Is Aikido banned from MMA?

A question that is often asked by viewers of mixed martial arts is whether Aikido is actually allowed in MMA. To cut a long story short, yes, Aikido is allowed in MMA – but there are a few reasons why it isn’t used. Some of these reasons are based on practicality, some are based on ideology. In some cases, there are also myths and rumors about Aikido in MMA that will also be cleared up. Needless to say, it’s not likely that you will see any Aikido UFC champions anytime soon. Arguably, the myth that Aikido is banned in MMA is done by Aikido practitioners to preserve the honor of their martial art, when in reality this simply isn’t the case.

Basically, just because you don’t see Aikido in MMA – it doesn’t mean that it’s banned either. Instead, it actually means that Aikido isn’t great when it comes to fighting – and here is why.

Are wristlocks banned in MMA for being too dangerous?

The answer to this is a resounding no. However, the myth still circulates MMA discussions both online and offline. For example, some claim that as Aikido wristlocks are so dangerous, that they are banned from the sport. This simply isn’t true and there are a few reasons for this. Firstly, MMA is brutal and has people getting their heads caved in which causes CTE and concussions.

It would be a little odd for a sport to allow slams and head kicks yet ban wrist locks? The worst that can happen from a wrist lock is a broken wrist. This isn’t ideal but broken wrists are somewhat common in MMA, alongside broken feet. The main cause for this is from landing awkward punches and kicks that snap the bones.

So, why aren’t wristlocks seen in MMA?

The answer to this is that they’re barely possible due to two main reasons. The first reason is the hand wraps that fighters used. These are to protect their wrists and they’re completely legal. Due to the thickness of hand wraps, they protect against the wrist getting bent. Combined with the thickness of a glove, the fighter’s hands are almost completely protected against wristlocks. In this sense, the glove and wraps act as armor for fighters and make wristlocks near impossible. Interestingly, wristlocks are sometimes performed in BJJ. Although rare, they seem to be much easier to do without the interference of gloves.

Another reason why they’re not seen is that typically MMA fighters just won’t tap to wrist submissions. Even if they could be applied, most will see it as too minor to consider tapping. A lot of MMA fighters see themselves as warriors who would be too proud to tap to a wrist lock that can heal within 3 months. The figures prove this too, to date there have been zero wristlock submissions in the UFC, so even though they’re legal, they just don’t happen.

Aikido’s core philosophies go against the idea of MMA

Another reason why Aikido isn’t used in MMA is that it goes against the foundations of what Aikido stands for. Unlike most modern martial arts, Aikido is big on its philosophical roots. These are to avoid violence at all costs. For most Aikido students, the idea of violence should be a last resort. Whilst many traditional martial arts pride themselves on being peaceful, Aikido took this to the extreme.

Founder Morihei Ueshiba dedicated most of his life to spirituality and implemented this into Aikido. As much as Aikido was about self-defense, it was also based on self-improvement and mentality. Because of this, you could argue that in modern-day, Aikido is somewhat misunderstood and held to values that it doesn’t claim to hold.

As MMA actively seeks out violence, the two worlds are poles apart. The core idea of Aikido is that it can be used in self-defense and is reliant on blocks, dodges, and counterattacks. In brief, the idea is to be reactive rather than proactive. Further, it doesn’t teach strikes for this very reason. The point is to disarm any threats, yet simultaneously keep the attacker from harm. Whilst this is a nice viewpoint to hold, it just doesn’t compute with the average MMA fighter who is aggressive and wanting to hurt their opponent.

As a result, even if an Aikido practitioner was the greatest fighter on earth, they wouldn’t do MMA or UFC. Another issue is that a lot of Aikido’s moves are reliant on hand and small joint manipulation, as well as being dependent on clothing. As mentioned above, wristlocks are off the table, whilst MMA is fought without clothing (other than shorts), meaning a number of throws aren’t available.

Lastly, the Aikido dress code uses the hakama. The point of this is that the legs are concealed and that it acts like a dress. The result is that it is difficult for the opponent to see the footwork and leg movement of the Aikido practitioner who can use their hakama to their advantage. Again, extra clothing is illegal in MMA, so that disables yet another aspect of Aikido’s uniform.

Aikido is seen as ineffective and useless, especially against trained fighters

For years, Aikido has claimed to be geared towards self-defense and untrained fighters. Supposedly, it will teach how to dodge knife attacks, bottles from a lunging drunk, and street aggressors. It is assumed that these people aren’t trained and are therefore easy to defeat by using Aikido. Whilst this point is up for debate and some claim that Aikido wouldn’t even work on an untrained attacker, the main point is that it is useless against trained fighters. Supposedly, Aikido benefits from its users having superior balance to your average civilian. This just isn’t the case against a seasoned boxer or Judoka.

In other words, the argument for Aikido is that it may be good against the untrained, but isn’t good against veteran martial artists. In modern times, many Aikido students will happily concede this argument. This begs the point of whether it’s worth training compared to something that could defeat it like wrestling or BJJ, but nonetheless, many people still train Aikido for the spiritual benefits that it brings or other reasons such as keeping fit.

Final Thoughts

To conclude, Aikido is not banned from MMA, nor are wristlocks. In fact, the main three reasons for Aikido being banned from MMA have been outlined. In brief, these are that Aikido is against fighting for the sake of it and discourages violence. The second reason is that Aikido lacks its practical elements inside a cage. For example, training against weapons becomes redundant in MMA, as does using clothing to fight. It would be unfair to judge Aikido by these standards. Lastly, it may just be that Aikido simply isn’t good enough and doesn’t hold up to other martial arts when looking at fighting.

Whatever the reasons, the outcome is the same. Aikido is not designed for MMA and even if it was, it wouldn’t be effective enough. Because of this, the reality is that you will probably never see an MMA champion who trains Aikido. It should be noted that this article isn’t purposely against Aikido either, as mentioned it has various benefits for people to draw from. However, it should also be known that Aikido is not banned from MMA and never has been. Based on this, it doesn’t look like Aikido will ever get banned from MMA in the future either.