Xu Xiaodong, the Chinese MMA fighter who pummels martial arts masters, vows to expose kung fu ‘fakery’
- Xu says people are ‘scammed’ and brainwashed’ by ‘fake martial arts’
- The 40-year-old wants to ‘cut their way of making money’ by ‘exposing them’
The Chinese MMA fighter who went viral after pummelling a tai chi master in 10 seconds last year has broken his silence to declare his intentions of exposing “kung fu fakery”.
Xu Xiaodong, 40, famously called out “thunder master” Wei Lei on social media for claiming he had mystical martial arts powers, and their quarrel quickly escalated into a fight in a basement in Chengdu, Sichuan province, in May 2017.
Wei took a “praying mantis” stance but Xu – nicknamed “Mad Dog” for his aggressive style – advanced and reigned down blows on his opponent, quickly knocking him to the ground before a referee intervened. The controversial fight created fierce debate in China over the virtues of traditional versus modern fighting techniques.
“A lot of people have been brainwashed by these fake kung fu masters,” Xu told Time magazine at his Beijing gym. “I’m trying to wake them up and let them know what real traditional kung fu actually is.”
Such was the outrage of some, a Chinese tycoon offered a total of US$1.45 million to anyone who could defeat Xu and “defend the dignity” of martial artists.