Kevin Leavitt

MMA like UFC has evolved over time and as with anything, you begin to realize efficiencies in strategies that are successful based on the parameters of the fight.

There are many folks in MMA with Aikido backgrounds, but you won't see them using stylistically what many would like to see in a fight because of the realized efficiencies.

Occasionally you will see some deviations and revolutions in fighting such as Machida. However, as time progresses and fighters learn more, these will become less and less. Go back and watch the early UFCs and how the fighters evolved and changed strategies based on rules and the fighting enviorns.

Heck, I don't even like to watch it much anymore since it has gotten so close in strategies and competitiveness. Although, one of my past training partners and fellow Army Ranger, Colton Smith won the Ultimate Fighter this week so I was excited to see that!

You don't see wrist locks in UFC cause they simply don't work in most cases. Most guys have figured out how to negate them, or there are things that you should do to win the fight that are easier and less risky to your strategy to do.

It would be the ultimate in stupidity to go into the ring with a strategy based around a style of martial art such as aikido and attempt to restrict yourself to only those things you are accustomed to in your dojo. They tried that in the first few UFCs and look at the results. Folks figured it out pretty quickly. There is a reason the call it MMA.

If Aikido methodology worked they way most are accustomed to training for UFC, then we'd already be seeing it used wholesale in MMA. Money is too good to not see it if it was of value. So no, it is not a matter of time before we see a large scale revolution in adoption of an aikido fight strategy in MMA IMO.