Originally posted by CosmicSurfer
I read many articles claiming Lyoto is a traditional Shotokan sylist with a BJJ black belt. But I disagree here, he did crosstrain in wrestling and muay thai to be successful. So karate alone is not good enough for his stand up package to win against so many top names in the UFC. I think his so-called "Machida Karate" is a hybid of Shotokan and Muay Thai.What are your takes on this? Do you think pure karate has any chance against pure Muay Thai--which dominates as a stand up style in MMA?
Any MMA fans in here???
It depends on what you mean by "true" stylist. He is certainly not a karate purist. Purists generally don't do well in today's fighting world, so most fighters crosstrain to at least some extent. He is, however, a legitimate karate practitioner. He didn't just slap on a gi and began fighting.
His standup is certainly based in karate though. To deny that is ludicrous. His karate is hyped up because he is about the only fighter to really take the finer aspects of the style and use them effectively at such a high level. Also, it helps market him.
The typical karateka wouldn't do well against the typical muay thai artist. Most karate schools cater to parents who don't actually want to see their kids fight. These schools essentially have students flick their feet in the air a couple of times per week without regard to actual combat. Muay thai schools usually feature much more alive, realistic sparring and other training. In general, muay thai students are much more prepared for a fight.
Exceptions exist obviously. Several schools of karate, like Kyokushin, emphasize alive training. There are also karate fighters who've met with success against various muay thai stylists. Andy Hug comes to mind.
I personally think we'll see "traditional" styles return to proper training in the future due the growing mainstream appeal of MMA/Vale Tudo. I've even seen a capoeira guy doing well recently. I forgot his name though.