Stephen Thompson wasn’t the only great kick of prominence from the discipline of karate.

For a long time In the fight world karate was considered a dead fighting style, something that parents force their children into in order for them to be babysat after school. Karate for whatever reason was looked upon as ineffective. The truth of the matter is that depending on the fighter any style can be considered dangerous. To demonize an entire style based on the performances of a handful of fighters is completely irrational. Now that men like Lyoto Machida and more recently Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson have been destroying opponents with traditional karate it’s becoming apparent that the style isn’t quite so dead after all. Thompson in particular has a style that is very front leg oriented using many side kicks, round kicks, and hook kicks with whichever leg is in front. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v0_naUh_RY But before Stephen Thompson there was another karate practitioner that dominated kickboxing and karate tournaments back on the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Bill “Superfoot” Wallace. If you watched the video above then you’ll know that Wallace suffered a terrible injury to his right leg that caused him to kick with his left leg. Not that he didn’t use his right leg at all, but Wallace became well versed at utilizing his front leg as well as having some decent boxing skills. The side kick, round kick, and hook kick are all tools that Wallace used to perfection, tools that can be found in the tool set of Thompson. Both Wallace and Thompson utilize the side kick to keep distance, the the hook kick to confound opponents, and the round kick that can pack a tremendous amount of power. Having the kind of leg dexterity to pull off the moves that Wallace was able to showed a tremendous amount of skill as well as creativity. It’s that same creativity that made both Wallace and Thompson so dangerous, gave Bill an undefeated record, and could end up making Thompson the next UFC Welterweight champion. If you don’t think it’s true then check out the highlight video of one of the men responsible for making “Wonderboy” such a monster in the cage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAEKbKHmo_Q Are you a fan of karate? Follow Generation Iron MMA on Facebook and Twitter. Also, be sure to share, like, and comment to show your support.

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.