Choosing the most suitable martial art for you is incredibly important. So, if you’re struggling to choose between Karate and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), you have reached the perfect article. In it, we’ll discuss the differences, similarities, and everything else you need to know. Still, some may find it highly demanding to choose between MMA and Karate.
While MMA is the art of combining various techniques from different martial arts, Karate is a traditional martial art that teaches punching and kicking in many forms. MMA fighters will have a more complete skill set, and thus they’ll be better fighters than Karate trainees.
Nonetheless, both fighting styles are fantastic and deserve their place in the martial arts hall of fame. However, when comparing the two, there’s a clear winner.
MMA is the best martial art you can learn because it teaches many highly effective and practical fighting techniques.
On the other hand, Karate has many holes which are left empty unless you fill the gaps by learning another martial art. The primary gap is grappling. Karate doesn’t teach grappling, which is the most effective movement in the fighting world.
Now that we know the basics- let’s dive into the body of this article. Next, we’ll compare and examine the case and put things in order.
Which is better, Karate or MMA?
When comparing two martial arts, we need to assume two fighters with the same skill level fighting. Eventually, by adding and testing many factors, we’ll have a straightforward answer as to which one is better.
MMA is superior to Karate because it’s more adaptive and dynamic. Additionally, it has no gaps and is more adaptive. As a result, elite MMA fighters are the best in the world, as they can adapt to any specific situation. For example, you’ll learn to grapple, punch, kick, elbow, knee, and other fighting movements.
Regardless of your martial art preference, MMA will always be superior since it uses all the strong points of all martial arts. So naturally, it takes a piece of value from each one.
For example, most elite UFC fighters use grappling techniques. However, in Karate, you won’t learn to grapple. So, it has a clear gap that MMA seems to skip over easily.
It essentially is the same for every gap in the martial arts world. For example, many grappling styles, such as Judo, lack punching and other striking capabilities. And again, Mixed Martial Arts seems to skip over this gap as well.
To summarize, because MMA combines numerous martial arts, it has very few gaps- if any at all. On the other hand, Karate doesn’t go over many effective techniques, such as grappling. Therefore, Mixed Martial Arts is more dynamic and thus better.
The differences between Karate and MMA
All martial arts are different. However, each brings its value and distinguished fighting techniques. As a result, one may be more suitable for you than the other.
The difference between them is what will guide you to your choice. In your head, you already know what you want to learn and achieve from the fighting style you’ll practice.
Let these differences guide you toward your final choice. Although all share the same purpose, their fighting approaches are different.
Difference #1- Fighting techniques
The first difference is the fighting techniques. Eventually, that’s the most critical difference between the two martial arts. Regardless of your goal, knowing what you’ll learn- is more important than other aspects, such as the next one.
While Karate is the art of punching and kicking, primarily linearly, MMA combines numerous fighting techniques to create a complete skill set. For example, elite Mixed Martial Arts fighters in the UFC combine punching, grappling, kicking, elbowing, kneeing, clinching, takedowns, and even throws.
Yes, the list is incredibly long, and it goes even further. Because of that, I always refer to MMA as the king of martial arts since it has everything.
However, it’s time we talk positively about Karate. Thus far, I’ve tried emphasizing how Mixed Martial Arts is superior. So now, let’s talk about the other side of the coin.
Karate is a fighting style with a rich history. Moreover, the values you’ll learn in it- are invaluable. For instance, you’ll learn to be disciplined and have a respectable work ethic.
Additionally, it teaches highly effective fighting techniques, primarily focusing on punching and kicking. Once you spot a Karate master working his magic, you’ll immediately know the power it holds. Those who experience the total capacity of it are capable of achieving many incredible feats.
The following video showcases some Karate moves you may eventually learn. Notice the force they generate through their stances and execution of techniques.
Difference #2- Origin
The second difference is where they first originated from. You may ask, why do I need to care about where it comes from? All I want to do is learn to fight. Well, it’s not quite the case.
Knowing where the fighting style originates will help you understand how everything came to life. For example, many Japanese martial arts focus on fast-paced fighting while teaching the trainees- many life lessons.
