UFC, gloves, etc.

This is related to a disscussion during one of our seminars in November 2013.

1.

MMA is not an ultimate format for testing value of martial arts (even if we are talking only about fighting aspect). In cases of most styles suggestion to prove their value in UFC is off point, as they were usually created for fighting under quite different conditions.

So we feel need to develop a format of confrontation, which will be closer to the character of yiquan (and in fact quite many other chinese martial arts). Only then more people will start noticing value and meaning of things which they don't realize or neglect (e.g. tui shou). Similarly as Gracie family started UFC in order to demonstrate the value of what they were doing.

I was quite surprised learning that people think that UFC existed first and then Gracie fighters went there to prove efficiency of their jiu-jitsu.

In fact it was Rorion Gracie, who started it and was co-owner of the company organizing UFC. Only some time later he sold his shares.

2.

There is some misunderstanding as for goal and effects of using gloves in boxing. The gloves were introduced not because too many knock-outs in bare-knucles boxing. Actually quite opposite. It was introducing gloves which led to more knock-outs. When hitting with a fist which was not protected by tapes and gloves, fighters had to be more carefull when hitting, especially hitting head (this is reason why there were punching head was not so often used, and hands were kept lower, like in traditional asian martial arts).

John Lawrence Sullivan was a famous boxer in second half of XIX century. He started with bare-knuckle boxing and then achieved many victories in boxing with new rules. He was very much in favour of using gloves. Why? No matter what he was saying, the fact is that using gloves helped him to knock his opponents out.

Without gloves there were more cuts and hand injuries, but it is tapes and gloves helping to hit harder, which leads to knockouts. Without gloves and additional hand protection hitting with fist must be better controlled and precise in order to avoid your own hand injury.