Check out this old school style vs style match from 1982 in Harlem. Both practitioners are clearly skilled in their respective arts. The man in the black gi represents Kung Fu while the man in the standard white gi represents Karate.

This old school match pre dates the first UFC by more than a decade. Style vs style matchups weren’t as common back then. Most of the time it was only theoretical which martial art was the best. These two guys in this YouTube video wanted to see for themselves.

There is a lot of respect shown here which is a big part of martial arts, particularly where traditional martial arts are concerned. With that being said however, they are throwing kicks full clip which no gear on. As the video description humorously says:

1982 full contact in Harlem. Lots of action and clear technique. Ahhh fond memories of the good old days before safety gear and lawsuits!!

It is tough to say who gets the better of whom in this one. They both have their moments and land their fair share of kicks throughout the seven plus minute video. Nothing super significant lands for either man though, which illustrates that their defensive skills are on point.

To compare their styles, Karate is known for its linear type movements while Kung Fu uses circular movements.

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The action starts to slow towards the end, with both men possibly fatigued and/or hurt from the multiple kicks landed by each competitor. If I had to pick a winner however, I’d go with the Karate practitioner (also known as Karateka), the man in the white gi. He landed the more significant kicks and got a few throws/sweeps in. It is important to note though that it is not the art that wins or loses the contest it is the practitioner and how he or she uses that art.