MMA originates from the ancient Olympic games. However, fans seem to believe it started when the first UFC (UFC-1) aired. Even back then, combining many fighting styles with seeing who was the best fighter worldwide was still encouraging. Finally, some claim it started in China.
Karate originates from Okinawa island, Japan. The people of Okinawa wanted to learn self-defense appropriately. As a result, they constructed a new fighting style. Today, we know it as Karate in all its forms.
Knowing this information will give you extra details and background about each art. As a result, you’ll better understand how each eventually came to life and took on its form.
Difference #3- Dynamic nature
The last difference we’ll discuss is their dynamic nature. As much as all martial arts’ purposes are the same, some are more dynamic than others. Consequently, they achieve the goal with greater ease, which indicates superiority.
MMA has a more dynamic nature than Karate because it combines numerous techniques and fighting movements for one goal, having the best style. On the other hand, Karate is stricter than the first and does involve only a handful of techniques and fighting movements, mostly punching and kicking.
It’s not uncommon to see UFC elite fighters use numerous techniques, such as striking, kicking, grappling, and even kneeing and elbowing. As a result, they always seem to catch their opponents off-guard.
Being the most dynamic of a fighter as possible is vital even for self-defense.
Your dynamism is an indicator of your adaptiveness. Therefore, the more adaptive you are, the more scenarios you’ll be able to overcome effortlessly.
For example, you may encounter a knife attack situation. As a result, typical martial arts moves will likely not help as much. In that case, you must adapt to the situation accordingly, regardless of what you practiced or learned. This is when MMA’s advantages are most prominent.
I’m not suggesting that Mixed Martial Arts is better than Karate. I genuinely don’t. However, the dynamic nature of a particular fighting style is an indicator of one’s ability to adapt to any situation, a fantastic and desirable trait for any fighter.
The similarities between Karate and MMA
Thus far, we’ve discussed the differences between the two martial arts. Now, let’s go over similar traits.
How can it help me? You may ask.
When you understand the similarities between two martial arts, you’ll get to know them in greater depth. Then, as a result, when you need to decide which one you’ll choose to learn, you’ll eventually make a wiser choice.
This is critical to understand and to know because you’ll later be able to choose the most suitable art for your needs. Thus you’ll stay consistent with the one you select and not give up in the middle of the learning process.
Without further ado, let’s dive into the similar traits between MMA and Karate.
Similarity #1- Purpose
The first similar trait is their purpose. Essentially, all fighting styles share the same goal or end goal, to teach people to fight. However, that’s not the only one.
Most martial arts also prioritize self-improvement and the deepening of many values, such as discipline, work ethic, and peacefulness.
Karate and Mixed Martial Arts are martial arts that prioritize 2-main goals: teaching others to fight and allowing them to go through a self-development journey. As a result, their trainees go through a process where they’re entirely different people at the end.
Needless to say- going through such a process- is highly desirable. Many want to improve their physical and mental selves and see benefits such as better physical shape, increased confidence and self-esteem, and lower aggression and stress levels.
To summarize, martial arts allow their trainees to go through 2-major processes: the first is learning to fight fiercely, and the second is going through a self-improvement journey. Such positive improvements are highly desirable in today’s world.
Similarity #2- Benefits and results
The second similar trait is an extension of the first one. In the last section, we examined how martial arts allow us to go through a self-improvement journey.
In short, it’s a fantastic way to improve your physical and mental selves.
So, here are some benefits Karate and MMA trainees will experience when they stay consistent and dedicated enough to their training: (Source)
- better physical shape
- increase self-confidence
- improve pain tolerance
- teach you to use self-defense
- decrease overall stress
- assist you in controlling aggressiveness
- shorten reaction time
- improve your performance under stress
- enhance self-esteem
- better social life
- martial arts are a form of self-help
As you can see, the list goes even further than what I mentioned. Imagine experiencing only a single of these benefits; wouldn’t your life be positively impacted?
