WATCH: Wing Chun Master vs. Karate Black Belt Knockout

A Montreal Wing-Chun expert has set-out to restore faith in traditional martial arts…

Don’t tell this Wing Chun expert that his martial art isn’t effective, as he’s set out to prove to the world that it is.

Pierre Francois Flores is a martial artist from Montreal, QC Canada who recently travelled to Vietnam for an organized street fight. Flores believes that Wing Chun is the most superior martial art in the world.

In order to prove his theory, Flores is travelling the world to face other martial artists, including MMA fighters.

The Art of Wing Chun

Wing Chun, like many traditional martial arts, has a heavy philosophical component to it. There is an emphasis on fluid body movements and loosening tension in one’s body. The idea is that any unnecessary tensing of the body is wasted motion, and will reduce punching speed and power.

Anderson Silva lists Wing Chun as one of his fighting disciplines, one of only a few MMA fighters who does so.

Silva’s Wing Chun influence is noticeable in many of his bouts. In particular, Silva looked noticeably without tension in his fight against Forrest Griffin.

There are further theories to the art, including the idea of balance, and attacking from angles. The discipline also includes the use of weapons such as butterfly swords and dragon poles.

Pierre Francois Flores (Wing Chun) vs. Đoàn Bảo Chau (Karate)

Pierre Francois Flores accepted the friendly challenge of Vietnamese karate black belt Đoàn Bảo Chau recently.

“Please don’t take this as a challenge, but a martial art exchange,” Chau said to Flores.

The two fighters arranged to face each other on July 17th in Hanoi.

Watch the bout in its entirety below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_HRwJ6KL-Y

Flores did have a significant size advantage in the bout, and this may have played into his dominant victory. The two traditional martial artists would celebrate their fight later that night by dining together in Hanoi.

Pierre Francois Flores vs. Xu Xiaodong

While Flores is seeking to show the world that Wing Chun is an effective fighting discipline, Xu Xiaodong is attempting to do just the opposite. The controversial Chinese mixed martial artist has put out an open challenge to any traditional martial artist to face him. Flores has accepted the challenge, though the two have yet to face each other. When/if they do, expect a video to be made available.

If any traditional martial artist is able to defeat him, Xiaodong says, he will give them 1.2 million yuan, the equivalent of almost $200,000 USD. In other words, he’s fairly confident in his abilities.

Flores posted the following on his Facebook account, noting that Xiaodong’s challenge represented a:

“necessary awakening in the face of a phenomenon that threatens the credibility of martial arts.”

In May, a Tai Chi practitioner accepted Xiaodong’s challenge and was promptly beaten unmercifully. Other fights of Xiaodong’s have been stopped by police before they can happen however.

The controversial fighter has hinted that a 4-on-4 MMA against Tai Chi bout took place recently, and video of it could surface sometime soon.