Blitz - June-July 2017

MMA vs tai chi match starts furore

A video featuring a Chinese

MMA fighter defeating a tai chi

master in less than 10 seconds

has caused uproar in China, with

a wealthy businessman offering

a hefty prize to any traditional

martial artist who can beat the

Mixed Martial Artist.

After outspoken MMA

exponent Xu Xiaodong

destroyed Yang-style tai chi

master Wei Lei in a challenge

match that racked up more than

1.5 million YouTube views in less

than a week, Xu boldly issued an

open challenge to martial arts

masters across China to fight

him in one-on-one.

Xu was quoted in the Global

Times saying, “[I] crack down

on fake things, because they

are fake. Fake things must be

eliminated. No question.”

His comments angered

many Chinese, who are fiercely

proud of their famous fighting

arts, including multimillionaire

entrepreneur Mr Sheng Chen,

founder of the Tiandi No. 1 drinks

company. Chen, who hails from

Guangzhou city in China’s far

south, has responded to Xu’s

challenge by offering 10 million

yuan [almost AU$2 million] to

any traditional martial artists

willing and able to defeat the

MMA fighter and “defend the

dignity” of China’s fighting arts.

Sheng will spread the purse

across five fights, with the

winner of each one receiving 1.

million yuan (AU$294,000) and

the loser 500,000 yuan. If Xu

beats all challengers, the tycoon

has agreed to give him the

entire purse.

Xu has said he’s confident

he could beat two or three

traditional martial artists at once.

“I want him to understand,

he used this kind of extreme

method to provoke Chinese

traditional culture, and will need

to pay the price,” Chen said.

So far, several Chinese

have accepted the challenge,

including tai chi masters Lu

Xing and Wang Zhanhai,

Shaolin Meihua Zhuang kung fu

practitioner Li Shangxian and

Yi Long, a tough sanda fighter

often falsely promoted as a

Shaolin monk, who has fought

numerous Thai boxers.

Aussie Karate Open the biggest ever

The 2017 Australian Karate Federation’s

annual Australian Open Championships was

an action-packed three days of competition in

Sydney’s Whitlam Centre on 7–9 April. With

over 1300 entrants from eight nations, it was

described by NSW AKF president Hani Zara

as “the biggest ever”.

This year’s event again opened with the

Schools and Universities Age Championship,

which gives student athletes the opportunity

to compete not only for their club but as a

representative of their educational institution.

The competition in this now traditional

curtain-raiser is lifting each year and action on

all five mats ran like clockwork.

With karate now officially on the cards for

the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, local organisers

are also ramping up the opportunity for

athletes across the Oceania region to gain the

experience necessary for Olympic contention.

Incorporated into the Aussie Open this

year was the 17th Senior Open Oceania Karate

Championships, which brought together the

leading contenders from New Zealand, French

Polynesia, New Caledonia, Fiji and Australia.

The New Caledonia team led by world

championship kata contender Mihn Dack

showed that they will be a force to reckon

with: Dack won the gold medal in male

kata, with teammate Kim Faucher grabbing

bronze in the women’s division, with a second

bronze going to New Caledonia after a strong

performance by Angelique Mondoloni. New

Zealand also displayed some grit in the tough

field, with Alexandra Anacan taking gold

in women’s kata and Issac Hoshi scoring a

bronze in the men’s division.

In kumite (point-sparring), Australia had

the home-ground advantage, fielding 24 of

the 49 competitors. This lifted the Aussie

medal tally overall but it was testament to the

high standard of competition in the region

that the podium featured representatives of

all the competing Oceania nations.

The Australian Open was, however, the

main event. The major medals in Female

Open Kumite went to Melbourne’s Mandy

Yap over Kristina Perrin and Aurore Vaysset

of New Caledonia. The men’s division had

the crowd on their feet as Barney Gill from

New Zealand took the Gold from Aussies

Dean Hollowood and Carlos Maya. Female

Kata went Australia’s way with Marijana

Dimoska taking gold from Jasmine Rafiq,

with Chloe Battaglia (New Caledonia) and

Mishela Dimoska sharing the bronze medals.

The Male Kata division was of course all about

Mihn Dack but saw great performances from

Aussies Kyle Robinson (silver) and Shaun

Yuen (bronze).

• James Carrett

JAMES CARRETT

A scene from the Xu–Wei showdown

NZ’s Barney

Gill in action

Kata champion

Mihn Dack

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