Putin, Van Damme and Fedor all together
ByIf somebody would have told you twenty years ago that a Belgian karateka actor (who shows his nekkid butt in every movie) would meet the former President and current Prime Minister of Russia at a mixed fight tournament, you would have laughed. If they’d then add that one of the top MMA fighters today, Fedor Emelianenko, would be there too, you’d probably have been rolling on the floor in hysterics.
Still, here’s the proof:
Vladimir Putin, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Fedor Emelianenko
It just goes to show how MMA, but also martial arts movies, have slowly become more mainstream throughout the decades. I remember when Bloodsport came out and everybody was in awe about JCVD. Regardless what you think of him now, back then he re-launched the martial arts movie genre, which had become very stale.
As for Fedor, his loss to Werdum might have made his star shine a bit less brightly, but he’s still no slouch either. The fact that he’s recognized by Putin as being important enough to show up for the tournament says a lot about MMA’s evolution. Of course, we all know Putin is a Judo black belt and has an affinity for martial arts but still. It’s not like he doesn’t have anything better to do than go to a tournament like this.
I’m curious to see how the future will turn out but let’s just hope there’ll be a day when MMA and MA in general are just as much accepted throughout the world as they seem to be in Russia.
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Hey Wim, great post. Just a thought about MMA. MMA in my opinion is just another prolific fad. Not a bad thing….a good thing that has prolific economic reprecussions. It creates jobs, the fans love it, and there’s a whole clothing industry built around it. However, I know you have a vast gung fu back ground, so you’d indentify with me here….if you look back at the history of our sifu’s….mixing and fusing arts along with NHB venues way back in the day were a common place. Look at Wing chun…it’s a fusion of crane, and snake arts, along with even mantis kung fu i believe….masters way back would always want to test out their systems with others. I think one thing MMA has given the world though, is the beauty, art, and necessity of good athletic cross training.
Anyway, just my humble reflection…..peace….Wim ….hit me up on FB dude.
Have a good day.
Chris.
Full contact fighting (with or without rules) is indeed nothing new. Ancient China and Greece left us with plenty of historical proof of that. And from the accounts I’ve read, the fighters of those times were no slouches either. They would have thought today’s MMA fighters were pussies for wearing gloves or even fighting bare-knuckled. *Real* men would use a cestus to throw a punch. :-)
Aren’t we already connected on Facebook?
Yes, we’re on FB, what i meant was…keep in touch with me on FB….have a great weekend man….
Ah, got it. Facebook is becoming hectic for me. It’s hard to keep track of everybody in the news stream. But you can always contact me via my wall.
Hey Wim, great post. Just a thought about MMA. MMA in my opinion is just another prolific fad. Not a bad thing….a good thing that has prolific economic reprecussions. It creates jobs, the fans love it, and there’s a whole clothing industry built around it. However, I know you have a vast gung fu back ground, so you’d indentify with me here….if you look back at the history of our sifu’s….mixing and fusing arts along with NHB venues way back in the day were a common place. Look at Wing chun…it’s a fusion of crane, and snake arts, along with even mantis kung fu i believe….masters way back would always want to test out their systems with others. I think one thing MMA has given the world though, is the beauty, art, and necessity of good athletic cross training.
Anyway, just my humble reflection…..peace….Wim ….hit me up on FB dude.
Have a good day.
Chris.
Full contact fighting (with or without rules) is indeed nothing new. Ancient China and Greece left us with plenty of historical proof of that. And from the accounts I’ve read, the fighters of those times were no slouches either. They would have thought today’s MMA fighters were pussies for wearing gloves or even fighting bare-knuckled. *Real* men would use a cestus to throw a punch. :-)
Aren’t we already connected on Facebook?
Yes, we’re on FB, what i meant was…keep in touch with me on FB….have a great weekend man….
Ah, got it. Facebook is becoming hectic for me. It’s hard to keep track of everybody in the news stream. But you can always contact me via my wall.
The fact remains that MA are hugely beneficial for people on an individual level and can potentially have a hugely positive effect on a social level. I wish more politicians had Putin’s interest and understanding of what MA can do for people then perhaps they would get proper funding and coverage in the mainstream media and even perhaps be incorporated in schools curricula. I suppose that its easier for people and governments to continue to associate MA practice with the dangers of violence rather than the therapeutic psychological/physiological benefits which can accrue from their diligent practice. It kind of links in with your earlier post on how the youth of today have become so soft. On another related point, I cant get enough of your colleague Mr. Christensen’s books which are a treasure trove of knowledge and practical information. Kudos to you both on your excellent work which has provided me with some much appreciated insights and re kindled my resolve as to why I should keep up my MA practice, though it causes my long suffering wife endless chagrin.
Garry,
IIRC, Teddy Roosevelt was ranked in judo and also boxed. So it’s not unheard of for politicians to practice MAs. Oh well, we can only hope.
Thanks for the kind words. Loren got me started with my writing so anything I’ve published is thanks to him. He has a wealth of both experience and knowledge. He’s one of the very few people in this world I have a blanket recommendation for: anything he writes, I’m confident it’s worth reading.
The fact remains that MA are hugely beneficial for people on an individual level and can potentially have a hugely positive effect on a social level. I wish more politicians had Putin’s interest and understanding of what MA can do for people then perhaps they would get proper funding and coverage in the mainstream media and even perhaps be incorporated in schools curricula. I suppose that its easier for people and governments to continue to associate MA practice with the dangers of violence rather than the therapeutic psychological/physiological benefits which can accrue from their diligent practice. It kind of links in with your earlier post on how the youth of today have become so soft. On another related point, I cant get enough of your colleague Mr. Christensen’s books which are a treasure trove of knowledge and practical information. Kudos to you both on your excellent work which has provided me with some much appreciated insights and re kindled my resolve as to why I should keep up my MA practice, though it causes my long suffering wife endless chagrin.
Garry,
IIRC, Teddy Roosevelt was ranked in judo and also boxed. So it’s not unheard of for politicians to practice MAs. Oh well, we can only hope.
Thanks for the kind words. Loren got me started with my writing so anything I’ve published is thanks to him. He has a wealth of both experience and knowledge. He’s one of the very few people in this world I have a blanket recommendation for: anything he writes, I’m confident it’s worth reading.