Ranking Every Martial Art for Real Self Defense

Overview

This video is a “power ranking” of martial arts for real-world self-defense. The host—a lifelong karate/MMA practitioner and Jiu-Jitsu teacher—repeats a central theme throughout the rankings:

Many styles are “incomplete” (strong at one thing, weaker elsewhere), and school quality matters a lot.

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Main Rankings & Standout Points

Boxing — A tier

• Praised for street defense because it’s “the art of punching.”
• Criticized for being overly focused on punching only—especially against larger opponents or people you can’t quickly “dismantle.”

Judo — B tier

• Strong grappling and takedowns; wins by ippon (throwing someone flat on their back).
• Main downside: judo often stops at the throw—after you land the takedown, what’s the follow-up?
• Also argues that landing/rolling on concrete is a bad trade-off for street fights.

Krav Maga — C tier

• Recognized as popular and useful, but ranked lower because it’s quick to learn and not deep to master.
• Claims many gyms turn it into basic entry-level versions of multiple arts, creating “jumble” skills instead of true mastery.
• Adds a jab about false confidence and hype, describing classes as chaotic rather than effective.

Tai Chi — F tier

• Labeled mostly meditation/spiritual movement with “zero practical self-defense.”
• Great for wellbeing, but not for fighting.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu — A tier (with an “it depends” emphasis)

• The host admits bias (“shock everyone”) but ranks BJJ highly anyway.
• If the school is sport-focused and limits takedowns, it stays A tier.
• If it includes strong wrestling/takedown work, he suggests it can reach S tier.
• Warns about “watered down” versions of the art.

Kung Fu — C tier

• Can show impressive mastery and showmanship, but is judged incomplete for self-defense.
• Similar reasoning to Krav Maga: exceptional when done well, but not reliably effective under real conditions.

Sambo — S tier

• Praised as Jiu-Jitsu-like grappling with strikes added.
• Requires constant positional dominance (no “lazy” guard).
• Biggest complaint: availability—he claims he rarely sees true sambo where he is.

Aikido — F tier

• Strong negative reaction, calling out “illusions” people have about what aikido does in real fights.
• Includes a prompt-style moment inviting viewers to debate the ranking.

Jeet Kune Do — B tier

• Framed as an “early form of MMA” and relatively complete, but still less effective than true specialists.
• Also notes fewer schools teach it now.

Wrestling — A tier

• Great for takedowns and control.
• Downsides: by itself it may struggle to “finish” fights, especially with multiple attackers.
• He argues the best pairing is wrestling + jiu-jitsu.

Jujutsu (separated from Jiu-Jitsu) — D tier

• Key distinction: judo/jiu-jitsu vs jujutsu.
• Claims jujutsu systems are relatively complete, but often lack true mastery and can be weakened by belt/ranking dilution.

Capoeira — D tier

• Mostly credited as entertaining/acrobatics with flexibility requirements and “spiritual well-being” vibes.
• Notes capoeira can have real knockouts, but not as reliably as other systems.

Karate — B tier

• Respects it historically, but says modern training often lacks full skill “pieces” or sparring.
• Still credits karate’s translation into self-defense when trained at a high level.

Muay Thai — S tier

• Declared the most complete striking system.
• Praised for punching, elbows, knees, kicks, balance, and clinch/trips—making it intimidating to face.

Taekwondo — B tier

• Similar to karate but more kicking.
• Strong kick mastery and some grappling, but not ranked above the top tier striking/grappling systems.

MMA — S tier

• “Not a fair fight” because MMA is a combination by definition.
• In a good gym, he says it covers the key pillars: boxing, wrestling, and jiu-jitsu.

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Final “Best Combo” Recommendation

Rather than only ranking styles, the host proposes a “perfect fighter” training plan:

• Muay Thai: ~50–60%
• Jiu-Jitsu: ~30%
• Wrestling: ~20%

He emphasizes:

• Fighters who dominate striking can still be dangerous even without elite wrestling.
• Wrestling helps with takedowns and finishing, and it pairs especially well with Muay Thai and grappling.

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Memorable Jokes / Reactions / Tone

• Repeated “tier list” theatrics and strong opinions—especially toward Aikido and Tai Chi.
• Humor about ponytails for aikido practitioners, plus a quick quip about needing time to grow/mess with a ponytail.
• A brief “Khamzat… too soon” aside when discussing guard/pulling guard.
• Uses MMA examples (e.g., Anderson Silva) to argue that elite striking still needs grappling defense.

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Personalities Mentioned

The host/ranker

• Unnamed in the subtitles, but described as:
  • Lifelong martial artist
  • Karate black belt as a kid
  • MMA background
  • Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach/black belt

Fighters referenced

• Lyoto Machida
• Sage Northcutt
• Khabib
• Islam Makhachev
• Choi? (Dagestani fighters referenced)
• Khamzat (quick aside)
• Anderson Silva

Others

• Bruce Lee (linked to Jeet Kune Do)
• Helio Gracie (shirt referenced)