Judo having less influence on modern UFC fighting technique?

Not so long ago and even here at this very website, we often hailed the influence of renowned judoka in the world of mixed martial arts, such as those who have made their presence felt in the Ultimate Fighting Championship since it was founded in 1993. Increasingly of late, there appear to be less participants who base their style around judo training.

While the whole point of mixed martial arts competitions is to provide greater variety, pitting combatants with different skillsets against one another, fewer accomplished judo practitioners are appearing in the UFC. Although many still take the path of competing in various other MMA championships, there are now less appearing in the biggest and most famous contest.

Instead, it seems that other combat sports and martial arts are enjoying a greater influence. Increasingly, many have emerged from backgrounds in boxing and wrestling, before switching to focus on the professional MMA scene. Meanwhile, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is now considered to be one of the most prominent martial arts, certainly amongst leading UFC stars.

Interestingly, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is actually a descendent art of judo, combined with and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, named after the brothers who developed their own self-defence system. They did so after learning traditional Kodokan judo from a travelling Japanese judoka, Mitsuyo Maeda, who was visiting Brazil in 1917.

Recent UFC Stars Who Demonstrate Judo Skills

Ronda Rousey is undoubtedly the most famous judaka to feature in the UFC, often hailed as the defining female athlete of a generation, blazing a remarkable trail from Olympic competition to UFC glory and international stardom. Inspired by her success, other women continue to carry the judo torch in the current UFC scene.

Perhaps the most accomplished judoka in modern UFC is Valentina Shevchenko, currently second in the ufc.com Women’s Pound-For-Pound Rankings. 33-year-old Valentina boasts an exceptional MMA record of 24 fights and 21 wins, while her older sister Antonina is also an accomplished judo expert, also boasting a great MMA record of 12 fights and 9 wins.

Amongst the men, Abdul Razak Alhassan relies heavily on his judo training and skills. The 33-year-old Ghanaian is known as “Judo Thunder” in UFC circles, for obvious reasons, establishing himself as a tough competitor who is difficult to beat. His overall MMA record stands at 10 wins and 4 losses in the middleweight and catchweight divisions.

The most successful male judoka in the UFC was Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired after his last fight in October 2020 with a completely unblemished record. Winning all 29 of his professional fights during an unbeaten career, judo formed a crucial part of his overall technique and subsequent success, making him one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time.

Learning More About UFC Fighters

Given the constantly shifting MMA backgrounds of many UFC fighters, the wide variety of styles and techniques deployed makes the competition itself highly fascinating to watch. As we get to know more about each individual combatant, we also get to learn their preferred moves whenever facing different opponents.

Unpredictability is arguably one of the key elements which makes the UFC so popular, as TV and pay-per-view audiences continue to rise. We might see a clear favourite pitted against an opponent he or she is comfortably expected to beat, only for them to suffer a shock defeat, as the rival fighter produces an unstoppable move or strike.

This is also why betting on UFC has become equally popular, especially now that events are broadcast live around the whole world. Of course, it’s always wise to do some research regarding each fighter, before they take to the octagon and before you back them to win or lose. Furthermore, there’s a huge choice of betting sites and fight markets now available.

Choosing where to bet can be a difficult choice, which is why visiting asiabet.org is worthwhile. Betting experts at Asiabet are fluent in the language of mixed martial arts, fully understanding of how it works and how to make the most out of every bet. This includes detailed guides explaining the types of UFC bets and what each market has to offer bettors.

All Martial Arts Have Their Own Merits

Due to such a wide and varied number of influences, UFC is a melting pot of varied martial arts and combat sports. Although some appear to have become more popular than others, amongst the leading fighters, it doesn’t mean to say that use of judo techniques are now obsolete in the UFC.

Quite the contrary, because there is always room for innovation amongst combatants. That’s precisely what keeps the competition fresh and challenging. Fighters aim to deploy new techniques and improve their own specific set of skills, often tailoring those techniques to enhance performance. This is why combatsportevents.com says judo will always have a prominent role to play in MMA.

Judo will always retain a permanent place within the UFC scene. It may not be as prevalent as the past, yet many top fighters will undoubtedly have trained or studied the martial art. Even if they don’t profess to having done so publicly, observers with keen eyes will always be able to spot how a certain throw or take down is performed, smiling with knowing satisfaction when seeing them in action.