For example in the early 70's traditional karate masters didn't like the idea of Full Contact (American Kickboxing) because it was considered barbaric and was against the tradition. What do you think will cross trough the minds of old traditional karatekas like Funakoshi, Kano, Ueshiba and those big names if they could be able to watch MMA fights and how their original separate martial arts techniques are used on a full contact scenario? and how about old boxers like John L Sullivan, or some early 1900's wrestlers? Maybe they will just shock or maybe end liking it. I want your opinion "heavies" !!!
I think they would be big fans of the majority of today's MMA minus the wrestling/dry humping aspect of it.
Funakoshi and Ueshiba would probably have hated it. Kano would have probably had mixed opinions about MMA in general but wouldn't like the prize fighting aspect of it, as he was very against Judo every being done for profit. Old time boxers and wrestlers would probably have loved it. John L Sullivan and his ilk were legit badasses.
Originally guys like Chuck Norris and Joe Lewis who were pioners of Full Contact Karate in America receive bad looks and words from japanese Karate masters who didn't like the idea of fighting in a ring, without gi, and with continuous hitting. they even kind of prohibited some tournaments to happen. I read that on a Black Belt magazine interview with Dominique Valera, a french kickboxer from that era.
Don't know about karate guys, but the first UFC fighters gotta see it as a watered down version of it. 5 minutes rounds, most things are prohibited, judges with socrecards, fighters that spend most of the time not trying to fight, but just score a decision. This has nothing to do with the ways UFC started, we liking it or not.
Most traditionalist were trying to get away from just pure violence and trying to reach some sort of higher enlightenment. They were trying to rise above violence, become better people, and learn values and discipline. It was not all about fighting. They wanted a certain amount of Zen. However, nowadays, most traditionalists are just arrogant, slow, weak guys who can't even throw a decent punch, but they talk about what they would do in a multiple attack situation.
But it's not a nation thing. It's not like Japan didn't have its own full-contact fighting through out history, in karate and across disciplines.
