RE: Kata…jerry, dude, you’re not getting it – it’s a systematic performance. That’s where the ART is martial arts comes from. It’s almost like a form of meditation, it’s a focused performance – and while performing, after serious repetition and perfection of form, it becomes just that. It’s like a ballet, except with fighting moves….that’s it. It’s NOT meant to be something to train fighters, it’s not meant to use against fighters……. it’s ART. The fighting comes in a completely different form, sparring – and some people who train Karate or whatever don’t take part in sparring at all, and simply like the exercise and art side of things. BJJ is not art, it has no art, it’s purely practical submission and body manipulation. You can’t compare the two, and it’s as silly to comment on kata a as a fight-training method as it is to say bar fights are won by triangles. The reality is while training in fighting is great for self-defense, it often buffs up the trainee’s (over)self-confidence through a sport with rules, when in real life….there are no rules, and there are weapons, and unfortunately bjj doesn’t train against having a jagged edge shoved in your throat when you’re trying to work your kimura.
RE: MMA in China, it has NOTHING to do with competing with the UFC. I think it’s ridiculous to say MMA can’t grow in China because the level of fighters isn’t that of Alda, Jones, or St. Pierre or whomever, that’s not the point. As a sport it’s growing. Even if it’s a bunch of (b, to the world) level fighters against themselves, the point is it’s growing rapidly and there IS a culture growing around it. It’s not a competition with UFC or anything going on in the USA, it’s a sport and, eventually, like basketball or any other recently rapidly growing sport in China, will result in world-class fighters eventually. Again, growth here has nothing to do with the top quality fighter vs. UFC’s top fighter.
Oh..and re: the “fall on ass” comment bit, just caught that. Did you watch any early Royce Gracie in UFC fights? He often fought from a ground position. Falling on his ass was one of his major stragegies against bigger fighters – waiting for them to go in for the pounce, then latching on like a m’fer and working his way in. On that note, anyone who thinks “true” MMA is UFC, hasn’t seen original UFC when the Gracies put out their call for straight up brawls from any style. There weren’t rounds, pads, and strict rules….m’fers headbutt straight up knuckles on skull and grab what they can grab…minus things like thumbing eyes and other dirty shit of course. The point is, MMA is now a sport like any other, and a lot less like Blood Sport (which original UFC was closest to out of anything I’ve seen yet/since :D)