This is a Karate fighter

[Hotora86]

Bro i am going to reply what i told you 10 times over the years.

Everyone respects full contact styles like kyokuhin kudo shidokan etc.

People rightly shit on useless styles like shotokan and all the bullshit-ryus with there katas, horse stances and chambered punches.

Horiguchi is shotokan.
Machida brothers etc.
You can make it work.

 

[KBE6EKCTAH_CCP]

Horiguchi is shotokan.
Machida brothers etc.
You can make it work.

This has been done to death. Every once in a while a good fighter has success with an unorthodox style, it doesn‘t make the style itself adequate for actual fighting. Some styles are inferior to others because the movements do not replicate actual fighting and because they spar very lightly if at all.

 

[SandisLL]

This has been done to death. Every once in a while a good fighter has success with an unorthodox style, it doesn‘t make the style itself adequate for actual fighting. Some styles are inferior to others because the movements do not replicate actual fighting and because they spar very lightly if at all.

Shotokan does have a lot of differences in core.

Ofc in this post I will not get depth about head movement problem.

Earlier these more were lesser with any high kicks, later...
Depends from sensei and they also does have some at least 5 federations.

Plus certain gym ( dojo ) might have really different approach to S/C.....

Some are doing just board breaking etc....
Some dojos might use heavy bags for SD punching training, the same like pro boxers are using ....

S/C : some are worshiping athleticism and wants more be like weightlifters or body builders etc or KB etc guys.
Some are like librarians. It really does depends from dojo and sensei.

 

[Hotora86]

This has been done to death. Every once in a while a good fighter has success with an unorthodox style, it doesn‘t make the style itself adequate for actual fighting. Some styles are inferior to others because the movements do not replicate actual fighting and because they spar very lightly if at all.

Adequate is a strong word. It's a spectrum.

There are styles which are often a successful base for MMA: wrestling, MT, BJJ, Sambo

There are styles which need lots of adjusting but can work too: Sanda, Kudo, boxing, Judo, Karate, TKD...

And there are styles which have never had success in MMA: Aikido, Wing Chun, Tai Chi...

 

[Trabaho]

This has been done to death. Every once in a while a good fighter has success with an unorthodox style, it doesn‘t make the style itself adequate for actual fighting. Some styles are inferior to others because the movements do not replicate actual fighting and because they spar very lightly if at all.

Thing is they literally become mixed martial artists or kickboxers. They don't spend their camp in a shotokan gym than roll out to fight in MMA or Kickboxing.

 

[Trabaho]

Adequate is a strong word. It's a spectrum.

There are styles which are often a successful base for MMA: wrestling, MT, BJJ, Sambo

These translate to MMA

There are styles which need lots of adjusting but can work too: Sanda, Kudo, boxing, Judo, Karate, TKD...

Judo boxing translates.

What is kudo ? For Karate and TKD you gotta drop half of the style and change it entirely to the core to work.

Legit aka professional MMA gyms world wide which are about their fighters winning in MMA - all have no karate and TKD ect classes. They all train wrestling Muay Thai / Kickboxing, many boxing and bjj. That tells you what works 100%. Jido also works 100% but it's rarer.
Now some people from different sports can decide to want to do MMA and hop into a MMA gym and train those disciplines along regular MMA classes.

And there are styles which have never had success in MMA: Aikido, Wing Chun, Tai Chi...

Yeah but people don't use straight shotokan and tkd.

 

[Hotora86]

Legit aka professional MMA gyms world wide which are about their fighters winning in MMA - all have no karate and TKD ect classes.

In 2026, several top-tier professional MMA gyms are recognized for their strong karate foundations or for producing elite "karate-style" fighters through specialized striking systems.

Elite MMA Gyms with Karate Foundations

Jackson Wink MMA Academy
Co-founder Mike Winkeljohn is a 5th-degree black belt in Kenpo Karate. The gym is world-renowned for integrating karate-based distance management and "oblique" kicks into MMA. It has been the training home for karate-influenced champions like Georges St-Pierre, Holly Holm, and Michelle "The Karate Hottie" Waterson-Gomez.

