RANKING Martial Arts Styles For MMA! Fighting Style Tier List

[@SenseiSeth]

Mind subscribing?

[@MzuMzu-nx1em]

The my kick up your arse is awesome. I have posted some light , improvised workout , with a bitbof martial arts inside .take a look don't mind my stomach I am 45

[@AnduinKurion]

Already am and I am so glad I found you, you are absolutely awesome! :) Greetings from a german boxer.

[@MzuMzu-nx1em]

Taekwoon do has a light foot work, it's a life saver on the ring .

[@ADU17]

No I don’t mind at all

[@stfuna4b]

I'm already subscribed

[@hypnoticskull6342]

"No intentional throwing outside of the ring or cage." That's definitely Sumo

[@dr.floridamanphd]

I remember when that match in the early days of UFC.

[@hypnoticskull6342]

@@dr.floridamanphd That was so fucking badass. Too bad the Sumo lost

[@Jeffgordon24everfan]

Blame Tank Abbott

[@belalabusultan5911]

are you sure? I thought this was to decrease the effeciency of Dragon Ball tournament enthusiasts, since you win in those by throwing someone outside the ring :P

[@wrongfoot4]

dude there was an early ufc fight where someone tried to do that and the rule was made immediately after, I forgot who was in the match but its been tried

[@TheBrianp1]

Ameri-Do-Te is so S tier it makes everything else at best D tier. Because of Master Ken I no longer live in fear of the destructive disabled.

[@JRF1004]

Facts 💯

[@tristankendrick2582]

Restomping the groing is the strongest kick in martial arts

[@redhead12555]

I practice it everyday for Jon Jones

[@brucelaw4776]

Restomp the groin

[@mattl.9149]

Ameri-Do-Te is so powerful that Seth couldn't include it without running out of space for the other styles, even if he brought back E tier.

[@obscurelines]

Wrestling has dominated MMA but a part of that is the American system of producing thousands of wrestlers at a young age with nothing to really do through their twenties. They have no means of income beyond MMA.

[@bombastikderteutone6858]

"with nothing to really do" through their twenties hahaha

[@obscurelines]

@@bombastikderteutone6858 Hah, I just meant that compared to other college sports it doesn't offer the same financial opportunities.

[@sliderx1897]

And then some professor usually just hands them a bjj black belt so they can claim them

[@namelikeanyother885]

Exactly, wrestling is a super popular high-school sport in the US, most of the other good ones don't even exist as a sport in high-school. So of-course a lot of very talented athletes growing up in the US, would choose wrestling and then end up being good at MMA also, but that doesn't mean wrestling is particularly good for MMA... in Europe/Asia wrestling isn't as big of a deal and equally almost no-one has a wrestling background...

[@CCGMASTER]

@@namelikeanyother885 I took boxing and judo in hs, we had them as after school clubs. There was a lot of competition from other schools too. Not sure why they never got endorsed for official school sports even though the tennis and golf teams struggled to attract players.

[@Defender78]

Nice Breakdown! Here's my transcript: 0:27 BJJ, 1:50 TKD, 3:04 Judo, 4:04 Muy Thai, 5:41 Sambo, 6:44 Krav Maga, 7:48 Karate, 9:21 MMA ruleset, 10:28 WRST, 11:18 KBX, 12:12 Wing Ch, 12:45 BOX, 13:55 Sandu/Sanda [S] Sambo [A] Wrestling, Sandu [B] BJJ, M-Thai, KBX [C] Judo, Boxing [D] TKD, Karate [F] KraV, Wing Ch

[@jumpvelocity3953]

Sanshou, not Sandu.

[@lucasnevescardoso3297]

S - Complete martial art A - Excellent MMA bases B - MMA-oriented styles C - Good combat sports D - Bad combat sports F - Fake Martial Arts

[@fred4800]

Judo should be in B and switch with BJJ. Sure its not as well versed on the ground as BJJ but at least it does ground and stand up. BJJ weakness is not doing anything on the feet and being too comfortable on the ground.

[@jumpvelocity3953]

@@fred4800 this is in the context of MMA. BJJ is much more useful than Judo in this context. You are guaranteed to have mastered another martial art for striking etc.

[@ghostyybarnes7767]

Yall seem to forget about gracie jiu jitsu

[@lordgaben9721]

Judo still underrated. Clinch grappling is the most important skill in modern MMA.

[@David-ui1fb]

si esta infravalorado la verdad

[@TrendyTryhard]

That's why I don't understand why he ranked Muay Thai so low. Isn't that a huge part of Muay Thai?

[@Ryan-qu4vx]

I think Judo is great and the ability to dictate where a fight takes place is a massive advantage but the grip game being such a large part of Judo will keep it from becoming a major style in MMA.

[@maxwellsdemon10]

@@TrendyTryhard the thing is the stance in muay Thai. The Thai stance is a major part of the game and the way they check kicks, throw teeps and such is very specific to Muay Thai. That's why I would agree with seth, that kickboxing translates better to MMA, because you don't have to change your stance that much and you don't have to CHANGE significant things in your style, you have to learn new things, which is always easier.

[@TrendyTryhard]

@@maxwellsdemon10 good points, thank you

[@propaneman9579]

A funny thing I noticed is how the number of Wing Chun videos titled "How to Defeat a Boxer/MMA Fighter" really just speaks to how formidable Boxing and MMA are rather than Wing Chun. Boxers and MMA Fighters have to be crazy strong if there's so many videos attempting to demonstrate how to defeat them. I've also never seen a Boxing/MMA video titled "How to Defeat a Wing Chun Fighter".

[@liammullen2144]

Stop using logic you heretic

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

You have a point. *gunshots* oh wait, you _had_ one.

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

@@liammullen2144 BURN THE WITCH!!!

[@Jenkies757]

Most wing Chun is watered down bullshit. Unless your learning from Duncan leungs inner circle disciples your not learning applicable technique

[@Jenkies757]

Also tell that to the Chinese army or every swat team in Virginia who train Wing Chun

[@letsgojake.4078]

My wife heard the video and said "Is that the hot karate guy?" I was like, "Oh, hot huh? I dont know." She comes and looks... "No, the other guy." She meant Wonderboy. Sorry, Seth.

[@SenseiSeth]

Hahaha what’s funny is before I read the comment entirely I was going to comment “she must mean WB” 😂😂

[@letsgojake.4078]

Its not fair that one guy gets the athletic genetics and the looks. Save some for the rest of us, WB.

[@ajshiro3957]

LOL, why she gotta do my boy like that?

[@james4727]

@@SenseiSeth mate I think you're sexy

[@lyrasunshard3769]

@@james4727 agreed, Seth looks handsome

[@TheTobiasSimon]

Recently quit Taekwondo for Muay Thai so I’m not getting clowned today

[@thatwolfensteinguy8954]

Bro....... i love Muay Thai, but ITF TKD especially is just as badass, in North korea they kick rocks with the Turning Kicks.

[@dinner8204]

TKD is pretty good as an addition to other striking martial arts, other than that, it sucks.

[@colinb8332]

I went from TKD to Muay Thai. Always will love TKD, but am very happy I switched. Feel in better shape and just all around a better athlete, plus more dangerous but not really why I do it

[@juanrivera6207]

@@dinner8204 I transitioned from TKD to Muay Thai and my power and very weird kicks have given me a good advantage when sparring. Although I do absolutely panic when I start boxing lmao

[@tableprinterdoor]

@@thatwolfensteinguy8954 it’s hard to trust anything from **North** Korea

[@seanbunce4303]

I think a big reason wrestling has so much impact on MMA is because in a lot of martial arts its about learning respect and it more based around self defense while in wrestling the kids are taught from a young age to never stop until you win and are brought up with that mentality of make your opponent uncomfortable for your gain.

