Silat in the UFC and MMA

“Will Silat work inside the octagon?” This is a recurring question frequently asked by Silat students new to the art. The phenomenal rise of mixed martial arts (MMA), particularly by the presence of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) has sent shockwaves through the martial arts communities. Touted as the “best from all martial arts”, MMA became the lens through which traditional martial arts techniques are examined. MMA fighter Xu Xiaodong became famous for trying to expose fake Kung Fu masters. The rise of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is connected to Royce Gracie’s technical prowess during his matches, eliminating his opponents one by one and becoming a 3-time UFC champion. 

Pencak Silat was contested in UFC 2 – “No Way Out” on March 11, 1994 — represented by Alberto Cerro Leon from Spain against Remco Pardoel, a heavy-weight Judo practitioner. Leon started off strong, striking his opponent with speed and accuracy in the beginning of the match. However he was taken to the ground by the larger fighter, who was well versed in submissions. For nearly ten minutes, despite being on bottom, Leon managed to survive before finally tapping at the 9:51 mark.

Alberto Leon studied Indonesian Pencak Silat from the island of Sumatra which is well known for its harimau (tiger) styles. Leon credits this style of Silat that places emphasis on ground fighting for his ability to survive so long against an experienced Judo practitioner. 

The next prominent set of MMA matches were by American Pencak Silat practitioner Abdul-Malik Ahmad who competed in 2012. Malik had also studied Indonesian Pencak Silat since he was 15 and was the first American athlete to compete at a Pencak Silat world championship. His matches were with Operation Octagon, a smaller organization that would hold MMA matches with talented up-and-coming MMA fighters in various states. Although the fighters were not paid as professional fighters, they often came from established MMA schools and the events were recorded and later distributed through DVDs and YouTube.  

Malik won both of his matches within the first round. “Silat gave me such a strong foundation in martial arts, and also mental/spiritual development that I felt comfortable competing in a MMA match”, Malik stated. “It also exposed my weakness in ground fighting, which previously had not been a focus in my Pencak Silat training, even though there is a type of ground fighting present in Silat styles — particularly the harimau styles.” After one of his instructors, Kak Wona Sumantri returned from Indonesia having studied Harimau Singgalang from the renowned instructor Pak Haji Syofian Nadar, he immediately began learning more about this style and also learning Brazilian Ju Jitsu.

Malik, who is now 45 years old, still teaches Pencak Silat but has no plans on returning to MMA. 

Due to the success of UFC, organizations around the world began holding UFC-style matches. One of the most prominent organizations is the Singapore-based ONE Championship. Founded on July 14, 2011, it has grown to be Asia’s largest global sports media property in history with a global broadcast to 150+ countries. As the world’s biggest stage of martial arts, ONE features bouts across the full spectrum of martial arts such as MMA, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Karate and yes, Silat. 

ONE Championships promoted many competitors from Indonesia and Malaysia, some who were practitioners of Pencak Silat. ONE Bantamweight Champion Eko Priandono started his mixed martial arts journey by learning the basics of Pencak Silat from his father. Another Niko Soe from Singapore was first exposed to martial arts at the age of 8 when his uncle enrolled him in a Silat class. 

In addition to its pure MMA matches, they occasionally have “special attraction” matches displaying traditional matches where traditional sport Silat is contested inside the octagon.

Other organizations such as the Professional Pencak Silat (PPS) and OneSilat (Malaysia) also presented Silat in their MMA-like competitions. However, these events had mixed reviews, overshadowed by the sheer prominence of UFC and ONE Championships. One Pride MMA, an Indonesian MMA organization entered a partnership with ONE Championships to help promote local fighters from Indonesia.

One well-known One Pride MMA flyweight fighter named Wardi Suwardi originated from the Pencak Silat school Persaudaran Setia Hati Terate (PSHT). Born December 1984, he has an impressive MMA record currently of 10-3-0. He still trains with his Pencak Silat school from time to time, but when training for a bout, he focuses his time at a MMA gym. He also is currently a purple belt in Brazillian Ju Jitsu. Suwardi is also a husband and a father of several kids.

ONE Pride MMA also created a series of events called Silat Bebas, where the cage rules are amended in order to favor Pencak Silat fighters who prefer stand-up fighting.  Judges wear traditional Silat attire, and fighters wear long black Silat pants, as opposed to MMA shorts.

So does Silat work in the Octagon? Answering that question would be similar to answering the question: “Does football work in basketball?” Both are completely different sports. Of course, many aspects from one sport can be translated to another like speed, agility and athletic prowess. There are a few mainstream athletes that have successfully crossed over from one sport to another (example: Allen Iverson). Similarly, Silat does have many skills that can be used in an MMA match — exemplified by the individuals mentioned above. However to be proficient at MMA, one should train with an organization that specializes in the sport of MMA. You wouldn’t study football at a basketball camp. 

Silat, however, is much more than just a sport. It involves weapons training, art, culture and mental/spiritual development – a holistic martial arts training environment that can be beneficial to youth as well as adults.