Who's sore at MMA? I like MMA. I don't like some of the strategies used, but full contact fighting is my forte. I'm sore at those who disparage karate. Both karate and non karate practitioners alike.

As for hip hop, Blondie? Eminem? Hip Hop IS dead. Nas was right.

aww, come on, you are going to quote a late 90's bandwagon jumper , I was hoping for a little KRS-One

That's good, but "Why is That?" Its funny you'll reference KRS-One and say Blondie his hip hop and hip hop to day is the same as it was in the 80's and 90's. But you know "It takes a nation of millions to hold us people back." But I'm gonna be like KRS and, "Yo, correct the wrong, the information we get today is just wack, but ask yourself, why is that?" But I understand that, "Mental pictures, stereotypes and fake history reinforces mystery ,and when mystery is reinforced, that only means that knowledge has been lost." However, just as Ras Kass said, "That is the nature of the threat."

I'm sorry, that dizzle make any sizzle Mizzle

Sorry to hear that karate is looked down upon so much...I can only put that down to bad teaching in the west and a large amount of ignorance about martial arts and fighting amongst the general public. I'm sure you all know this, but karate guys do very well in K1, and indeed this would be the natural progression for a karate guy if he wanted to get into competitions, at least in Japan anyway. I know it's not UFC, which of course is the be all and end all of fighting, but none the less I would say it's a pretty good stand up fighting competition.

Regarding Machida...he himself says he does Shotokan, he himself says his stand up is Shotokan. This means he does kata...no kata, no Shotokan. For some reason people seem to have a hard time grasping this, none the less it's a fact, simple as. I don't see what the big deal is? Take a look at some of his training drills on youtube and you see the development from the stylised shotokan footwork to more natural footwork.

K1 is great, and it was developed as a progression from Kyokushin and Seido Karate to allow for head shots (hence the gloves), and whilst many of its stars come from Karate, it is also fair to say that a great many Muay Thai practitioners have excelled in the format as well. For every Schilts, there is a Por Paramuk or Bonjasky.

I think that speaks volumes for the lack of necessity in Kata, as those who do it, do not show any greater insight, or a higher level of performance, than those who do not train with kata, even in an environment designed primarily for karateka.

Here is the fight:

http://mmahits.com/fighters/rich-ace-franklin/ufc-103-rich-franklin-vs-vitor-belfort-fight-video/

Vitor thinks that the karate was the difference in the fight:

http://www.cagepotato.com/ufc-103-aftermath-bonuses-belforts-next-move-fate-cro-cop-more

"Belfort credited his win to a new focus on karate: "It's just something that I want to use right now. I was taking my time. I was feeling the fight. As soon as I see something, I make sure I have the zip code, the address and the social security number...Sometimes I take my time; sometimes I'm aggressive. But as soon as I start, I make sure I fight. That's what people want to see."

Although it was developed from karate it certainly isn't a karate competition...that's what's so good about it as well, there's people from all sorts of disciplines. As far as I know it's the biggest kickboxing promotion going, but I may well be wrong on that? I'm not saying that the karate guys are better than the Muay Tahi guys at all, for sure these guys do just as well as the karate guys. My point is, that if the training methods of karate, a part of which is kata, are so poor then why are they competing so well in K1?

Please don't get me wrong...I am absolutely not in any way saying that performing kata will increase your level of skill above that of a Muay Thai practicioner, or give you special ninja samurai skills. Muay Thai guys do their thing in training, karate guys do theirs...and both are succesful.

I agree completely, both arts have produced success in the K1 ring, but then, so has being a monster (Bob Sapp, Hong Man Choi), and being a boxer (Butterbean).

The point being that the 'fight' comes from the person, and they use what experience/tools they have at their disposal. If you see the non-kata competitors display equal skill, and have equal success as the Kata using competitors; and you acknowledge that the Kata training athletes also use resisting forms of training in their preparation, then it is fair to say that Kata does not make any noticeable difference to a fighters performance.
After all, with all else being equal, surely if it was useful, practitioners performance would show signs of an ingredient missing from that of other arts?
If the best you can say is 'well, kata doesnt harm their performance' then I would say that is damning with faint praise.

Cord, there are many things that some successful fighters do and others don't. Therefore, anything that is done by one and not by another can be cancelled out as a training method not vital or even contributing to their success. That would then leave us with only a few training methods which cannot be disposed of as a fighter. In fact, I would go on to say that there is only one training method that is vital to one's success. However, for me, that method is intrinsically tied to my kata training.