[@shenles]

wrestling teaches ground game a lot of the other combat sports dont (which is fine), and actively reset to standing position if a fight goes to the ground or even clinches for too long MMA doesnt do that so obviously having/learning ground game is important but okay make it a weird take about respect/principals???

[@seanbunce4303]

@@shenles I mean that is also true but you can't say that teaching/ principals don't have an effect on how people fight. If you have Person A who was taught from a young age to respect your opponent and only do enough to win the match compared to Person B who was taught to never give up or stop until the ref pulls you off are gonna fight very different

[@carritohmc]

Great list, I think Muay Thai and Judo are underrated though, specially since Muay Thai has takedowns (leg sweeps). For examples on effective Judo in MMA just check out Fedor Emelianenko or Karo Parisyan, also while they may not be strictly Judo players, a lot of fighters have incorporated Judo throws into their MMA games, GSP and Jon Jones are some. Not to mention that armbars, triangle chokes are also Judo.

[@iblamesamuel477]

in my opinion muy thai sweeps arent taught properly

[@wrestlar3246]

Add Dom Cruz, Khabib( or any fighter under Abdulminap)

[@faufaufau]

I think he puts it in C bcs sport judo is more focused on the throws and takedowns, while the way MMA fights like UFC is set up gives an edge to striking and grappling. But I gotta admit, for street fights, Judo throws are fucking lethal.

[@leobuana7430]

@@iblamesamuel477 because It dosen't have follow up move ?

[@rafaelbriganti502]

Muay Thai and Judo are my chosen martial arts. I greatly love both!

[@randombencounter263]

"I would put karate closer to tae"Seth has encountered a critial error, please stand by

[@user-fq3lk5se6p]

critial error

[@scottstout6836]

Depends on the karate and tkd. Kudo is karate but they fight closer to mma. ITF used to fight more like kickboxing when I did it in the 90s. WT is right where it belongs.

[@facundotomasmezaalarcon3401]

@@scottstout6836 Kudo is a fusion btw Kyokushin and Judo

[@mochiisntbad6762]

@@scottstout6836 i mean if were playing fusions here than taekwondo WTF isn't bad Just add punching to the face, knee kicks and taking away the point system(in short just add muay thai) and you fix the whole martial art.

[@Ingeb91]

I love the fact that he almost threw up from saying that.

[@Yoandrys23]

Krav maga: Crossfit guys doing Aikido in military clothing

[@midnut9036]

And they all have punisher logos on their Ford f-150s

[@SenseiSeth]

lol this is good

[@ishitrealbad3039]

tha'ts a sick burn!! XD

[@David-ui1fb]

se nota que nunca lo practicastes

[@Yoandrys23]

@@David-ui1fb Crossfit, Aikido, or Krav maga?

[@yoavnissen8390]

I actually think that HEMA is the nerdiest martial art there is

[@Minsang1st]

Lol their training is literally off historical documents so I agree. Not in a bad way tho, because hema is super cool

[@simoneriksson8329]

As a HEMA-nerd I approve of this comment!

[@kidddogbites]

Yup

[@kevinlobos5519]

Kung Fu has to be high up there, there are hundreds of styles

[@SenseiSeth]

Name 3 good ones

[@ashkaunadib7638]

It was nice to see Sanda on this list. Very few people realize how great of a martial art it really is.

[@bw5020]

Agreed. Very unsung

[@TheInspirationalMind]

Muay Thai and BBJ that is ALL that you need.

[@DavidThaDwarf]

As long as the bjj has takedowns and takedown defence then yes.

[@oggymifan7715]

Muay thai lacks speed

[@oggymifan7715]

@Goodie usually you cant win if you cant set up any kicks

[@oggymifan7715]

@Goodie maybe u dont know the fact that kick is 5x stronger than a punch

[@oggymifan7715]

@Goodie i didn't say that wrestling is not important, i am pointing out that you need those kicks to set up any moves

[@geraltofrivia4498]

As someone who has trained Krav for the past 9 months I completely agree with Seth’s opinion that they couldn’t win against the average mma fighter. That is mostly due to the fact that we don’t train to. We train to defend against the average aggressor. While I do believe that Krav is a martial art, I think it’s more designed not to win a fight but to survive a fight with as little injury to yourself as possible. (Tl;DR: Krav is good against average person not so much against a trained fighter)

[@nr1NPC]

Daido Juku and Gongkwon Yusul is two relativly unknown martial arts, which basically is Karate MMA and Taekwondo MMA, look em up. I've been blessed to train both of these for extended time. I also trained normal MMA for almost 10 years after the prior dojos closed down (it was in the same building and the Sensei moved to another country). I think Sensei Seth is completely wrong with listing Judo as a C. Read the whole comment to figure out the truth! But I think Judo and Muay Thai is basically all thats needed. Judo has throws AND submissions, all submissions that they have in BJJ! And Muay Thai is Muay Thai. But here is the most optimal way to become a MMA master: Learn karate OR (or both) Taekwondo head kicks + the snap maegeri. They have much faster head kicks than Muay Thai. Learn Muay Thai clinch, elbows and knees. Learn Judo because Judo has basically most of Greco Roman Wrestling but also all Jujutsu submissions. Look at Ronda Rousey, she was a Judo practitioner but a master of submissions! Learn boxing. Learn these specific branches of techniques and you'll become a master of MMA.

[@dragusinstan1234]

Thats what I always being saying. You cant believe how many krav guy said to me an average krav guy would win against an average mma guy

[@mochiisntbad6762]

@@nr1NPC im just happy that tkd isnt completely useless as a practitioner of the art.

[@sheilagordon3115]

@@nr1NPC You are one hundred percent correct . How often will the average person be faced with fighting a professional ? Get good at what you said and then you will be hard to beat . Also never underestimate anyone in a fight , it could be for your life .

[@nr1NPC]

@@sheilagordon3115 Exactly. Never underestimate someone, thats often where legends fall in the sport of MMA. When they get so good, they underestimate their opponent and then they lose

[@Shadowoftheoldones]

MMA was actually more biased towards grappling before rounds and time limits. Its a big disadvantage to get reset on the feet after five minutes if you are a BJJ fighter, and striking will wear you out way faster than ground grappling if you know what you are doing as a grappler. I'm pretty sure they introduced those things to make the matches "more exciting" (i.e. to encourage striking).

[@JJ-zr6fu]

Yeah I keep hearing how the MMA rules are biased towards grappling yet most UFC events barely have a take down anymore and most main cards almost pure striking.

[@Shadowoftheoldones]

@@JJ-zr6fu Yeah, that's because of the modern rule set. Back in the day (UFC 1 - 9) it used to be grapplers winning all the time. It's a little bit weird calling it "bias" though, basically it was more of a real fight back then. So the issue is that a real fight is biased towards grapplers. The 5 min round rule is especially crappy and artificial. I can be on someone's back at the end of 5 min about to choke them, and we end up back on the feet. It takes less than a second to knock someone out, but I need a couple minutes to set up a submission, usually.

[@JJ-zr6fu]

@@Shadowoftheoldones I completely agree also the energy spent setting up the submission and then to have the bell is a waste of energy as well

[@TheLotek1]

@@Shadowoftheoldones I want MMA to end rounds kinda like football ends quarters. As long as the "play" is in the middle of something happening, it isn't artificially stopped because the clock said so. They could even borrow the OT in the round from the next round if they are concerned about time. I just find this to be more realistic than resetting the fighters in the position they ended the previous round in. Also I don't think getting rid of rounds is great either because the small rest + the coaches advice makes for more entertainment anyway (plus it gives time for commercials. Money makes all the difference.)

