Recently a video went viral and amassed over 6 million views in just a couple of days. The video alleges it features a Kung Fu Legend that gets Eliminated by an MMA veteran.
That may have been embellished. In realty there’s a fascinating story behind the video.
Sometime in 2020, iIn the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sports industry has suffered immensely.
However, the combat sports stunt promotions seemed to be thriving from an increased number of internet users. In a recent video, a 69-year-old tai chi ‘master’ named Ma Baoguo took on an amateur martial arts hobbyist, who was at least 20 years his junior, in Shandong, China.
The style-vs-style challenge saw Ma attempting to use his tai chi techniques against his younger opponent. However, the bout ended in less than 30 seconds with Ma being knocked out cold by his opponent.
Mad Dog Xu Xiaodong, a 41-year-old MMA trainer from Beijing who is known for starting the new wave of style-vs-style in China, was quick to call out Ma on his performance.
Xu rose to fame in 2017 when he beat up a tai chi master in just ten seconds, after a prolonged online argument where Xu claimed that traditional martial arts are ineffective when it comes to self-defense and unarmed combat.
Xu has continued his argument over the years, challenging traditionalists whenever he gets the chance, despite encountering obstacles set up by the Chinese government.
After the footage of Ma’s bout went viral, Xu took to Twitter to mock him, stating, “Shanghai’s Ma Baoguo knocked out by an amateur after four seconds. That’s what a ‘traitor’ gets.”
Interestingly, Ma and Xu have had a history of conflict. Ma had challenged Xu in the past, resulting in the two squaring off in a gym in Shanghai for a planned tai chi vs. MMA mass scrap. However, the police intervened and broke up the event before fists could be thrown.
Ma has since complained about the rules, stating that there should have been a ‘hit and separate’ rule in effect. He claims that he would have broken his opponent’s nose if this rule was in place.
Despite the controversy surrounding the clip, it has garnered significant attention online, highlighting the ongoing debate about traditional martial arts versus modern combat sports.