• •suntukan's shoulder strike, limb destruction• •gung fu's thigh & knee kick, foot-stomp• •muay thai's elbow & knee strike, clench• •judo's throw & standing body control• •grec-roman wrestling's drag & laying body control• •tai chi's breathing, reaction sub-memory, simplicity• •america's "do what needs to be done" attitude•

Theres gonna be some saaaaaaaalty people in this comment section for sure 🤣

Great video! I appreciate that you were respectful of the legitimate arts that you covered despite their lack of modernity and usefulness in mma competition.

There's an interesting video by Ramsey Dewey (MMA coach) about how some kicks in Capoeira put you in a position for a takedown, like an ankle pick, so maybe the people using Capoeira are just misapplying it, and if some wrestlers learned it, we'd see it being more effective.

"No weigh is the way." - Daniel Cormier grabbing the towel on the scale.

*Fun fact about capoeira* : It involves a lot of wreslting, when you throw those kicks and return to your stance you're in position to shoot for a take down.

I think alot of the momentum fighting like, Aikdo and Systema are good for self-defense, where an attacker is trying to catch you off guard or doesn't expect you to do anything. In a fight where the other person is expecting you to be prepared for a fight lol, it doesnt translate a well. They know they're balance and momentum have to be controlled. And Sumo wrestling i honestly think it isnt that terrible to translate into an mma fight. It just seems that one, they are often too big to keep good balance when they are no longer on their feet. Like once they go down, they're too big for their own good.(Look at Taylor Wily). But I think if a Sumo wrestler cut down in weight, and worked on striking a little, just enough to get by, they can be pretty effective. And the ground game might come easier than you would think, just because their standing grappling seems to be VERY strategic. Shit, all fighting is ART.

Very well done, I'm glad I watched

Between the presentation, editing and information this is one of the best list videos I've seen on this channel, and they normally make fantastic content.

"Side kicks don't always inflict alot of damage..." Also MMA: "Should kicks to the knee be banned?"

It's helpful for people to understand context and where (and why) some of these things developed in. While traveling around China, a historian gave us some explanation for 'gong fu' and it really makes very good sense when you see where they lived, how they lived at these times. He explained how this community, like many back then, they have what is a kind of 'island' or if you want, see it as land with a moat around it, often rice paddies. Okay, now the entrances are raised 'sidewalks' and some are narrow, just enough for a single person. Okay now you can envision that. In the famous case, it was said to be a village where their army, their military, their fighters were either fighting elsewhere or maybe were wiped out so you have nobody there but the wives, old men, the regular folks who certainly didn't train for warfare. Okay. It's said that a 'warrior monk' was left behind in most villages. In one account, this monk realizes the village is going to be utterly overtaken by an enemy military then surrounding the place. the monk realizes there are only average civilians, they don't have weapons etc. He's not going to do some VIP 1-on-1 training of each and every person so instead he stands on the walkway, the narrow bridges or simulates it. Over and over in his mind, he visualizes the weapons of the enemy, how they would have to attack. They'd have to walk one at a time, one behind the other. He visualizes their standard weapons. He visualizes how they'd have to climb over these stone blocks they put up on the narrow pathways. He goes over and over in his mind until he figures out a kind of 'Probability' formula. When they attack they will almost always have to hold with one hand, stab with this 3ft sword etc. He finds every able-bodied adult in the village and they are lined up for a massive class. They don't need to talk fighting, know fighting, they are to simply and only do these moves. Here comes the soldier, stand like this, got it? When you go backwards like THIS, over over and over again. Everyone sweep your arms like this. Every time you see the sword it will come this way and make this sweeping motion. The monk had a kind of flawless choreograph of moves and the villagers didn't need to know a thing but this carefully timed series, move move, sweep sweep, push down, bend, back, up, push left, push right, repeat, repeat. They did it day and night. Over and over until it was like automatic in their brains. Invasion day came. The monk had 100 of these trained villagers at each of the entrances. Sure enough, the enemy soldiers run 1 at a time down the narrow path, drop ladders or steps at the blocks, climb up and exactly as the monk saw, they would balance themselves with one hand, lean forward and slash downward where, to their astonishment... ..the old farmer standing there, in perfect distance, in perfect timing simple swept the sword blow away, move back, and up where upon almost all attacking soldiers would naturally try to stab forward - only to be amazed how the villager would perfect sidestep and grasp their arm and exactly as they were unbalanced, the villager would twist and down - splash, easily pulling the attacker off the stone and into the muddy mucky rice paddy. The monk had trained them so perfectly that after the first villager did his moves, no matter what, they'd move to the back and the next fresh villager would move up, again, in perfect timing, distance and moves. It was said even little old ladies would flawlessly move as if they could predict every swing of the sword and using balance, perfectly pull another soldier off the bridge into the water. You can still see class moves where they will lean forward and it really does look like you'd lunge a spear forward and down even if they aren't holding a spear or stick. This is where the monk, realizing he wasn't going to turn villagers into savage warriors had trained villagers a single repeatable move as soldier fell into the water and desperately attempt to drag themselves through the muck to the land - the villagers armed with poles (brooms in the story) would automatically follow the beat and trained move over and over perfectly made to keep balance, bend, launch a blow, quickly pull back and up, repeat, repeat. In the story, the attacking soldiers don't need to be killed. What happens is they wreck themselves falling into the muddy rice paddy where they are repeatedly shoved back and back over and over until they collapse from utter exhaustion, a mess of heavy weapons and armor as they battle to move while being constantly shoved back and back by brooms, each with perfect order, speed and timing tailor made for the exact scenario and moves. The next time you see the old Chinese folks in the park try and keep this in mind. That's a sweeping away of a sword. That's how you'd balance on a 2ft wide paddy bridge, that is how you'd knock a bogged down soldier stuck in the mud if you were on shore with a broomstick, etc etc. This was not made for 'ring fighting'. It was not made for hand-to-hand combat. It wasn't even made as an 'offensive attack'. It wasn't made for a wide open battlefield. This was made for a very specific real life scenario and by all accounts it worked perfectly and the villagers were saved. *a similar story has a walled city and the attackers climb a wall ala siege movies but you get the idea*. Cool story bro, enjoy!