[@stango141]

The rules are still made for grappling you just won't get a fight if you lay on someone for 5 rounds to wear them out. In a real 1v1 fight to the death yes laying on someone for 30 mins probably the way to go but not to fun to watch.

[@RedFoxGrappler]

Prediction I’d stake my martial arts career on: Aikido SSS tier

[@journey2mma998]

Akido is butt

[@fisal8942]

Aikido is so strong that it's illegal to use it in a cage

[@jesseshaffer3951]

Well thanks for admitting your level of understanding

[@wafflescripter9051]

Aikido the only real combat sport

[@RedFoxGrappler]

I like how exactly half of the current commenters understand irony. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be

[@michaelenns8872]

Judokas have ground game and it is pretty freaking good, especially nowadays ground work takes a bigger role in judo competition and it get's trained more however it is specific to the sports of judo. Judokas don't really train things like guard passes because in judo competitions you just don't end up in situations where you have to pass someones guard, but you end up in situations where you opponent is in a turtle position and this is where judokas ne waza (groundfighting) really shines.

[@Shinji91]

The thing about Karate being super detailed is so true. I come from a striking background that blends Muay Thai, Kung Fu, and Kickboxing and decided to take a Uechi-ryu karate class in college. We were doing Kata and the instructor yelled because she heard me exhaling my breath with my shots instead of inhaling (out of like 30 students).

[@bloodsports94]

They wanted you to inhale when you hit? wtf that's so stupid . Absolute mcdojo.

[@sheldiddlyharrison]

@@bloodsports94could’ve been not a strike but some sort of other movement idk

[@Balliiinn]

@@sheldiddlyharrisonthe basic of most martial arts is never inhale when you’re getting hit. Wth are they teaching

[@sheldiddlyharrison]

@@Balliiinn yeah I misread or maybe responded to the wrong comment i don’t even know what I was trying to say

[@nickdelacruz3921]

Tkd used to be so much better,since its supposed to be an equal mix of karate and judo,now it's just foot tag,damn good video though

[@Joey-ee9vd]

I agree for WTF bro but I practice ITF and it’s practical based, check it out bro may be surprised 💯🥋

[@nickdelacruz3921]

@@Joey-ee9vd honestly I really liked the grappling aspect to what I was learning,we spent as much time doing takedowns and submissions as we did striking,I honestly feel like I couldn't learn anymore from the new tkd

[@burt2800]

Yeah, I did traditional TKD for a few years and although we hardly did any sparring there was much emphasis put on power and form. Having transitioned to kickboxing I find that the hours of drilling perfect form for power and speed are something lacking in kickboxing. Many things like balance, leg dexterity and footwork never got to the same level as when Iwas doing TKD.

[@David-ui1fb]

el taekwondo es bueno por si solo

[@guillermobaier]

@@David-ui1fb no lo es

[@rezzerwrecked]

Obviously the best style is Tae-Thai-Te because it's the flashiest both physically and when you yell it as you do your moves.

[@FightCommentary]

Thanks for the shoutout!

[@CancerArpegius]

i expected this to be the top comment

[@javieresteban8149]

This is so wholesome

[@joeschmoe3665]

As someone who is only a fan of MMA it's really important to know what to do against grappling and when you are on your back because not many things is worse in any fight than being mounted just pummeled without a clue how to defend or get out of there. I would say Muay Thai-Wrestling-BJJ

[@vikingbme97]

Super biased as I’ve been practicing judo for about 3 years, but judo is clearly a very underrated aspect in MMA. The BJJ and Muay Thai combo is the optimized training for most people, but I really do think weight distribution, explosiveness, and the champs produced (ronda, khabib, and looking outside the UFC to Kayla harrison) make judo more than C-tier.

[@marconopolo5723]

I fucking hate the Judo slander. It pisses me off so bad. About 90% of BJJ practitioner can't throw for shit. That's a super necessary skill to learn.

[@papasfavorites]

This list is about if you train specifically, and only in that martial art, how well you would do in an MMA fight with MMA rules. Judo is awesome, and I would love to learn someday, but I think Seth's reasoning stands.

[@marconopolo5723]

@@papasfavorites Well look at Ryan Hall, he got knocked tf out for rolling on the ground like a dummy. Judo not only teaches you various amounts of ways to takedown an opponent, but how to transition from throw, to ground, to submission. I don't see how it's lower than BJJ. Most BJJ gyms don't even practice standing at all. If anything, they should be the same tier. Khabib didn't do BJJ, he did Judo and Sambo growing up. That's why he can transition so well from takedown-ground control-submission.

[@papasfavorites]

@@marconopolo5723 I completely understand your point. On the same token, the average judo dojo probably doesn't practice that many submissions. We're comparing how the average martial artist would fare in MMA under MMA rules. That's the point. If you take an average Judo practitioner (not a competitor or black belt) who doesn't understand striking or practices very little/no submissions at their stage of training, and put them in the octagon, I would still have to side with Seth on that ranking. If you're speaking about having a base for MMA, where other arts can be introduced and added to mix the rulesets, then I would say judo should be ranked a LOT higher. We have to align on the context of the question before we can make decisions. Using just one martial art in MMA is stupid. That's why it's called mixed martial arts. It's about how well a single art practitioner could fare in MMA.

[@marconopolo5723]

@@papasfavorites Sorry but I just can't agree with that because you can say the same thing for a BJJ guy. They're not going to know how to take anyone down, they don't even practice that, how will the fight end up on the ground then? They SHOULD be in the same tier. what I completely disagree with is putting Judo underneath BJJ. Honestly, people are submitted by arm bar, triangle, or rear naked choke most of the time. So to the argument "BJJ practitioners will be able to submit their opponents better" Those are the first three submissions they teach you in Judo. Judo sessions, at least in my experience, are 2 hrs long. 1 hr stand up, and 1 hr ground + stand up. I went to a BJJ practice once and it was only an hr long, and it honestly sucked. 15 min warm up, 30 min of 1 shitty stand up technique taught, and one submission taught, then 5 min of ground and 5 min cool down. because I went to a commercialized gym. Pretty sure there are good gyms out there but they should be the same tier.

[@bigkroner766]

One important thing you didn’t touch on that makes wrestling so good is the mental part. Taekwondo by itself is ineffective not just for the technique but because the goal of a Taekwondo match is to score points usually at a far range so that will be the pace and mentality of the athlete. Wrestling is constant pressure and force which I think is a mentality that translates much better to mma

[@tribalman9668]

The relentless physical strength….

[@michaelnurge1652]

It's weird to try to describe to someone. I think my second day on the wrestling team, guy tells me, "don't fish" (don't give up even if they've got the superior position or so far ahead it seems pointless). Always considered myself a practical person, you know, if there's no way to win, save something for the next match...no, that's not what we do here. Then there's the fact that you get cross-faced a fair bit. Seeing stars? Just keep on going. Nosebleed? Here's some cotton for the nostril; keep on going. I got both nostrils cauterized because I had so many nosebleeds. It's all about manipulating another guy who's resisting, and that's about it. I think it was either Bruce Lee or some Wing Chun guy in a book (with illustrations!) who's talking about using elbow strikes or this or that technique from close and I'm just thinking, really? You've got no POWER in some of the stuff they're talking about, because you're off-balance and no way to generate it if you face anyone who knows how to do takedowns and reversals. When a friend and co-worker showed me some Muay Thai, I'm thinking, that's the first time I've seen anything that would actually effectively use some close-in striking. I did TKD in college, after wrestling in HS. I got attacked late at night doing a cart run while working for Safeway. He gave me a rabbit-punch in the ribs from super-close range...took the guy down, banged his head against the concrete, he got his arms down, modified half-nelson and I can't choke the guy out effectively because I don't know how, but kind of an eye-opener in some ways. Never did TKD again. Fun kicks, fun point sparring, pointless flashy katas and other things about looks over substance... I wasn't a great wrestler, like some of the keyboard warriors who went all-state or were captain of their team or whatever. Just knew some basics and I wrested the unlimited weight class so my style's sloppier than some because I was mostly against guys shorter and heavier who were hard to move, and it was a LONG time ago...but that mindset helps you see through some BS. Maybe some other martial arts like BJJ have similar mentality, but a lot of others, even those that spar, don't seem to. TKD was a lot of fun, but if you're sparring for points, it's a way different thing.

