An MMA fighter has shamed a self-proclaimed Tai Chi master who challenged him to a duel to prove his kung fu is not a scam.
Xu Xiaodong, an MMA coach from Beijing, took down Tai Chi-practising Wei Lei in less than 10 seconds in front of shocked spectators on April 27 in Sichuan Province, south-east China.
Mr Wei, from Chengdu, claimed to have invented the ‘thunder-style’ martial arts.
According to a report on Sina News, the fight was scheduled about six months ago. At the time, Mr Xu made a comment on Wei Lei’s Weibo account, claiming that Tai Chi was a scam, and that the style had no actual fighting purpose.
Mr Wei, 41, saw that as an insult and challenged to fight 38-year-old Mr Xu, who is nicknamed ‘Mad Man’ for his controversial comments on traditional martial arts.
Xu Xiaodong used to be a professional MMA fighter. In 2007, he retired and became an MMA coach.
The duel took place at a martial club in Chengdu. It was witnessed by around 100 spectators. It was live-streamed on the internet.
Unexpectedly, the fight only lasted for about 10 seconds.
Video: MMA vs Tai Chi
Video of the duel shows the ex-MMA fighter initiated the attack as he approached Mr Wei and started punching him. Mr Wei, posing with a crane-like gesture, seemed to be defenseless. He was soon pushed to a corner.
The alleged Tai Chi master fell down instantly, but Xu did not see stop hitting.
The fight stopped when Mr Wei stopped hitting Mr Wei. Later, the referee separated the two.
Mr Wei defended his performance during an interview with Legal Evening News: ‘He didn’t hit me when I was standing.
‘I only got hit when I fell on the floor, and I didn’t get hurt.’
The duel has sparked an outcry on Chinese social media.
Following Mr Wei’s quick defeat, people have started doubting the benefits of Tai Chi, which is considered a form of martial arts and has thousands of years history.
In the interview, Mr Wei admitted to his defeat: ‘I have to agree that what we teach does not match up with modern, competitive fighting, but we (Tai Chi masters) are not fraudsters.’
Mr Xu, the ‘Mad Man’ MMA coach, told the reporters that he used his influence to prove his claims that Tai Chi is a scam. The man said he used his actions to show it in front of the cameras.
Mr Xu said to the reporters: ‘It costs over 10,000 yuan (£1,122) to learn such Tai Chi, which does not deliver in real combat.
The MMA coach added: ‘They (the Tai Chi masters) are just brainwashing the citizens, and I have to show people it is a scam.’
Mr Xu also claimed to challenge all other kung fu masters on his Weibo account.
Chen Shou, a Tai Chi master who claimed to have learnt the original Tai Chi in Henan, has agreed to take up the challenge. The man said he’d send his disciples to the fight.
Qin Yulong, another kung fu disciple, said on his social media account that he also wanted to challenge Mr Xu. Mr Qin said he represented the Kongtong school of martial arts which stresses functional fighting.
Sina News & Sina Visitor System
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