Tristar Gym
Historically associated with Georges St-Pierre (a Kyokushin karate black belt), head coach Firas Zahabi emphasizes a "point-fighting" philosophy that prioritizes distance, timing, and the jab—core tenets of traditional karate.

Upstate Karate / Ray Thompson’s Ironmen
This is the primary training base for Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, one of the most successful pure karate practitioners in MMA history. The gym's curriculum is fundamentally built on Tetsushin-ryū Kempo Karate and serves as a blueprint for translating karate footwork to the octagon.

Lyoto Machida’s Machida Academy
Founded by the Machida family, this gym teaches Machida Karate, a specialized version of Shotokan specifically adapted for MMA. Lyoto Machida famously used this "karate-based" base to capture the UFC Light Heavyweight title.

Professional Gyms with Significant Karate Influence

Kings MMA
Led by Master Rafael Cordeiro, this gym combines aggressive Muay Thai with karate-influenced striking. Notable fighters like Yair Rodríguez and Sean Strickland utilize unorthodox, karate-style movements honed at this facility.

Serra-Longo Fight Team
Striking coach Ray Longo incorporates traditional martial arts principles into his "Longo-Weidman" system. Former champion Henry Cejudo famously spent time here to adopt the wide, karate-style stance that revitalized his striking game.

Pitbull Brothers Gym
This gym frequently employs karate specialists to assist the Freire brothers (Patricio and Patricky) in refining their counter-striking and distance control, blending it with their high-level BJJ.

 

[Hotora86]

Thing is they literally become mixed martial artists or kickboxers. They don't spend their camp in a shotokan gym than roll out to fight in MMA or Kickboxing.

This applies to literally every martial art.

They don't spend their camp in a boxing gym then roll out to fight in MMA.
They don't spend their camp in a BJJ gym then roll out to fight in MMA.
They don't spend their camp in a MT gym then roll out to fight in MMA.
They don't spend their camp in a wrestling gym then roll out to fight in MMA.
They don't spend their camp in a kickboxing gym then roll out to fight in MMA.
etc.

 

[Trabaho]

This applies to literally every martial art.

They don't spend their camp in a boxing gym then roll out to fight in MMA.
They don't spend their camp in a BJJ gym then roll out to fight in MMA.
They don't spend their camp in a MT gym then roll out to fight in MMA.
They don't spend their camp in a wrestling gym then roll out to fight in MMA.
They don't spend their camp in a kickboxing gym then roll out to fight in MMA.
etc.

They spend their camp training all these.
They don't spend their camp doing shotokan.
THere's standard disciplines for MMA.
But whatever believe and train what you want.

 

[Trabaho]

In 2026, several top-tier professional MMA gyms are recognized for their strong karate foundations or for producing elite "karate-style" fighters through specialized striking systems.

Elite MMA Gyms with Karate Foundations

Jackson Wink MMA Academy
Co-founder Mike Winkeljohn is a 5th-degree black belt in Kenpo Karate. The gym is world-renowned for integrating karate-based distance management and "oblique" kicks into MMA. It has been the training home for karate-influenced champions like Georges St-Pierre, Holly Holm, and Michelle "The Karate Hottie" Waterson-Gomez.

Tristar Gym
Historically associated with Georges St-Pierre (a Kyokushin karate black belt), head coach Firas Zahabi emphasizes a "point-fighting" philosophy that prioritizes distance, timing, and the jab—core tenets of traditional karate.

Upstate Karate / Ray Thompson’s Ironmen
This is the primary training base for Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, one of the most successful pure karate practitioners in MMA history. The gym's curriculum is fundamentally built on Tetsushin-ryū Kempo Karate and serves as a blueprint for translating karate footwork to the octagon.

Lyoto Machida’s Machida Academy
Founded by the Machida family, this gym teaches Machida Karate, a specialized version of Shotokan specifically adapted for MMA. Lyoto Machida famously used this "karate-based" base to capture the UFC Light Heavyweight title.

Professional Gyms with Significant Karate Influence

Kings MMA
Led by Master Rafael Cordeiro, this gym combines aggressive Muay Thai with karate-influenced striking. Notable fighters like Yair Rodríguez and Sean Strickland utilize unorthodox, karate-style movements honed at this facility.