[@timinator1178]

@@michaelnurge1652 totally agree. I did wrestling in highschool and it’s given me such an “embrace the suck” mentality that no other combat sport seems to have. I saw an interview with a few Navy SEALs a while ago who were explaining how their past experiences helped them with passing BUDS. The runner said his running helped him with the huge amount of running they do. The swimmer said he was able to excel with the water portion of the tests. The football player said he was used to getting yelled at and working in teams. They all said BUDS was the hardest thing they had ever done in their lives. Except the ex-college wrestler. He said BUDS was just an extended version of wrestling practice. Same level of general difficulty, otherwise.

[@bartomiejkumor9375]

Same reason why muay thai is popular and effective - muay thai fighters are conditioned to be aware that strikes can come from anywhere and aren't scared of the opponent closing distance down because they've been clinched and elbowed in the nogging enough times.

[@yomommashaus]

@@timinator1178 lol that's great. I believe it

[@blakerunyon8523]

The dopest and most fun mma fighters to watch have TKD backgrounds like Rose, Zabit, Yair, Edson, Valentina, Benson, Bas. The list goes on. Jus sayin

[@xanderxue5864]

Pettis

[@boogeyman1016]

Zabit is Sanda right?

[@blakerunyon8523]

@@boogeyman1016 yes master of Sanda but also has a black belt in TKD.

[@51dodoc]

Edson and Valentina come from a muay thai background, they pick up TKD later. Also Benson is not among the fun fighter to watch at all ^^'

[@fisherthegoat]

I think the fact that Muay Thai leg/head/body kicks have become the standard for almost every MMA fighter. Bas may have originally started in TKD but his fighting style is far more like a Muay Thai/Dutch kickboxer. Valentina is a Muay Thai champion, same with Edson, and again, their fighting styles reflect more of a Muay Thai school of thought (especially in the case of Edson), rather than TKD.

[@raamygod447]

Judos footwork gives you opportunity to swift and they are heavier on the ground. Armlocks kimura and triangle are all judo. Strongest clinch game

[@jpm8960]

Yeah. I think judo should be at B

[@sixstringrevolver6742]

9:30 Seth never fails to get a laugh out of me. XD Thanks for another great vid Sensei Seth!

[@ctestare2625]

Personally I’d rate S- sambo (to me seems just a level below mma) , wrestling (fundamental) A- boxing (entirely based on footwork, pressuring, head movement, feints, lateral movement and angles something Muay Thai or kickboxing fighters don’t focus on as much), Dutch kickboxing (obviously cuz the mix of kicks and lil bit of boxing), jiu jitsu (submission defense and positioning if and when you get taken down) B - Muay Thai (elbows and flying knees and clinch attacks) karate (distance management, speed, in n out movement) judo (clinch takedown can be useful although without gi is definately different. I think judo and Muay Thai would be a nasty combo) C- tae Kwon do (nasty kicks that can end your night while also leaving you out of position) D - everything else

[@leosvanbom1721]

Agreed

[@champ1159]

Wing Chun in F. I agree with everything else

[@David-ui1fb]

nah yo pondria al taekwondo y al muay thai mas arriba

[@AlaiMacErc]

I think if you were a _pure_ boxer, several of the things suggest as strengths -- because they are indeed strengths in boxing if you're good at them, clearly -- might be weaknesses or at least traps in MMA. The head movement thing can be very dangerous in steering you right into mid-level kicks. The stance and pressing could really open you up to leg takedowns. Obviously that's not to say that boxing isn't an excellent base for MMA once they've cross-trained it enough to apply it effectively.

[@BloodMoneyy]

Perfect

[@whitworth5s248]

"I think you could have a super like average level of BJJ and still do well if you do well in other styles." Considering that most UFC BJJ "Black Belts" look like they don't know how to pass guard, I agree. It's rare to see a guy like Dean Lister in the UFC anymore. Why focus on 15 years of BJJ to be competitive when you can be the best Muay Thai striker around in 5?

[@liammullen2144]

BJJ isn't as effective as it used to be because people know how to defend against it now. You need to know enough to defend yourself but most fights are not won using mainly Jiu Jitsu

[@Mayanksharma-ss8xj]

I agree bjj takes so long to learn but then what are the alternatives to learn ground game good and fast

[@deangullberry5148]

@@Mayanksharma-ss8xj Catch Wrestling

[@cahallo5964]

​@@deangullberry5148 Realistic alternatives there is none lol, catch is as rare as it gets, for example in my whole country there are 3 gyms total.

[@deangullberry5148]

@@cahallo5964 sorry. don't know what to tell you

[@frostandersen9320]

One thing i Think you missed is “flair”. Like if you have some crazy kicks or submissions it could help make your fights more popular. (If you want to go pro, being a Fun fighter to watch is also important to sale your fights)

[@biohazard724]

Izzy Adesanya is a great example of this, he's super technical but at the same time when he's firing on all cylinders it's like watching a video game character

[@nr1NPC]

Daido Juku and Gongkwon Yusul is two relativly unknown martial arts, which basically is Karate MMA and Taekwondo MMA, look em up. I've been blessed to train both of these for extended time. I also trained normal MMA for almost 10 years after the prior dojos closed down (it was in the same building and the Sensei moved to another country). I think you are completely wrong with listing Judo as a C. Read the whole comment to figure out the truth! But I think Judo and Muay Thai is basically all thats needed. Judo has throws AND submissions, all submissions that they have in BJJ! And Muay Thai is Muay Thai. But here is the most optimal way to become a MMA master: Learn karate OR (or both) Taekwondo head kicks + the snap maegeri. They have much faster head kicks than Muay Thai. Learn Muay Thai clinch, elbows and knees. Learn Judo because Judo has basically most of Greco Roman Wrestling but also all Jujutsu submissions. Look at Ronda Rousey, she was a Judo practitioner but a master of submissions! Learn boxing. Learn these specific branches of techniques and you'll become a master of MMA.

[@nr1NPC]

My favorite technique is Do Mawashi Kaiten Geri! Such a beautiful AND powerful technique. Probably the strongest kick you can throw if done correctly.

[@newmoonwithface]

@@nr1NPC bro ur spamming that comment everywere, either your VERY salty or you sell a book or somthing for the first two marital arts

[@chn3141]

Seth: Ok so BJJ Me: Definitely at least A tier Seth: B-Tier Me: B-Tier for sure

[@nr1NPC]

Judo is NOT a C tier. It has basically all techniques Jiujutsu has PLUS all wrestling techniques. It should be a *S* martial arts

[@Minsang1st]

@@nr1NPC having a technique is very DIFFERENT from practicing it. Judo focuses so much on stand up, and a lot of its throws depend on a gi to get good grip/clinch, and its hard to transition from striking distance to grappling because it doesn’t allow tackles. The ground game time is so limited, most players don’t practice complex ground game. Judo may not be significantly below bjj, but definitely noticeably below bjj in that list

[@nr1NPC]

@@Minsang1st Judo has everything that jiujutsu and BJJ has on the ground. Just that competitive Judo is limited, that its mostly standing up. But they do teach you armbars, triangle chokes and everything so You should read into stuff before talking.

