The time Xu Xiaodong got his skull fractured by a Muay Thai kick-boxer in a ‘sparring’ session
- Outspoken MMA fighter needed 26 stitches above his eye after spar with Chinese kick-boxer got out of hand
- ‘If traditional martial artists could beat me the way these MMA fighters did then I’d be so happy’
We’re used to seeing Xu Xiaodong obliterating kung fu frauds, but the outspoken Chinese MMA fighter hasn’t always had his way with his opponents – especially when he faced some who can actually fight.
Since going viral in 2017 for knocking out tai chai “master” Wei Lei in 10 seconds, “Mad Dog” Xu has been steadfast in his mission to expose “fake kung fu”.
But there’s a difference between calling out non-experienced traditional martial artists, and actually taking on a semi-professional fighter.
Xu found that out at great cost when he went to spar with some Chinese kick-boxers last year at an MMA gym in China, one of whom left him with a fractured skull and needing 26 stitches around his eyebrow.
In the footage, which went viral on Chinese social media, Xu pressed forward against his fourth “sparring partner” of the day, Yan Shuaiqi. But he got hit with a series of knees from Yan – and seemingly had no idea how to protect against them.