Famous Practitioners
Further information: List of karatekaFormer UFC Light Heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida holds a 3rd dan black belt in Shotokan karate, while his brother Shinzo holds a 4th dan and their father Yoshizo holds a 7th dan and was head of the Japan Karate Association's Brazilian branch.
Several other mixed martial artists also have a Shotokan background or utilize Shotokan (e.g., Vitor Belfort, Antonio Carvalho, John Makdessi, Mark Holst, Assuerio Silva).
Action movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme holds a black belt in Shotokan and used the style when he competed in full contact karate competitions in the 1970s and 1980s. Wesley Snipes has a 5th dan black belt in Shotokan. Actor and action movie star Michael Jai White is also a practitioner of and black belt in Shotokan alongside seven other distinct martial arts. Bear Grylls and Karate World Champion Luca Valdesi also practice the art.
Read more about this topic: Shotokan
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