[@roygiron4001]

I think bjj should have been S tier or at least a B tier + because of the rules of mma like he said they are Biased on grappling

[@roygiron4001]

@@nr1NPC if that was true then bjj wouldn’t have never been invented as a martial art in the first place the fact is that bjj is more Focused on the ground and judo is more focused on throwing the person to the ground and while they are both similar both still are their own style and because of bjj being focused on the ground more than Judo is because like you said you practice almost the same like bjj but like you said it is limited unlike bjj is so if thats the case then no wonder why bjj is at least a step ahead of judo

[@ModernTruthRevelation]

Very nice tier list Seth! I would do changes as; putting bjj, wrestling and muay Thai (you forgot the foot sweeps) to A Tier, and Judo to B Tier. Very unbiased Judoka here hehehehe

[@日韓海底トンネル反対シャンク]

同意します❤

[@StewartStorrar]

I just need to point out the GLARING difference between TKD's WT style and ITF style. ITF focuses on a lot of hand, elbow, forearm strikes as well as leg blocks, knee strikes and even shoulder strikes in certain movements. I agree with your placement of WT style TKD but would love for you to take a look at ITF in the future. ITF has always gone a lot harder and i've heard of competitors walking away with broken ribs, hands etc. from full contact sparring bouts in ITF. Here in the UK (and Scotland) ITF is the dominant style. It doesn't have many grapples or clinches, but there are techniques in the Dan grades with those in mind (or counters to grapples). I think ITF TKD would probably rank minimum C and max B, after listening to how you've ranked the other martial arts.

[@giunolee1404]

either way any type of tkd is pretty useless

[@takashidiromano281]

​@@giunolee1404sure anime pfp

[@giunolee1404]

@@takashidiromano281 I made it in like 4th grade but am I wrong? Any grappler like me would beat any pure tkd guy

[@joatanpereira4272]

Sambo, Kudo and Sanda are pretty much MMA lol. Definitely the best ones

[@gesshugh9976]

Agreed, they are all great picks for MMA.

[@deangullberry5148]

Don't forget Yu Sool

[@jestersage8700]

What is kudo?

[@joatanpereira4272]

@@jestersage8700 Japanese martial art, basically kyokushin+judo+boxing

[@May-ky4lu]

+

[@squintclinic]

Hi Seth, I know it’s been mentioned but I also have to query the lack of Jujitsu (Japanese) from your list. At a simplistic level, Judo was born of Jujitsu and subsequently BJJ. Much like yourself, I started training Shotokan Karate as a kid aged 11. I had no other options where I grew up, regardless, I loved Karate. It was a different time, training was physically harder; there was less concern for the welfare of the students! I got my Shodan at 16 and then at 21 I took an unintentional hiatus of 20 years…fast forward to my 41st year and I decided to jump right back into training. I started four times a week and quickly cycled through 20 years of injuries. It’s incredible how much muscle memory I retained and after a year I was tricked into taking my Nidan grading. That was a near-death experience. Soon after I attended a joint seminar with a local Jujitsu club. I wasn’t aware of their existence as I’d focused on Karate but it blew my mind - it was basically the same, but they eschewed the (seemingly essential) minutiae of the Shotokan Karate I knew in favour of maximum destructive efficacy and constant adaptation through pressure testing. Granted, it’s not traditional Jujitsu (eg Goshin), rather more self defence orientated, but the base was the same - 40 odd Judo throws, hooks, sweeps and reaps, most of the practical locks (that you see in Aikido for example), all the striking from Karate (albeit without the insane focus on perfecting technique) coupled with an emphasis on tae sabaki, Judo Ne Waza and many grappling principles that feature so heavily in BJJ. All our training apart from some fitness is with a partner. The focus is on closing distance and incapacitating an attacker as quickly as possible. I’ve been solely training Combat Jujitsu for the last four years and I’m battered and bruised but my confidence in taking on a larger attacker as never been so high. I now also take a No-Gi class to improve my grappling skills. I have to blow my own trumpet here and say that my stand-up striking game is probably one of, if not the best, in the club, and that is all thanks to Karate. I highly suggest that you go down the rabbit hole and check out some modern practical Japanese Jujitsu, it surprised me and it could surprise you!

[@fireeaglefitnessmartialart935]

I was surprised he put karate next to taekwando. I woulda thought his bias would put it at least a grade higher. I think boxing, muay thai, wrestling, and bjj are the best for mma. Judo is the 5th wheel. Learning taekwando, karate, wingchun, etc can help supplement one's training, I don't think they're strong enough to replace one of the main 4 I mentioned.

[@ryanparsons3057]

I’m a wing chun practitioner, and I honestly agree with you. Wing chun is from an era where the people you would fight were either untrained or another traditional style. It’s useful in mma, but you won’t do well with it as your base.

[@lake0417]

@@ryanparsons3057 even though i'm responding in an offensive way id rather everyone trained in something rather than nothing. However here comes the stinger, wrestlers would dominate a Wing Chun or Akiedo practitioner in hand fighting in any practical sense

[@james4727]

@@ryanparsons3057 I have a couple years experience in wing chun, but primarily train muay Thai. There are definitely some gems in there that can translate well. The emphasis on things like 'sticky hand' can be super useful when parrying, hand trapping, framing off your opponent. Often having that active lead hand and extended guard can come in handy.

[@fireeaglefitnessmartialart935]

I've trained in wingchun also. And luckily, one of my boxing coaches also trained wingchun/jkd. And he knew how to blend them together to make it work. As well as my willingness to apply it to my sparring. I like wingchun a lot, but I'm glad I didn't come up thinking it was enough. Lol.

[@ryanparsons3057]

@@lake0417 I spar with several wrestlers and a few sambists weekly. They don’t dominate. They are very good yes, but they don’t dominate.

[@spencerantoniomarlen-starr3069]

I started out doing traditional Okinawan karate from about 7th grade until I graduated from high school (I was a 1st degree black belt by then. The reason I stopped attending my karate dojo was because I had started going to the best MMA gy iIn the area called "The Pitt" and didn't want to pay for both every month. After that, I did two years of Wing Chun when I was in college, my Wing Chun instructor, was and still is by far the most advanced striker I have ever sparred with. He was in his mid 30s at the time and I heard that a year after I graduated but he sparred and active roster UFC fighter at the UFC gym near campus and didn't quite tune him up, but him decisively enough that the guy asked him to teach him some stuff afterwards... Anyways, back to me, I also joined Campus boxing Club for a while too. I think nowadays, my story is probably quite typical for martial artists who learn Wing Chun, if I am right, most of the common dismissiveness and criticisms are no longer valid.

[@downtowngreens7854]

This isn't against anyone but I would like to point something, Krav Maga is not Meant for MMA At all, Krav Maga's goal is to Kill/severely injure someone Krav Maga is a martial art meant for Self-defence not sport But I appreciate you for bringing it up!

[@lucasgarcia4193]

Besides putting muay thai in A tier, just because how tough the fighters are and how much they work on the standing clech, I agree with the rest of the tier list. Good job as allways sensei, happy to see Judo get some love, I feel it doesn't get as much attention as it deserves being so complete.

[@Mayanksharma-ss8xj]

Muay Thai should be 1 step below I think?

[@PennyPinchDramas]

If possible could you do a video about ITF old style? It's a different type of taekwondo, more hands and angle based. I been practicing it for 4 years (in national team) and I did WT and bit of Muay Thai (planning on doing more of this and bjj). But I believe ITF actually gave me a good bases for different stand up martial arts.

