Kung Fu

Last updated: July 11, 2026

What is kung fu in MMA?

Kung fu is not one martial art. The word points to the whole family of Chinese martial arts, formally called wushu, and it originally described any skill earned through long practice, martial or not (Martial Arts Unleashed). That range is the first thing to understand, because “kung fu in MMA” can point to anything from a demonstration form to a full-contact cage sport.

Inside the sport, kung fu shows up in two different ways. Traditional styles like Wing Chun and Shaolin kung fu appear rarely, and usually only as small pieces of a fighter’s wider toolkit. Sanda, the sparring-based side of Chinese martial arts, is a different story. It has produced a UFC champion in Zhang Weili, who started in Shaolin kung fu as a child before moving to Sanda (Wikipedia). So the honest answer to whether kung fu belongs in MMA depends heavily on which kung fu someone means.

Why traditional kung fu rarely appears in the cage

The gap between traditional kung fu and MMA comes down to design. Many classical Chinese systems were built for self-defense or battlefield use, and some of their signature tools, such as eye gouges and strikes to the groin and throat, are banned under the unified rules of MMA. A style loses much of its identity when its core weapons are illegal.

Training method matters as much as technique. A large share of traditional schools drill pre-arranged forms, known as taolu, and light partner work rather than hard, resisting sparring (Martial Arts Unleashed). Timing and composure under pressure are hard to build without that live contact. Boxing, Muay Thai, and wrestling put sparring at the center of every session, which is a big reason their techniques translate so cleanly into the cage.

Sanda, the fighting side of kung fu

Sanda, also written sanshou, is the version of Chinese martial arts that holds up in modern competition. It blends kickboxing strikes with wrestling throws and takedowns, and its trademark skill is catching an opponent’s kick and turning it straight into a trip or slam (Super Soldier Project). To a casual viewer, it can look like plain kickboxing, which is part of why people miss it.

The résumés speak plainly. Muslim Salikhov, a UFC welterweight, is a multiple-time Wushu Sanda world champion, and in 2006, he became the first non-Chinese fighter to win the King of Sanda tournament in China (Sixth Tone). Zhang Weili trained in Sanda before turning to MMA, then became the first Chinese UFC champion (UFC). Cung Le and Zabit Magomedsharipov brought the same background into the cage. When kung fu wins at the top level, it is usually Sanda.

Kung fu vs Muay Thai, boxing, and karate

Because kung fu can look unfamiliar, fans often confuse where it sits next to the striking styles that dominate MMA. The table below sketches the differences at a glance.

Style	Origin	Defining trait	Footprint in MMA
Traditional kung fu	China	Forms-based, wide technique library	Rare, usually partial
Sanda (kung fu)	China	Kickboxing plus takedowns and kick catches	Present through several notable fighters
Muay Thai	Thailand	Elbows, knees, and clinch work	Foundational
Boxing	Western	Dense hand combinations and head movement	Foundational
Karate	Japan and Okinawa	Distance control and blitzing entries	Common accent style

The takeaway for a viewer is simple. If a Chinese striking style is landing cleanly against elite opposition, it is almost always Sanda rather than a traditional form.

Common misconceptions

The loudest myth is that kung fu simply does not work. That idea grew from viral footage of Chinese MMA coach Xu Xiaodong, who beat a self-proclaimed tai chi master named Wei Lei in roughly 20 seconds in 2017 and went on to challenge several other so-called masters (TIME). Those bouts said more about untested instructors than about Chinese martial arts as a whole.

Another mix-up treats kung fu as a single style with one report card. It is an umbrella, so judging all of it by Wing Chun’s weaknesses, mainly the absence of a grappling game, ignores Sanda completely. Traditional elements still surface at the highest level. Tony Ferguson has drilled Wing Chun on the wooden dummy, and welterweight Kevin Holland holds a second-degree black belt in the Chinese-American kung fu system San Soo (UFC). The pieces that survive tend to be blended into a modern game rather than used on their own.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is kung fu effective in MMA?

Some of it, yes. Sanda has produced UFC champion Zhang Weili and world-class strikers like Muslim Salikhov, while traditional forms mostly appear as small additions to a fighter’s striking.

Is Sanda a type of kung fu?

Yes. Sanda is the full-contact fighting format of Chinese martial arts, combining kickboxing with wrestling throws and takedowns.

Which UFC fighters have a kung fu background?

Zhang Weili and Muslim Salikhov both came up through Sanda, as did Zabit Magomedsharipov, while Tony Ferguson and Kevin Holland use elements of traditional kung fu.

Why isn’t Wing Chun used more in MMA?

Wing Chun has no grappling system and leans on close-range trapping that is hard to apply against wrestlers, so fighters borrow a few of its strikes rather than the whole style.

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Sources

1. TIME. “Meet the Chinese MMA Fighter Taking on the Grandmasters of Kung Fu.” Accessed July 2026.
   https://time.com/5448811/mma-kung-fu-xu-xiaodong/
2. Wikipedia. “Zhang Weili.” Accessed July 2026.
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Weili
3. Wikipedia. “Muslim Salikhov.” Accessed July 2026.
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Salikhov
4. UFC.com. “Zhang Weili” athlete profile. Accessed July 2026.
   https://www.ufc.com/athlete/zhang-weili
5. UFC.com. “Kevin Holland” athlete profile. Accessed July 2026.
   https://www.ufc.com/athlete/kevin-holland
6. Sixth Tone. “Why Chinese UFC Fans Are Supporting a Russian Over China’s Own Stars.” Accessed July 2026.
   https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1010479
7. Super Soldier Project. “Sanda: Chinese Martial Arts for the 21st Century.” Accessed July 2026.
   https://supersoldierproject.com/sanda-chinese-martial-arts-for-the-21st-century/
8. Martial Arts Unleashed. “Is Kung Fu Good For MMA? Fully Explained.” Accessed July 2026.
   https://martialartsunleashed.com/mma/is-kung-fu-good-for-mma-fully-explained-2/

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