Before the rise of mixed martial arts, exponents of various “martial” arts demonstrated the value of their discipline by talking about it. Taekwondo was better because legs are stronger than arms. Kung Fu was better because it uses internal strength, which is superior to mere muscle. In short, everyone was better than average.

Then MMA rose to unavoidable prominence in the West, and the chatter ceased, mostly; small pockets of tools remain, like this guy and his inadvertent parody. However, in China it’s still a real thing.

Xu Xiaodong, 41, is changing that. The former Sanda competitor and coach is basically dojo storming the world’s most populous nation. “Mad Dog” got interested in MMA in 2001, and in 2003 founded the first MMA team in Beijing and organized the first MMA event in China. He’s the Royce Gracie and Art Davie of China, combined. Since 2017, he has held a series of viral bouts against Tai Chi masters, going undefeated, and incurring the wrath of powerful elements in China, because of the significant role Traditional Martial Arts play in Chinese culture.

The obvious thing to do is improve. Sanda, for example, can be adapted, as have BJJ, wrestling, Muay Thai, etc., and can become a world-beating base, as demonstrated by UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang. Unfortunately, Malaysia’s The Star reports that the Chinese government is taking another response – if the fights expose shortcomings in TMA, then ban the fights.

According to Xinhua News, the National Wushu Sports Administrative Centre and the Chinese Wushu Association issued a 10-point plan on Jan 28 to clean up and regulate wushu which is now in chaos.

In the plan, the two martial arts bodies forbade anyone from organizing illegal bouts, carrying out acts of defamation, or discriminating against others. It also seeks to put a stop to those who proclaim themselves as masters or chiefs of sect or claiming that the wushu they practice is authentic or of true lineage.

The move was seen as a response to the recent defeats of self-proclaimed kungfu masters at the hands of trained MMA fighters. It started in 2017 when Wei Lei, the founder of Lei Gong Tai Chi, was made short work of by MMA fighter Xu Xiaodong during a competition. The most high-profile defeat was that of self-proclaimed Tai Chi master Ma Baoguo in May 2020 when he was knocked out by an amateur MMA fighter in just 30 seconds.

Here’s a compelling 2019 profile of the fighter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r24WQLrS9w

What do you think UG? Is this the end of Xu Xiaodong’s long march towards reality?

And for the record, Tai Chi is an amazingly great martial art. It’s a tremendous means to improve health and wellness for the elderly, and to improve peace of mind for everyone, among countless other positive attributes. And it has no practical use in actual fighting, which does not detract from its real benefits.