The thing about Judo and perhaps other systems is that there are so many sparring sessions that one reacts as one trained! It is helpful.

I need confirmation that Krav Maga practicioners are called KravMagicians.

The clip of that dude laying out that little lady on the beach will never not be absolutely hilarious

Awesome video brother!

Excellent video

This is a special video. It's the only one I've seen where each aspect is treated with respect. Thank you for clarifying so well why even arts that aren't that great in context still add something to the context.

Most fitting thumbnail ever

This is very thorough.

Sumo wrestlers could translate to a offensive tackle. Hand punch and keeping a low center of gravity is some of the qualities needed to be such.

"number one is Jiu Jitsu" - Derrick Lewis

I feel like Jeet Kune Do shouldn't be on this list because the philosophy had certain concepts that would later be adopted by mma, like the oblique kick. And also the philopshy seems to have influenced mma go an extent with it's focus of being well rounded rather than just keeping yourself to a single style

3:40 Jeet Kune Do is basically mma itself. Striking, grappling, innovation and cross training is essentially the whole sport now.

The #1, I legit cried from laughter watching those videos!! 😂 😂 😂

I love this amazing channel great work 👍👍

I've been practicing Aikido for 24 years (and teaching for 13) and I have to say this video is spot on. In reality a lot of the techniques won't work the way they are taught or practiced in most dojos. Anybody that is decent at striking or ground work will make short work of someone relying on just Aikido. It's just not what we've been trained to deal with. Training to fight in a ring is completely different from training to defend yourself from the average idiot in the street. There's also a mentality to fighting that many people (not just in aikido) just don't have.

Great video. Do these "too deadly for the sport" martial arts have any use legitimately can you defend yourself against an attacker with them?

This was a really balanced look at this, as it could have very well been "Kungfu s#!t, aikido s#!t, etc. Why? Just because!" You guys always do good stuff. It is interestng that most of these fall into the category of either combatives/self-defence system (krav, wing chun, JKD), sport with a drastically different skill set (Kung-fu, Sumo), or pure trash (kyusho, Chi, Steven Seagull's particular brand of Aikido). It helps people look more broadly when choosing styles to train in if they're interested in training MMA.

You're the best narrator beside Tommy Toe Hold. Good video mate!

Sanda is a 10/10 tho. And Wing Chun is also technically part of Kung Fu... but I understand why you wanted to keep it separate

Great video

The fake Chi guy rushing towards that lady at the end had me rolling!😂😂😂

That clip with the "chi master" plowing through his "student" is my favorite clip of all time 🤣

Guess it goes without saying but all weapon based martial arts are essentially useless in MMA (fencing, kendo , wushu). Maaaaybe some footwork but that's about it.

It was sweet watching the guys that used Judo in the octagon back in the day. Obviously I enjoyed watching Rhonda fight as well. I'm not sure why more people haven't done it. Back injuries ?

You never want to go to the ground in a self defense situation, what if there are more attackers?

Guess we will have to wait for a Ryu type throwing energy balls across the octogen while shouting hadouken....sigh.

Now for the opposite with the most successful martial arts in MMA.

As a brasilian, I might say, cool capoeira quick, but fair background you made there!

Love martial arts. Have trained in shotokan and ninjistu . The later was very surprising mainly grappling and holds with some weapon training.