[@daveyjones18]

My oldman (ITF) would agree with you, but I did WTF till I got 1st dan, and it trains you to box with your feet. If you mix it up with other martial arts like boxing and wrestling, it's a big advantage 👍

[@lawngjawn9094]

Wrestling is clearly the best base for MMA and must be started at a young age to succeed...

[@Zach-dd2jp]

you can start at any age and be succesful, my first season starts in 6 weeks im 15 and a sophmore. wish me luck

[@lawngjawn9094]

@@Zach-dd2jp ... you still have a chance at being great starting in high school but you will have to out train and outwork your opposition. Not true that you can start at any age tho, considering After High School it's a Wrap unless you move on to Collegiate Wrestling... good luck

[@valetudokungfu1718]

MMA is the best base for MMA , but not standard MMA which is Bjj , Boxing , Muay Thai , Wrestling . Just training in only MMA , while taking from any style as you should .

[@Ramin2340]

No you don't need to start young. GSP started wrestling much later in life when he actually needed it for MMA.

[@lawngjawn9094]

@@Ramin2340 ... GSP is a Phenom who worked heavily with the Canadian Olympic team...

[@noahgray1230]

in my opinion, any mix of muy thai, kick boxing, bjj, and wrestling will make an elite mma athlete. examples: jon jones, Charles Oliveira, conor mcgregor(bjj black belt) etc.

[@brandonsousa3627]

the best thing would be Kudo or Sambo, because it would be a modality that would have striking + submissions and it wouldn't be necessary to manage more time and money to start other modality.

[@AlexanderLayko]

Krav Maga, Ninjutsu, Aikido, and Wing Chun are TOO DEADLY FOR THE RING BRO!!!

[@BoxingForTheStreets]

Those arts are almost useless by itself.

[@vikingdrengenspiders7875]

@@BoxingForTheStreets not always

[@MasterMcFly112]

I started Karate and Judo when I was 4, but about 10 years ago I started BJJ and Muay Thai and it has enhanced my experience tremendously

[@yusufhussain5663]

How would u compare the effectiveness of karate vs muay thai

[@MasterMcFly112]

@@yusufhussain5663 In regards to what? Self defense, sport, recreational?

[@yusufhussain5663]

@@MasterMcFly112 self defense

[@blacksheepincorporated]

I've been training in Krav Maga for a while now-- and just to be clear, I'm not bothered at all that you ranked Krav low in this list, but I do want to point out that at the place I train at, we don't practice eye gouges that much, we spend most of the time training things like footwork, and striking; punches, kicks, knee strikes, elbow strikes, palm strikes, etc. We do seem to practice a lot of groin kicks, but everyone (all the male students at least) are expected to wear a cup for that reason. I'm not saying the place I train at is perfect, in fact, I do have some concerns, but the people there (the instructors especially) seem drastically different in comparison to most other Krav Maga places.

[@SenseiSeth]

That’s awesome!

[@RichardRohlin]

Yes; I attend a place that does a sort of combination of Karate, kickboxing, and grappling/wrestling. They call this "Krav." Lots of free rolling, lots of sparring. I have no idea how you would practice an eye-gouge.

[@blacksheepincorporated]

@@RichardRohlin Where I train, we've only practiced eye gouges two or three times, and each of those times we practiced on these dummy heads. I don't know what the proper name for those is, but they're the same ones Icy Mike had in a video he did a while ago.

[@RichardRohlin]

Funny follow-up story to this: I got a chance to chat with the founder of the school about his decision (which apparently only predated me by about a month) to merge his karate and Krav programs; he said he did it because he noticed Krav folks tended to be kinda lazy and undisciplined and karate fills that (and other gaps) in their approach.

[@crazytrucker9761]

I do Krav Maga aswell and I have a brown belt it's a form of mma I agree with you on the strikes leg kicks knees elbows palm strikes hammer fists and boxing

[@therealslimsunny556]

Ive done 2 types of karate Shorin-Ryu and Shotokan (which I currently do) and I sparred in both styles. And Shotokan is an authentic Japanese karate and I believe shorin-Ryu is too. It originates from Okinawa.

[@jpm8960]

Judo should be at B, the counterpoint of why you put it at C is that Judo got enough submissions that work in MMA that you have to do it quick from a dominant position. Basically you learn the basic submissions from a good position which is what works in MMA and not that much of the fancy BJJ guard etc, it got great reversals and hip game. Its good for ground control and clinch takedowns or trips so you can ground and pound in a very effective way like in other takedown centred grappling martial arts, got one of the best clinch games so you only need to close the distance for it to be actually effective in MMA and then you just gotta adapt the grips to no-gi grips which every good judoka can do (its the same with Sambo or BJJ). I agree its below wrestling and sambo because you have to adapt more and in some gyms they teach it more as an olympic sport instead of the old martial art self defence way kinda like in taekwondo, but still much more effective

[@waterlegend72]

Real Karate like Machida style or Wonderboy style... none of that WKF or point style nowadays. Kudo could do quite well with wrestling training

[@trakinagem-ms5jw]

Man, kudo would be in the same level as sanda! Its realy good!

[@yomommashaus]

Machida front kick :o

[@x.invictus6597]

I urge you to reconsider your stance (see what I did there) on TKD. WTF style TKD is based solely on point fighting. The traditional ITF style - the one I practise - can even incorporate some throws as part of self-defence and out of competition training. In addition, competition rules about punches dictate that we keep our hands up and protect our faces and punch harder. Traditional style Taekwondo is more explosive, more destructive, more "all-in" and pure compared to the point fighting WTF style. Granted, the weaknesses in the stance, the kicks-especially the spinning ones- as far as MMA goes are still there and I don't practise it anymore, since I prefer Kickboxing and Muay Thai, but I do believe that the martial art- not the sport- of TKD can prove to be a valuable tool if used sparingly in MMA as Anderson Silva, Conor and others have showcased.

[@desertchinatownpig3917]

I agree, whenever people think of tkd, they think of sport/wtf tkd which is so much weaker

[@yomommashaus]

I watched a TKD vs Muay Thai fight between experienced fighters and the MT guy dismantled the TKD guy with brutality and leg kicks. I may be wrong but I can't see TKD higher than karate nor on par with MT.

[@martumont9928]

@@yomommashaus which tkd was?

[@NobodyJae]

@@yomommashaus what style was the tkd guy using? if he wasnt using ITF or any varient with hands/elbows, i wouldnt be surprised he lost

[@deb4594]

@@yomommashaus Man, I guess you're talking about the modern taekwondo but did you have Idea how dangerous the old/traditional taekwondo is?

[@theironfox2756]

Combat TKD is so much different. For instance, a roundhouse to the head in TKD is done with the ball of the foot and normally targets the temple. Combat TKD definitely uses hand strikes much like Karate.

[@amazonfactoryslave7315]

Not real

[@theironfox2756]

@@amazonfactoryslave7315 I'm afraid it is and is practiced by the Korean military.

[@juanluisa.b.9483]

The way you rethink as you go, really gives me the sensation that you know what you're talking about. And that's cool! Thx for your vid.

[@jcrisp6304]

TKD has the "play" side and the "self defense" side. Look up International TKD . You'd be amazed at the Hands work.

[@ElDrHouse2010]

Sambo, Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, Sanda, Karate well taught. Are good. There u go. Ez. Lets see if I was right. Edit: I didnt expect Karate to fall so low. Karate is superb but depends on who teaches it of course. The best version of Karate now is Kudo.

[@trakinagem-ms5jw]

I agree 100%! Its kinda weird to think that a modern style of karate like kudo is more "traditional" than some so called traditional styles

[@SD-ym1rt]

Wrestling and kickboxing combined with a few BJJ drills for good measure. Now back to my sofa...

