Are Lyoto Machida and Chuck Lidell really karate fighters?

[PICK3]

I mean I understand they learned high kicks form their disciplines, but nothing else looks like karate forms.

Why are these two been successful in making the MMA transition while most karate practioners suck hard?

 

[Jacob Creutzfeldt]

Both guys have legitimate grappling skills that compliment their striking. Chuck I think wrestled in Div I for Cal Polytech. I think Machida definitely looks like a karate fighter with his sideways angled stance. Chuck looks like a wide swinging brawler whose square stance looks like a wrestler.

 

[alumbrado]

its because they have evolved in their fighting styles. machida's base is his karate. but he is also a black belt in brazilian jiujitsu. same as GSP, he started as kyukoshin karate but evolved tremendously. the reason why other karate practitioners never got better is because they never accepted that their art is not complete and that other arts have their own merits. there is not one absolute martial art. only the ones who strive to be the best and is humble enough to learn something new can become the best.

 

[PICK3]

I understand they also gained ground skills, because if you don't you wouldn't last in MMA.

They are both 2 of the better strikers in the sport (well not much Chuck anymore) but you get the point.

 

[ALIN]

Both guys have legitimate grappling skills that compliment their striking. Chuck I think wrestled in Div I for Cal Polytech. I think Machida definitely looks like a karate fighter with his sideways angled stance. Chuck looks like a wide swinging brawler whose square stance looks like a wrestler.

Machida is definitley a real deal karate man.

 

[Nomadic Dreamer]

Machida uses karate, but has a black belt in BJJ....He's also sumo wrestled and added in elements of kickboxing to his striking style....the way he lands some of his kicks is proof of this.

Chuck developed his punching game more and has since added in elements of kickboxing to his style as well. Lots of MMA fighters have karate as a base....GSP, Anderson Silva, etc. It's a base, but what makes great fighters is their ability to add to that base and take elements of other styles that work for them.

Anderson Silva started out as a TKD black belt, then started practicing muay thai like crazy.....he worked on his hands and focused on boxing (fought professionally as a boxer and a muay thai guy)....then he added the black belt in BJJ. Add in the god given gift to best a quick, graceful fighter and that's why he's a monster in the cage.

 

[booby]

I mean I understand they learned high kicks form their disciplines, but nothing else looks like karate forms.

Why are these two been successful in making the MMA transition while most karate practioners suck hard?

Are Lyoto Machida and Chuck Lidell really karate fighters?

To simply answer your question NO. They have Karate training or Karate backrounds,but they are not Karate fighters.Watch there mma fights they use very little if any Karate techniques.

To only use Karate in a mma fight would get a fighter seriously hurt if not killed.

 

[Alpha-Male]

They are MMA fighters who incorporate effective karate techniques into their fighting style.
Success depends primarily on the individual, not their fighting style. As we saw recently when machida met his match in shogun.

 

[truckdaddy]

hell no