How about all of them? Picture yourself with all of these benefits implemented into your daily life. You would be an entirely different person.
In both Karate and MMA, this process is done exquisitely. You’ll immediately notice the results and benefits flowing naturally when you stay consistent for a sufficient amount of time. Consequently, your well-being and mental health will also improve.
Similarity #3- Difficulty and Hardships
The last similar trait with Karate and Mixed Martial Arts is their trainees’ difficulties and hardships. I’ll even stress it enough to say that all martial arts trainees go through the exact hard times.
The primary issue I see with most novices is not being able to stay consistent for long enough to reap the first batch of results and benefits.
Those who succeed in enjoying the first wave of benefits are more likely to stay consistent for more time. As a result, if you go through the first dark period when you see no results and invest plenty of effort, you’ll be solid for the rest of the way.
Nonetheless, it’ll be best if you set short-term goals rather than long-term ones. That will aid you in having dopamine flow more frequently. As a result, you’ll be more likely to keep up with training and thus enjoy the first batch of benefits.
We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.
Kenji Miyazawa
It’s funny how we all experience the same feelings. Eventually, we all want to avoid them as much as possible. That said, you must share some of the hard times to enjoy the light ones.
So, next time you want to skip the next Karate/MMA training session, know you’re on the right track to notice plenty of results.
Which is better for self-defense, Karate or MMA?
We want to be as adaptive as possible for self-defense since we don’t know how our opponent will look or know. As a result, adaptiveness is the key word when discussing self-defense.
MMA is better than Karate for self-defense because it teaches highly practical and many fighting techniques which can cause massive damage quickly. Moreover, because it combines many martial arts to create a complete style, its trainees will be more adaptive than Karate trainees.
It all boils down to the amount of fighting techniques practitioners will learn. For example, Karate trainees can only use the punches and kicks they learn. Sometimes, they’ll use a takedown, but it’s rarely the case.
When discussing Mixed Martial Arts, it’s not the case. Instead, its trainees learn various techniques, such as grappling, punching, kicking, clinching, and elbowing. The list goes on to takedowns and throws. Because of that, it’s common sense that it’ll do better in self-defense situations, where adaptiveness is critical.
Should I learn Karate or MMA?
Whether you should learn Karate or MMA- is an impossible question to answer, as it’s entirely individualistic. However, what I can do is guide you toward the answer. Your answer.
If you’re looking to learn a traditional martial art suitable for self-defense and full of values and life lessons, Karate is most suitable. On the other hand, if you desire to study a dynamic fighting style, mostly known for having the best fighters in the world, consider practicing MMA.
There’s so much more value to gain in Karate. But, MMA teaches you how to become the ultimate fighter.
So, think about what’s your goal. Do you want to become the best fighter possible? If so, there’s no doubt you should select MMA.
Yet, if you desire to grasp as many life lessons as possible while learning to fight and going through a self-development journey, Karate is most suitable.
It all depends on what you seek to gain. The answer will be apparent if it’s values or learning to fight.
For those still unsure which to pick, I recommend choosing and sticking with one. If you successfully manage to do so, you’ll reap many benefits if you decide to stay consistent and dedicated enough with a single fighting style.
So, yes, start and let the martial arts world take you wherever it wishes.
Final words
Karate and MMA are two fantastic martial arts effective for self-defense and all other fighting purposes. However, each grants you unique values and lessons.
For instance, Mixed Martial Arts is constructed to have no gaps in the fighting style you’ll develop. As a result, very elite fighters come from it.
On the other hand, Karate is designed to help you have as many values as possible. Therefore, you’ll learn to fight while going through a self-development journey.
Going through the dark period, as I like to call it, is the most challenging part of anyone’s martial arts journey. It’s when you spend plenty of effort and consistency on your training. Yet, you spot no visible results.
If you go through this stage and reap the first batch of benefits and results, you’ll be solid for the rest of your journey, as motivation will begin filling you as you continue progressing.
If you enjoyed reading this article, I encourage you to read a piece I wrote about Karate belt order. It describes must-know information if you’re considering training in it.