5 martial arts forms that are best for MMA

#2 Sambo

Image credits: FIAS

SAMBO stands for samozashchita bez oruzhiya, which translates to "Self Defence Without Weapons". It was introduced in the 1920s to help the Soviet Red Army in hand-to-hand combat, it eventually became a recognized sport in the late 1930s.

Sambo makes use of catch wrestling, judo, punches, kicks, elbows and even knees. It's a rather brutal sport which some MMA legends have participated in, such as Fedor Emelianenko and Khabib Nurmagomedov. This is perhaps the most commonly used in this list thanks to the Russian participation in MMA.

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#1 Lethwei

Image credits: VICE

Lethwei is Burmese bare-knuckle boxing. Imagine Muay Thai, except more brutal. Lethwei is known famously for the use of headbutts. Also, there are no decisions. There's either a knockout or the fight ends in a draw.

The use of headbutts in MMA has been highly debated. Influencers such as Joe Rogan have advocated for it, while a large crowd justifiably believes that headbutts will only add more concussion problems and lead to bigger layoff periods for fighters.

Either way, the fundamental striking techniques of Lethwei would be extremely useful if implemented in MMA.

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