n the video below from 1987, Grandmaster Harris A. Edwards, Jr. is sparring with a kickboxer who showed up at the dojo and asked to fight someone, because he needed some additional sparring rounds before his upcoming bout. This was years before UFC 1, and Edwards showed nice integration of punching, kicking, and takedowns.
Right from the get-go, Edwards lands a big head kick and you can tell immediately that he is more skilled, more widely skilled, and stronger and faster. Look at how he just picks up his opponent, hurls him through the air then slams him down ruthlessly just 30 seconds into the session.
The kickboxer literally lands nothing of note the entire session. The martial artist is in complete control of the distance and lands whenever he wants. Though he pretty much kicks his butt, he is probably still just taking it easy on him as he could have probably knocked him out immediately. It’s impressive and adds credence to the saying, “There are levels to this.”
