Traditionally, the martial arts are supposed to give the weak the ability to defeat the strong. It is possible to defeat a much stronger opponent if you are trained and he is not, or if your training methods are more effective for an actual fight. The strength provided by powerlifting can allow you to defeat a weaker opponent who is a skilled martial artist -- especially if you both are skilled in the same art.
Strength Training in Martial Arts
Martial artists don't normally emphasize strength training for its own sake, because the demands of a combat sport are more specific. A fighter doesn't need huge muscles so much as the ability to exert great force explosively at the right moment, and to keep going long enough to win the fight. However, if you are already a powerlifter, this is not an issue, as you've already decided to emphasize powerlifting for its own sake and not simply as part of your martial arts training. The best martial art styles for power lifters are those which maximize the advantage of strength. Paradoxically, these could be the same ones that teach the weak how to defeat the strong.
The Weak and the Strong
The idea of teaching the weak to defeat the strong is an ancient tradition in the martial arts. The art of tai chi, for instance, in its original form as a fighting style rather than a health exercise, was supposedly developed so that a weaker fighter could learn to prevail over a stronger one through intelligent tactics. More recently, Brazilian fighter Helio Gracie invented Brazilian jiu-jitsu to compensate for his own small size, and went on to win famous matches with fighters who outweighed him by as much as 80 lbs. However, this does not imply that strength is a disadvantage to any fighter. Helio Gracie prevailed in his matches because his opponents could find no answer for his jiu-jitsu techniques. When both fighters are trained in the same techniques, strength still matters.
Weight in the UFC
The early Ultimate Fighting Championships had no weight classes, so many bouts featured smaller and weaker opponents defeating much larger opponents who were not as skilled. For example, Keith Hackney was 400 lbs. lighter than Emmanuel Yarborough in UFC 3, but he defeated him anyway. Over time, however, fighters in the UFC began to train in the same sets of skills, including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the art Helio Gracie once used to defeat stronger opponents. Beginning with UFC 12, weight classes were introduced for all matches.
The Role of Strength
If a weaker man without training fights a stronger man without training, the stronger man is more likely to win. If a weaker man with the right kind of training fights a stronger man without training, the weaker man can defeat the stronger man. However, if a weaker man with training fights a stronger man with training, then neither will have the advantage of skill but the strong man will still have the advantage of strength. For this reason, it makes sense for a powerlifter to select a martial art such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu or judo that is designed to allow the weak to defeat the strong. If you fight someone weaker than yourself but with the same kind of training, you will have the advantage of being stronger. If you fight someone stronger than yourself but without your training, you will have the advantage of your skill. Either way, the advantage will be yours.
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