Serra-Longo Fight Team
Striking coach Ray Longo incorporates traditional martial arts principles into his "Longo-Weidman" system. Former champion Henry Cejudo famously spent time here to adopt the wide, karate-style stance that revitalized his striking game.

Pitbull Brothers Gym
This gym frequently employs karate specialists to assist the Freire brothers (Patricio and Patricky) in refining their counter-striking and distance control, blending it with their high-level BJJ.

Those gyms don't even got Karate classes in their weekly training plan.
Besides Machidas Karate gym which is a Karate gym not MMA.

 

[Hotora86]

Those gyms don't even got Karate classes in their weekly training plan.
Besides Machidas Karate gym which is a Karate gym not MMA.

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76 MMA gyms where Karate is the core art.

You were saying?

Trabaho said:
Legit aka professional MMA gyms world wide which are about their fighters winning in MMA - all have no karate and TKD ect classes.

 

[Trabaho]

Ok I'm just not into karate at all. To me it's not the core of fighting. Kyukishin is like kickboxing without head punches which works. I don't got a interest for the kates and traditional stuff. I don't think I csn ever be into it. Karate at MMA gyms is stilk the exception. If you like Karate do Karate. Where are you from ? Though Karate exists everywhere. Do you train karate exclusively ? Which style ?

 

[Trabaho]

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76 MMA gyms where Karate is the core art.

You were saying?

Trabaho said:
Legit aka professional MMA gyms world wide which are about their fighters winning in MMA - all have no karate and TKD ect classes.

And what UFC or Major kickboxing fighters train there ?

76 is 76 out of a few thousand world wide. It's the exception.

 

[Hotora86]

And what UFC or Major kickboxing fighters train there ?

76 is 76 out of a few thousand world wide. It's the exception.

 

[Hotora86]

And what UFC or Major kickboxing fighters train there ?

76 is 76 out of a few thousand world wide. It's the exception.

Keep moving the goal post.
You said NONE. ZERO.
Now suddenly 76 is not enough.
lol

 

[Trabaho]

Keep moving the goal post.
You said NONE. ZERO.
Now suddenly 76 is not enough.
lol

What type of fighting do you do. Lol Wonderboy does MMA and yes his style is very Karate influenced. Dude was 38-0 in kickboxing. Kickboxing is not karate.

Karate =/= MMA
Karate =/= Kickboxing

 

[Trabaho]

Keep moving the goal post.
You said NONE. ZERO.
Now suddenly 76 is not enough.
lol

1.5 major league fighters isn't a awful lot.
Wonderboy did 38 kickboxing fights prior to MMA. Perhaps Karate wasn't enough to get him ready.

 

[Hotora86]

What type of fighting do you do. Lol Wonderboy does MMA and yes his style is very Karate influenced. Dude was 38-0 in kickboxing. Kickboxing is not karate.

Karate =/= MMA
Karate =/= Kickboxing

Everyone in MMA does MMA, duh.
So WB did Karate-based kickboxing also.
Does that negate his Karate base?
Wtf

 

[Hotora86]

1.5 major league fighters isn't a awful lot.
Wonderboy did 38 kickboxing fights prior to MMA. Perhaps Karate wasn't enough ti get him ready.

Of course it wasn't enough! I never said it was.
Like any martial art, ONE ART IS NOT ENOUGH FOR MMA.
It was never a point to be argued.

The point is - there are MMA fighters with Karate backgrounds who adapted their Karate to MMA.

You guys claim that NOBODY trains Karate for MMA - but whenever I give examples of fighters and gyms you ignore the evidence...

I will try one last time with 2 big names in the sport:

Belfort’s Secret Skill: Karate

LAS VEGAS -- Wide stance. A different scream before each attack. The Vitor Belfort I saw at Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts was different from the one I’ve followed since he was 15 years old.

www.sherdog.com

The Striking Evolution of Henry Cejudo

In the dangerous chess game that is mixed martial arts, lacking in one department can mean certain doom. Here's how Henry Cejudo has improved his striking.

thebodylockmma.com