Should I join mixed martial arts or karate?

First of, please keep in mind that mma is not a style by itself but more a training style. If you are considering joining an mma school find out what the base styles of that school are.

Second, what are you aiming for? That will play a role in which style to choose. In general mma schools are sport oriented (though this is not set in stone) while karatedojos will vary. Some dojo's focus on sport as well, others self defense, and some specifically work at mental and physical health.

As for your specific questions, which is better mentally and physically I would say neither. Physically either option should give you a good work out so long as the instruction is good as both ultimately are trying to prepare you for a fight of some type.

Mentally, I personally think that karate dojos focus on mental maturity a little more than an mma school would but in reality that probably has more to do with instructors than the systems. Again look at what they are claiming to train you for. The mindset that should be imparted on you through self defense training will be very different from that of a sportsman.

Also, a quick note on karate specifically, the manner you train in will vary dojo to dojo. While some may not allow attacks to the leg that is not true of all of them. Where I train leg kicks are allowed, as are light contact groin shots. Also half a year in karate is not enough time to get to the point where you could say you have a real background in it.

Depends on what you want to achieve.

If you want to be a master of your art and attain black belt status before moving on to something else, try karate. If you just want to be a generalist that knows a little about alot, the next big UFC champ or sound cool for your friends at school, try MMA.

In order for us to properly answer this question you need to say what you're looking to get out of training. If you want to be the next big UFC star, then sign up for mma classes, if you want to earn a black belt and focus specifically on a single art, then take karate.

Both of them can be physically and mentally demanding.

I don't personally understand MMA gyms. I research and have yet to find a UFC fighter who walked into an MMA gym to begin training. They all started out in something else, usually wrestling or trained with several styles in their entirety before mixing them into one style. That kind of makes MMA gyms sound like a scam to me.

why not join karate for half a year then switch to MMA .. its always good to have a back ground in something..MMA is more brutal and hardcore..

KARATE IS kicks and some punches and no kicking below the belt and i mean legs is allowed...

I'd go with MMA, but thats mostly cos all the karate schools near me, are rediculously expensive :P

MMA...that's true about machida but even he barely uses the karate, more muay thai and bjj

mma man all the way and do brazilian jiu jitsu

100% Karate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

physically MMA is better there's only one successful fighter who uses karate and thats Lyoto Machida (there's probably more but idk of them) i dont know about mentally either ha