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Phoebe Zhang

China’s top sports body is calling for rules for mixed martial arts fights, after a series of knockouts of “kung fu masters”.
In a notice on Thursday, the General Administration of Sport said regulation was needed to improve the safety of competitions with the emergence of free fighting, MMA fighting and professional boxing.
“[Some competitions] have unclear rules, unregulated organisation and faulty safety measures on site,” the notice said.
It said standards needed to be set for fights, and organisers who flouted the rules would be blacklisted and punished.
Chinese MMA fighter Xu Xiaodong slams tai chi master for threatening Wuhan Diary author Fang Fang
The Chinese Wushu Association, which oversees and promotes martial arts as a form of cultural heritage, followed the announcement with a call on Friday urging wushu practitioners to not take part in unregulated competitions and not represent their martial arts traditions in MMA fighting.
The association had called a stop to a total of 16 “unauthorised competitions” since June, China Sports Daily reported.
A spokesman for the association said it would push for standardised and regulated martial arts competitions; an improved registration system for MMA fighters, coaches and referees; as well as safety assessments and ratings for these competitions.


The most prominent of these “unregulated fights” took place in 2017 between Xu Xiaodong, a Beijing-based MMA fighter, and tai chi “master” Wei Lei.
Wei had earlier bragged about his skills and showed his “inner energy” smashing a watermelon in an interview with state broadcaster CCTV.
But he was knocked out in less than 10 seconds in his match-up with Xu, prompting many commentators to say the fight was a clear victory for modern combat techniques over traditional styles.
Weeks later, Xu and three other MMA fighters planned to take on four tai chi experts in a “group brawl”, but the fight was broken up by police.
Xu then embarked on a mission to “expose fake kung fu” by beating up “frauds” in sanctioned fights in China.
He publicly called these masters “liars” and said traditional kung fu needed to be improved.
Other MMA fighters have since taken on practitioners of traditional martial arts.

In May, 50-year-old amateur fighter Wang Qingmin fought 68-year-old tai chi practitioner Ma Baoguo, striking him down to the ground three times in 30 seconds.
Days before the fight, Ma had publicly challenged Ultimate Fighting Championship gold belt winner Zhang Weili, saying he could take her “for three whole minutes without panting”.
Tai chi and other types of martial arts remain popular in China as morning exercises and themes for TV shows.


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China aims to knock out ‘unsafe’ freestyle and MMA fights

MMA fighter Xu Xiaodong has been on a mission to expose “fake martial artists”. Photo: Qin Chen

TOPSHOT - This photo taken on August 7, 2019 shows Chinese mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Zhang Weili (L) training at a gym in Beijing. - Zhang can become China's first UFC world champion if she beats title-holder Jessica Andrade of Brazil in their strawweight showdown at the end of August. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP) / TO GO WITH MMA-UFC-CHN-China-Zhang-women,INTERVIEW by Helen ROXBURGH

Chinese MMA fighter Xu Xiaodong mocks tai chi ‘master’ Ma Baoguo after 30-second KO – ‘the truth has been revealed’

Tai chi master Ma Baoguo is knocked out in Shandong. Photo: YouTube/Fight Commentary Breakdowns

Retired mixed martial arts boxer Xu Xiaodong, left, prepares to compete against Ma Baoguo, right, a master of Chen style tai chi, at the planned mass brawl site in Shanghai, China, 26 June 2017. On Monday (26 June 2017), Shanghai police officers intervened before a planned mass brawl between mixed martial artists and tai chi practitioners could take place. The proposed fight is the latest in a string of incidents that have shaken up the Chinese martial arts' scene. It comes on the heels of rumours that the government of China had taken action - via internet censorship - to squash the rivalry between MMA and traditional martial arts. At the centre of this latest incident is Xu Xiaodong, head of the Beijing MMA association. It was Xu's streetfight with Wei Lei (a tai chi master) that caused the MMA vs tai chi raditional martial arts rivalry to go viral last May. However, it seems Xu's belief that MMA is superior to tai chi and kung fu has not died down. Nor has his eagerness to prove it.

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China’s Yan Xiaonan celebrates one of her victories. Photo: Handout

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Yan Xiaonan throws a kick at Syuri Kondo.

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AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - FEBRUARY 23: (R-L) Yan Xiaonan of China punches Karolina Kowalkiewicz of Poland in their strawweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at Spark Arena on February 23, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

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Country’s top sports body says rules are needed to improve organisation of the bouts
Proposal follows series of one-sided match-ups between traditional martial artists and MMA fighters



Country’s top sports body says rules are needed to improve organisation of the bouts.


China aims to knock out ‘unsafe’ freestyle and MMA fights

Country’s top sports body says rules are needed to improve organisation of the bouts Proposal follows series of one-sided match-ups between traditional martial artists and MMA fighters

Country’s top sports body says rules are needed to improve organisation of the bouts

Proposal follows series of one-sided match-ups between traditional martial artists and MMA fighters