[@cjmartin9281]

I am going to start practicing TKD, to help improve my balance. I do agree with most of what you are saying. Lethwei would be a good base because it has a lot to do with punches, elbows, and kicks. But if up out BJJ into the mix it will be good for grappling. Now if you want to go even further you could add TKD and boxing. TKD for a better understanding of kicks and help with balance. Boxing for a better understanding of punches. I don't know, if you would like to talk more about it the reply

[@emmentaalijuusto8966]

I think u should ratherly start Muay Thai for balance. TKD isn't really made for hard kicks. And the condition for the balance and taking kicks isn't that good. Also, Muay Thai also trains you to prevent sweeps and trips unlike TKD.

[@geonardcalub6171]

Hey! You're wearing Dunder Mifflin shirt. COOL!!!

[@KazMMA7]

Love the vids man. But as a judoka. I personally think it should be Atleast B. Watch mma judo throws. They are incredible in mma

[@davidcdun8896]

Ask Khabib what he think about Judo. 😆😆 I'm glad you put Judo and Karate together. They are perfect komplement to each other. The Japanese MMA, Kudo, started with Kyukushinkai Karate + Judo. Oh, you moved it down together with Taekwondo.

[@stsmotritel7993]

Actually there are two types of Sambo - Wrestling Sambo (борьба самбо) and Combat Sambo (боевое самбо). Also Army Hand-to-hand combat (армейский рукопашный бой) is pupular in Russia and is based on karate and quite similar to kudo.

[@lamesurfer1015]

Underrated comment. Most Sambists don't ever practice Combat Sambo and hence never use strikes. Sport Sambo is basically Judo with a little more wrestling.

[@JaKommenterar]

He said that

[@Todo_fighting]

So many guys in the ufc that fighters from Eastern Europe and asia that ufc fans label as pure wrestlers have in fact combat/sport sambo background.

[@mr.q337]

Started with Muay Thai, train Sanda for short time in Vietnam, and took couple free Judo classes, and now trying BJJ. I would still say I have the most fun in Muay Thai since that's where I'm most comfortable with, but Sanda would do pretty well in UFC.

[@casanova2572]

my krav maga instructors actually go to spar to a mma gym every once in a while and they do pretty well , given the fact they don´t compete But then again, we rarely do all these fancy self defense techniques and mainly focus in learning the fundamentals of muay thai , boxing and jiu jitsu , so i guess it is an exception to the rule

[@Bugmaster88]

I've been doing kickboxing and bjj for a while, about to start mma. I think those 2 together can be lethal

[@jyoder1]

TKD makes other styles really easy to learn. This is because TKD greatly improves muscle memory from such variety of movement. TKD is probably good for kids to learn for 3 years if you want the kid learn any other style quickly.

[@ZombiZohm]

This is a pretty good take but it's also fair to say that a black belt in taekwondo throwing an angle kick for real could break bone just as easily as a black belt in karate.

[@canhkhoahoang7395]

Agree, start TKD from 3 years old to 6 then from there u can change to Muay Thai, Kick Boxing or Sand and if you wanna become more advance in MMA then you can study wrestling, BJJ

[@Strawhat_Pirates3D2Y]

Kali is underrepresented as an MMA style since it's empty hand/grappling/foot work is overlooked. Most people think it's just learning how to fight with sticks.

[@arthurfleck8777]

S - Sambo A - Wrestling/Muay Thai B - BJJ C - Modern Judo/Kicboxing/Boxing D - Taekwondo/Karate F - Krav Maga/Wing Chun

[@heliosf2080]

muay thai is too HIGH lol

[@raphaellopez9290]

S - Sambo - Pankration- A - BJJ- Wrestling - Greco Roman B- Muay Thai- Kick Boxing - Boxing C- Judo - Savate - D- TKD - Karate- Hap Ki Do F- Wing Chun - Capoera- Aikido

[@KakavashaForever]

I have always been into combat sports, did boxing and wrestling from middle school, did a lot of bjj starting in highschool, some muay thai more recently, and a few years ago when Khabib was on his UFC run I took some sambo classes here in NY which was absolutely wild. Anyway wing chun trapping/hand fighting is the coolest shit ever, I was put onto it by a friend in high school who was taking it to improve his blocking form as he was the left tackle for our school's football team. I can not tell you how much that experience has helped me in every single other combat sport I've done since, I would actually recommend it to literally every single person who has even a passing interest in combat sports. Obviously not great on its own, but adding it to your base is super good.

[@joelfigueroa1309]

Mma is a different art in and of itself. I think that dutch kickboxing is now the premier striking style for mma. No pure muay thai based fighter's in the top ten anymore. Now just pay attention to the top coaches are now. Henri Hooft is a great example. Im biased to dutch but honestly i think mma will evolve and slowly start to embrace Japanese kickboxing. Gabriel Varga already has a great breakdown of what makes Japanese kickboxing special and different.

[@DaNDmsIsgfP24S]

Love the content seth, keep it up

[@SenseiSeth]

Thanks!

[@GL06400]

Hi ​​@Sensei Seth you should check out Fighting System Jujitsu, basically it is a modern "form" of Japanese Jujitsu, that combines Shotokan Karate (without break when you touch), Judo, and BJJ, so very complete and a very good sport to develop MMA skills. It could be cool if you let us know what you think about it in one of your next videos :)

[@jlchambe77]

One thing that puts wrestlers at the top is not necessarily the “wrestling” but the intensity at which they train throughout high school and college. If some of these other martial arts trained as intense, they would have more MMA champs.

[@JJ-zr6fu]

Yeah kind of shocked it wasn't S tier

[@ForeShadow20]

The issue with BJJ in MMA is that most things that would counter BJJ is illegal in MMA.

[@belalabusultan5911]

Karate is going through so much renovations right now, it became so widespread, and have many different approaches and sub-styles. someone who plays combat Karate, vs a traditional Black Belt with focus on Kata, are pracatically practicing two different martial arts.....

[@CentreSwift]

I feel like my school is somewhere in the middle. We do a lot of punch/kick Vs block drills and Kata, but we also have sparring, sweeps/grabs etc.

[@commanderhindsight1633]

I'm convinced Jon Jones was a closet Krav Maga practitioner given the amount of eye pokes he gave 😂😂😂

[@Todo_fighting]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Brainwashed101]

LOL I was going to ask about Sanshou/Sanda. I actually think it's roughly equivalent with Muay Thai in terms of usefulness in MMA. Muay Thai allows more extended clinch fighting. Sanda allows a wider range of wrestling-style takedowns.

[@varunv2584]

Believe it or not I actually did a Wing Chun move on my own in a street fight without knowing what Wing Chun was I'm left handed and the other guy was right handed. He launched his right hand for a hook and I horizontal smacked it. He got extremely angry. He kicked me with a tepe then rushed forward and did an arm bar.

[@JonathonConnorOfficial]

As a black belt in Tae Kwon Do that competed at Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center, I have to agree with you on your D rating of it in respect to the full MMA arsenal... You definitely need grappling, submission and boxing work to fully complement your "street fighting" survivability :)

[@Tentacl]

I think the tier system must take in consideration not absolute positions, but how well something counters other fighting styles composed of common martial arts. The reason BJJ+MT and Wrestling+boxing are so dominant is not because they are superior, but because there's very little to exploit. So... what about a "2 arts combo" tier or even a "what combs beat what in theory" list? Me? I trained BJJ and MT when I decided to actually learn how to defend myself. But I did train Aikido, TKD and Kung Fu when I was younger, so I think I can make fun of them from a good place XD

[@fauxbravo]

Thought it was weird that Sanda wasn't there. Nice save at the end.

