Classic uraken knockout in MMA!

Some of you will recall my article back in 2010: "Uraken: karate's greatest folly?" in which I discussed the relative usefulness of the uraken - the backfist of karate.

Over the years I'd heard many opinions on the worth of this technique - mostly disparaging ones.

I'm heartened to see that my opinion of the uraken wasn't misplaced.  Paul Felder's knockout of Danny Castillo use of this very technique at UFC 182 on January 3 was, as it turns out, a classic execution - albeit in the context of a spin.  It even used a snap-back at the elbow (rather than a swinging follow-through)!

And it had a devastating effect.

At first it was suggested by many that the technique was a hammer fist.  Or was intended as a hammer fist.  But, thanks to the work of my friend Noah Legel, the gif below demonstrates that it was indeed a pretty standard uraken as taught in karate - right down to the wrist extension at the end (see the picture above and my uraken example below) which presents the knuckles as a striking surface, rather than the back of the hand (as I discuss in my previous article).



Note the way Castillo is knocked out by a "shock" that doesn't move him much  - rather than a pushing force (ie. a technique that looks relatively "weak" was used, yet produced a determinative result).

And I like the way he pulls back his other hand to his hip at the moment of the strike.  But no one chambers at the hip, do they...?



Lastly, I love the way Paul Felder used a classic ashibo kake uke to deflect the roundhouse kick.  So many great examples of traditional karate in one short clip.

Copyright © 2015 Dejan Djurdjevic


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