Ma, ein Meister der Baoguo Chen Stil Tai Chi, wird dargestellt, bevor die Konkurrenz zwischen ihm und pensionierte Mixed Martial Arts boxer Xu Xiaodong im Plan
Ma Baoguo, a master of Chen style tai chi, is pictured before the competition between him and retired mixed martial arts boxer Xu Xiaodong at the planned mass brawl site in Shanghai, China, 26 June 2017. On Monday (26 June 2017), Shanghai police officers intervened before a planned mass brawl between mixed martial artists and tai chi practitioners could take place. The proposed fight is the latest in a string of incidents that have shaken up the Chinese martial arts' scene. It comes on the heels of rumours that the government of China had taken action - via internet censorship - to squash the rivalry between MMA and traditional martial arts. At the centre of this latest incident is Xu Xiaodong, head of the Beijing MMA association. It was Xu's streetfight with Wei Lei (a tai chi master) that caused the MMA vs tai chi raditional martial arts rivalry to go viral last May. However, it seems Xu's belief that MMA is superior to tai chi and kung fu has not died down. Nor has his eagerness to prove it. The South China Morning Post reports that Xu was set to lead a team of four mixed martial artists into battle versus four tai chi experts, led by Ma Baoguo (a master of Chen style tai chi). Reportedly, the "group brawl" was arranged online. Moments before the group fight was set to begin Shanghai police raided the venue.