[@veridico84]

From the start, BJJ, the schools I know, all of them neglect take downs and standing grappling. They all start from sitting... I've only just started watching, and agree 100%. Standard sport judo definitely misses too much submission game. Traditional judo doesn't, it also includes striking.

[@moos2009]

All schools? I have practiced at 3 different BJJ schools (including Renzo's) and standing grappling gets taught in at least half of the classes...

[@moos2009]

It is definitely a problem in some schools though. Usually because the instructor has been a butt scooter their whole BJJ career.

[@veridico84]

@@moos2009 let me rephrase, most of the schools. Only one really had any focus on stand up game....

[@Jewel_Screaming_Chango8387]

Been seeing that a lot more in the last decade it’s become more sporty and ass Scooting

[@masoneasley5990]

I think you need to attend a Gracie (Renzo, Relson, Rickson, Rorian, Royce, etc.) JJ academy. They do tons of stand up.

[@pizzacow4821]

I love your list! But personally for me I think the best combo of martial arts is TKD, Karate, Wrestling, and boxing.

[@clapdrix72]

I'd like to see a list where you judge them based on the value of the skills they supplement not if you only knew that one martial art how you'd fare.

[@Onlybadtakes2589]

Gsp’s style of wrestling and boxing had to be the best style. If you have a solid jab and defense with takedowns and top control??? Sheeeeesh opponents had to fear the jab and GSP would just blast them the double leg

[@kevionrogers2605]

GSP is a Kyokushin black belt that crossed train in the other arts, but he's stated many times his base is karate.

[@joelmatus9442]

@@kevionrogers2605 Kyokushin has no punches to the face and hardly any takedowns. That why he added boxing and wrestling

[@ppkrex]

@@joelmatus9442 I have a 2nd degree black belt in Kyokushin from Daniel Tiger Schulmann, which is World Oyama lineage. We trained for low kick rules also known as K1 rules.

[@akita9020]

GSPs blast double leg is one of the most effective moves in UFC history!!!

[@heliosf2080]

@@kevionrogers2605 many mma fighters come from karate or tkd backgrounds, but their main striking isnt that.

[@Williamz99hd]

What are your thoughts on Japanese Jiu Jitsu compared to BJJ for MMA? It seems like BJJ emphasize sparring a little more, while JJJ also includes some striking

[@SenseiSeth]

Haven’t seen much of it, what I did see wasn’t my favorite

[@conorgillespie7832]

Im training both as well as judo at the moment and The big and vital difference is that Bjj and judo is basically all practical (sparring) while Japanese Jiu Jitsu is theory which is also the same with Aikido and Aiki-Jitsu. Say maybe your not able to sparr for what ever reason this style of training would be perfect, Think of it as Karates Katas or the "Bunkai" which are basically the same thing as Jiu Jitsu or very similar or form my perspective. It is useful I believe for self defence but I think you need to mix in some other style to compliment it. Yes you could I guess spar it but there is eye pokes groin strikes headbutts soccer kicks even bites... after all it was made for war, kill or be killed. I personally think Aikido or pre war Aikido can also be effective but to really unlock its worth it needs to be pressure tested, which Bjj, Judo do and do well. But of course there's no striking which is there downfall, pun intended 😉 Edit : Also there is a difference between Self defence and sport fighting which I think some people don't recognise, that is all. :)

[@johnelliott9823]

@@SenseiSeth up here in canada the jujutsu schools have federations with tournaments. format when i was in it were either all grappling, kickboxing with throws, or kickboxing with throws and 30 seconds ground fight. leg kicks allowed, small gloves. you must wear a gi. before ufc the groundfighting and grappling tournies were not as widespread as the kickboxing with throws format, although BJJ/GJJ had already made inroads in the jjj community. I think Ernesto Boggs had something similar going in the US though I should clarify - never saw a lot of flying head scissors. Scissor legs to the body, sometimes.

[@kovenmaitreya7184]

Japanese Jujutsu would probably be a D tier on my list under Taekwondo which is C tier. I've trained in JJJ.. BJJ gives more useful skill for MMA.

[@jaketheasianguy3307]

No sparring, doesn't work. That's why Judo (which used to be called Kano Jujutsu) trumphed every single other jujutsu styles in a competition and became standard grappling martial art for japanese police. It's not about style effectiveness since it taught stuffs that you also find in BJJ, Judo, Catch Wrestling.....but it's more about training method

[@juanc5149]

I love the troll laughter as he drags the bjj into b tier. 😂 🤣

[@filipcesnjak2944]

ValeTudo, Pancretion, Combat Sambo and Kudo are all MMA. Individual martial arts that are good for MMA can be divaded in two types the grappling martial arts and striking martal arts. Grappling martal arts are Wresteling Greco Roman, Wresteling free style, BJJ, Judo, Sambo and Grappling. Striking martal arts are Box, Muay thai, Kickbox and Kyokusin karate. 🥋🥊🤼‍♂️

[@LinkToTheScience]

100% agree. I wonder where would capoeira fall... Like E?. What we need next is a Tier List of martial arts usefulness for MMA.

[@bronsonkim6652]

I felt like Judo should be at least on par with BJJ on this list but then I remembered that most of the really strong judoka I know are also very strong wrestlers

[@bryantaylor1572]

Mostly agree. I love this discussion, as well as the "best martial art for self-defense" one. I might shift wrestling and boxing up a space each--maybe muay thai too, purely for the amount of conditioning and actual fighting/sparring those styles use. We conditioned pretty hard in the kung fu style (I'd put it down with TKD and karate or maybe just over--we did a lot of takedowns and hit hard in sparring--but we didn't spar every class) I practiced, but the hardest was still probably equal to the easiest wrestling workouts.

[@Pharmbob69]

Love your content Sensei Seth, completely agree about WT and would highly recommend you look into the TAGB- taekwondo association of Great Britain. It's the UKs largest ITF group and is miles apart from WT. If you're ever in the UK drop in to a session!

[@EbiChu-z3h]

Did sensei Seth just give a shout out to fight commentary break downs?!?! Wow! 🎉💕

[@wael4070]

When you have guys like khabib, Fedor and makhachev, it made Sambo a super S tier

[@jofferbathan9401]

You also have to consider the conditioning that these sports do. Boxers are more conditioned to take a hit compared to Judokas, they have more experience on facing pressure of the thought: "what if I get knocked out?", and additionally, they have a wider understanding of distance. So, I personally think that boxing should be a bit higher than Judo. Edit: Grammatical errors

[@sliderx1897]

Mma rules " well now that all my favorite techniques are illegal" - Jesse Enkamp

[@brianwatson4119]

I went to visit our local BJJ school. I found it odd that every training segment I saw started with one or both people already on the ground.

[@marconopolo5723]

Because they don't want to be thrown. I've gone to a BJJ practice and I had my Judo Gi. They saw that and they refused to do stand up with me. They had other guys at the gym that used to be judokas and they all told me they refuse to do stand up with them because it hurts like hell when they throw them. They were better than me at ground work but they wouldn't have stood a chance standing.

[@brianwatson4119]

@@marconopolo5723 I was mainly going to get my daughter some self-defense, but without standing, it's not practical. That and she saw someone change positions and dude dragged his sweaty nuts across the other guy's face and she said, "Nope!"

[@marconopolo5723]

@@brianwatson4119 🤣🤣🤣

[@slavicvolk]

@@marconopolo5723 I do judo as well and yes most bjj guys don’t like to engage and will usually pull guard if they stand up BUT…bjj starts on the ground because that’s where a fight will typically end up so why not start there? Now knee wrestling is stupid. I start standing unless I’m tired and will do takedown or pass

[@محمدالكناني-ق6ب]

You are very special and I always say that your channel is one of the best channels by choosing the best good topics in the world of martial arts in addition to your distinctive style of presentation and value-added information