Among all of the disciplines in the whole world, what really is the most aggressive martial arts style? In this article, we are going to talk about that.
There are more than hundreds of Martial Arts disciplines that were founded and developed through history. Some of them not anymore existing now, and some are getting bigger than before.
Often in made topic in arguments are comparisons between styles of martial arts. Karate vs Taekwondo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu vs Wrestling, Muay Thai vs Kickboxing, these are often discussed as to who's the better.
The problem with those is you can't really conclude what's better because every circumstance is different. Therefore, why not rank them according to aggressiveness and the degree of their offense?
You can also view our martial arts related articles like Is Wing Chun Illegal In MMA, 7 Priority Exercises In MMA Training, and How To Become A Professional MMA Fighter
Top 5 Most Aggressive Martial Arts
The ones that are listed here are world renowned disciplines and are definitely the most aggressive martial arts there is. Pacing of the offense, degree of brutality effort threshold needed, and risks of getting hurt are all taken into account when ranking them.
5. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
You might be thinking why Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is one of the most aggressive martial arts when they don't even have striking in this discipline. Well, how about have your joints and bones broken and ripped due, or passing out because you get choked?
In competitions, stalling isn't allowed. You have to constantly aggressively look for submissions and trying to have a dominant position. The pace is brutal. Your stamina should keep up or else you'll be on the losing end of the fight even if you're the more skilled.
BJJ is as deadly as any martial art when utilized outside of competition. To be able to use your skills to control your opponents and render them defenseless, that's one of the most aggressive martial arts!
4. Eskrima/Arnis
Arnis, also known as Kali or Eskrima/Escrima, is the national martial art of the Philippines. Unlike most martial arts, which focus on hand-to-hand conflict first and integrate weapons later, Arnis emphasizes weapons, particularly sticks of various range.
Filipinos have developed this culture and heritage as well as their skills for fast reflexes. This makes them well instinctive and have fast hands for quick strikes, grabbing hands or feet. Disarming opponents and quickly dismantling them are one of Arnis' strengths.
Arnis competition is sanctioned and fighters use heavy paddings and helmets, along with using single or double sticks as weapons. This martial art is undoubtedly one of the most aggressive martial arts there is.
When seeing fights, you can almost always see that it's not just a sport, but it's a real fight. Two fighters want to brutaly hurt the other by their swinging attacks.
3. Sambo
Sambo, also known as the art of unarmed defense, was developed in the USSR, and was practiced and trained by their Elite Units. There are different branches of Sambo and it varies depending on your approach or preference to self defense or combat.
The most popular type is the Combat Sambo. It is very much like Mixed Martial Arts where striking and groundworks are allowed. Fighters utilize punches, kicks, elbows, and knees, and can also put the fight to ground. On the other hand, there's also sport sambo which is without the striking. It's a combination of wrestling, jiu jitsu, and judo.
Sambo proven to be an effective base in martial arts. Famous sambo fightes like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Fedor Emilienenko, and Andrei Arlovski, have reached the highest of accomplishments by becoming world champions.
2. Muay Thai
A list like this wouldn't be complete without the Art of Eight Limbs, most famously known as Muay Thai (Thai Kickboxing). Muay Thai in its essence is just pure violence and brutality.
See, in boxing you are trained to "hit and not get hit", but in Muay Thai, it is completely different. Muay Thai fighters always put up forward pressure ang aggression that the styles have little to no room for evading. The fighters are trained how to block kicks properly, absorb punches, and standing their ground to quickly counter attack.
This is what makes Muay Thai so exciting and entertaining. The nature of this martial art focuses on offense and less on defense. To survive in this sport, the fighters would have to undergo harsh training and conditioning. So tough that an average person wouldn't even last long.
1. Lethwei
Lethwei (Burmese Boxing) is a martial art combat sport originating from Myanmar. Although it isn't that popular worldwide but no one beats it as the most aggressive martial art discipline.
First of all, Lethwei is fought with bare knuckles. If Muay Thai is the art of eight limbs, Lethwei is the art of 9 limbs because you can also utilize headbutts as form of strikes. Furthermore, the way they handle knockouts are brutal.
When a fighter is knocked out, unable to answer an eight count, rather than getting the fight called over as it normally should, the unconscious fighter is dragged backed to his corner and is given a special 2 minute count to get revived. The fighter gets splashed by water, given smelling salts, and asked if he still wants to continue.
There are no scoring system in Lethwei therefore the only way to win a fight is to knock your opponent out to the point of retirement. It is a really dangerous sport and not many fighters really want to engage in this martial art because of the risks it brings.
Who Wins As The Most Aggressive Martial Art Discipline?
Martial Arts has been alive for hundreds of years and are used for self defense, combat, and even as a method to discipline oneself. Different arts entails different uses and applications, that's why some are more defensive, and some are just pure aggression.
All of the ones listed here are the most aggressive martial arts. Lethwei and Muay Thai tops the lists because of their ruleset and nature of the sport. Try to watch these fights and decide for yourself if it's really brutal or not.
If you have any comments about the hierarchy of this list or other martial arts not being included here, feel free to reach out and discuss your points in the section below.