Everybody Wing Chun tonight. There. Opened with the obligatory martial arts Dad Joke™ to ensure we’d get that out of our systems. Today, we’ve got some goofy Wing Chun action to look at, and some utterly divine knockout action to cleanse the palate as well.
After all, in a week bookended by a UFC Fight Night event and another one coming up, you probably have to get your fight jollies somewhere. And that’s why we’re here: to look at the good, bad and absurd for your enjoyment.
Winging it
Meet Ding Hao. We’ve met him before as one of the victims of Xu Xiaodong, dispeller of martial arts supremacy claims. It did not go great for that man, at all. But it turns out that wasn’t his only fiasco. We’re gonna take a look at the full match he had against an MMA fighter in a bout that appears to have been agreed to under kickboxing rules.
Taking this into consideration, one would expect that the Wing Chun master would find ways to adapt his combat style to an opponent equipped with a modern arsenal. What we get instead is a tragic drubbing.
You know this is gonna be some tomfoolery from the jump, because this versus screen is some of the most Way of the Warrior-ass visuals you’re gonna get in the 21st century. And continuing in the theme of bad fighting games from the 90s, my man got the stance down to a T. Peep this:
Even the dude in the back looks like an extra from an 80s tournament flick. He knows it’s about to get weird and/or bad. Lucky for him — and us – it’s gonna be both. See, one thing Wing Chun isn’t particularly equipped for is Thai-style leg kicks. And it looks like my man Ding Hao is gonna experience something very new and very uncomfortable for him.
From the opening bell, his opponent nails him with a leg kick. But Wing Chun guy was clearly expecting a body kick and attempts a mid-level parry. No bueno, no señor. Make a note of this. It’s going to happen again.
So the solution for this is to run ahead with a barrage of punches, I guess. Sloppy ones that look like swats. Not one iota of Wing Chun technique is shown here. That leg kick reset that man’s servers and he resorted to Bart and Lisa Simpson-level windmilling.
The very instant they separate, though? MMA dude lands a wild overhand left that deflates any momentum Wing Chun guy had.
That’s followed by a body kick that Wing Chun guy clumsily tries to shake off after it hits his arm and not his torso.
After his brief “Foolish mortal, your attacks cannot harm me” moment, the MMA fighter goes for a wild jumping front kick and you can tell by his body language that the Wing Chun guy has finally begun to reconsider some life choices.
That’s followed for two more left hands that absolutely hurt him.
But wait! After some clumsy hand action, Wing Chun guy parries some close punches and avoids some elbows. He’s corraled to the ropes and lands a really nice punch to force a reset.
Yeah, that got his attention, alright. Know, I want you to notice something. Remember that stance from above when the fight began? That’s out the window, fam. He’s done with that. This man is fighting for his life now.
Except that now the MMA guy got a taste of what the Wing Chun dude had and figured he’s given the man too much latitude and this cat is running a little too free out here. It’s time for some knees in the clinch, and Wing Chun dude eats them like Joey Chestnut.
Welp. That’s not great. Man ran out of Wing Chun energy or whatever. After a separation, the Wing Chun guy has the temerity to taunt his opponent. That’s bravado at it’s finest when you’re clearly losing. At least he’s not getting leg kicked anymore.
Oh, wait.
Now, Wing Chun guy finally takes the hint and begins to hunch a little lower to do anything to take the sting out of those heaters. His body and mind are in tune to defend against any leg kicks moving forward.
You all know what that means, right? Right?
In the wise words of Action Bronson: “Lie with the left hand, shake hands right… thank you for coming, goodnight.” Look at the fury on this dude’s face when he unloads that final kick to the head.
You gotta go home, pack up your stuff and move to a mountain village after something like this. Kill a goat and burn it as an offering to the ghosts of Ip Man and Teddy Pendergrass or something. Anything but getting in the ring again, this ain’t right.
Joint damage in the Thai martial arts
Next, we revisit Thailand, land of wonders. Rajadamnern World Series has been providing some exquisite action over on their YouTube channel. Here’s two bouts that are pure martial arts action. The first one’s a bit more frenetic, but there’s a sensational elbow finish here.
This second one is another blazing firefight, and the knee to finish the fight is martial arts money.
A look at Hapkido
This is a brief Hapkido demonstration, but it’s totally worth it. Midway through, there’s a lovely hip toss combo leading to a elbow/shoulder pin submission. Art in motion. Just effortless.
Big Chungus Hours
Here we have another match from SAMBOFIAS and the 2023 World Cup from September in Serbia. Two chunky bois going at it and struggling to establish control. The ending was cathartic, to say the least.
King Cung
Next we take a look at former Strikeforce and UFC standout Cung Le. While most fans know him from his MMA career, you’re gonna love what he did before that. His Sanshou competition days not only helped him build a solid foundation for MMA, it featured a brilliant highlight reel full of intense action.
He largely goes underappreciated these days, but this man was impressive. Check this out:
That’s all we’ve got for this week, kids. Stay warm and moisturized. Go brush your teeth. Also, get hyped for Rise of the Ronin, dropping later this month. And remember – you might think you can fight, but there are many guys like you all over the world.
Mightiest Daddy 
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