In a recent podcast discussion, former UFC champion Mike Bisping was asked by the host about his thoughts on Steven Seagal. It turns out that Bisping briefly met and hung out with the movie star whilst filming the film Triple Threat in Bangkok. Bisping was complimentary of Seagal saying he even smoked cigars with him and called him a “very nice guy”.
However, when asked about Steven Seagal’s use of Aikido he was less complimentary. Asked if Seagal’s Aikido moves work – Bisping repeatedly said ‘No‘ several times. He then went on to explain the difference between an Aikido demonstration and real fighting.
Bisping claimed that in Aikido you can block punches and use the move to put the demonstration partner on the floor. He also said this simply didn’t work in MMA as it’s harder to stop a real punch and would get hit in the face. In short, he stated that whilst Seagal’s Aikido stuff looks nice, it isn’t practical in MMA or real self defense scenarios.
