Could Bruce Lee be competitive in today's MMA?

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entremet

Member
Seeing the EA UFC pre-order bonus announcement of Bruce Lee, got me thinking. Would Bruce, in a totally hypothetical situation, be competitive in today's MMA?

Obviously his grappling and ground game would be weak yet his striking would be a strong point. Additionally, Bruce was an athletic savant. While not necessary becoming a master in short time of the ground game. I can see him picking up a decent or serviceable ground game--he was an eternal student after all.

What say you? Would Bruce be decimated within his weight class, would he be mediocre, or would he a top contender?
 

Camp Lo

Banned
I don't think he'd be anything more than mediocre in UFC. You can't ignore his celebrity so off top, there's a target over his head. Once they get him on the ground, it's a wrap.
 

FuturusX

Member
Why would he sully himself with such bullshit. In terms of compensation he'd make even more money than he did in Hollywood.
 

Camp Lo

Banned
Why would he sully himself with such bullshit. In terms of compensation he'd make even more money than he did in Hollywood.

And then there's this, which is why I kind of find his inclusion into that game insulting. Bruce Lee seemed above that type of barbaric shit to me.
 

entremet

Member
I don't think he'd be anything more than mediocre in UFC. You can't ignore his celebrity so off top, there's a target over his head. Once they get him on the ground, it's a wrap.

I can see his first full year being a disaster as he learns, but I can definitely see him get competitive in time. He had that tenacity.
 

Harlock

Member
Why ufc is always on the ground, grapping the other guy? Why cant be like in the tournament from the movies?
 

TheMan

Member
Well, he was pretty damn scientific about his approach to everything he did, so I'm of the mind he would perfect the aspects of his MMA that he found lacking and excel at it.

This is the same guy who sent a guy flying backwards with a one inch punch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en2nM-7XIe4

Aren't there videos out there of martial arts masters taking down guys using their chi or whatever (no actual contact)? In this video you have a willing student being shoved into a chair. The "one inch punch" aspect is theatrical bullshit.
 

DKehoe

Member
I always like the assertion that all he would have needed to do is develop his grappling because OBVIOUSLY he was already a world class striker. You know, because of those movies where his character hit people.
 

Shadybiz

Member
Within his weight class, sure! He knew multiple striking styles, and, at least according to Wikipedia, he trained in jujitsu, so he at least had a foundation in groundfighting. He was also very well conditioned, so he would have been able to outlast a lot of the regular competitors.
 

bunbun777

Member
Chet Frank: So what is Jiu-Jitsu? You use one fighter's strength against him?

Mike Terry: Yes, in a way. You let him use his strength, and you use your understanding.

Chet Frank: So it's a form of wrestling?

Mike Terry: Yeah.

Chet Frank: Like we see in the Mixed-Martial Arts competitions?

Mike Terry: Yeah, that's right.

Chet Frank: You compete?

Mike Terry: No.

Chet Frank: Because...?

Mike Terry: Competition is weakening.

Chet Frank: Because it's fixed. Two guys in a ring, people betting money...

Mike Terry: It may be fixed. Any one fight may be fixed.

Chet Frank: Ah, but you train people to fight.

Mike Terry: No, I train people to prevail. In the street, in the alley, in...in combat, the bodyguard, the cop, the soldiers. One rule - put the other guy down. And you have to train in order to do that. Any...any staged contest must have rules.

Chet Frank: Everything has rules. The problem is sticking to them.

I would like to think Bruce Lee would have won just about anything but him not entering in the first place was the real win.
 

thefro

Member
Maybe in his weight class.

He wouldn't be able to fight in the UFC and have a career starring in movies at the same time though.
 
Why ufc is always on the ground, grapping the other guy? Why cant be like in the tournament from the movies?

because in a real fight tackling the other guy and just doing a lock is the most effective way. (or an elbow to the face) no fair gentlemen style pugilism here.

But for something more like that, watch some K-1 tournaments. They have more Karate and Kenpo combatants. Buuuut even they cant hold a candle to the Muay Thai fighters.
 

Wiktor

Member
In his weight category? Yeah. Of course he would need additional training, but he had great body and was quick learner, so I doubt he would have problems with adapting to MMA.

Outside his weight class? No. He would get destroyed completely.
 
Well, he was pretty damn scientific about his approach to everything he did, so I'm of the mind he would perfect the aspects of his MMA that he found lacking and excel at it.

This is the same guy who sent a guy flying backwards with a one inch punch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en2nM-7XIe4

That is just a push punch and the guys he is pushing are in a neutral stance.

Bruce Lee had no fight record at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aObGLTfJa1w

In that video he is mostly just push punching.
 

Wiktor

Member
because in a real fight tackling the other guy and just doing a lock is the most effective way.

In real life sports fighting. Going on the ground in real everyday city fight is suicidal idea unless you're absolutely sure the guy is completely alone.
 
The 6inch punch Is really impressive , especially in slow motion- I'm not an athlete , so I don't know if many athletes are able to do something similar .
 
Why are people talking like Bruce Lee didn't actually know how to fight and it was all made up stuff for the movies? So he didn't know a single martial art?
 

andycapps

Member
Not really sure. I've read up on him and am obviously familiar with his movies. Seems like he got in some fights as a kid and teenager, but I'm not sure how many actual fights he was in as an adult. I know he was in a lot of competitions but those seem different than a fight.

Whether he could do it, I'm pretty sure that he could own whatever weight class he was in. He'd learn the necessary disciplines to excel, he wasn't tied to a specific form of martial art. If anything, he was against being defined by a single form.
 
Not really sure. I've read up on him and am obviously familiar with his movies. Seems like he got in some fights as a kid and teenager, but I'm not sure how many actual fights he was in as an adult. I know he was in a lot of competitions but those seem different than a fight.

Whether he could do it, I'm pretty sure that he could own whatever weight class he was in. He'd learn the necessary disciplines to excel, he wasn't tied to a specific form of martial art. If anything, he was against being defined by a single form.
I've seen documentaries that said the stunt men in Lee's movies would often challenge him in between shoots and Lee never lost a single one. The man could fight.
 

DKehoe

Member
Why are people talking like Bruce Lee didn't actually know how to fight and it was all made up stuff for the movies? So he didn't know a single martial art?

Because he has no background in actual fighting. People use physical feats that he was capable of as evidence but those really don't have much to do with a real fight. The only encounter with someone "legit" that I'm aware of was with Gene LeBell who pretty much embarassed him, put him over his shoulder and ran about laughing while Lee screamed helplessly to be put down.

A whole bunch of martial arts were shown to be ineffective on their own in the early UFCs. Particularly those that don't use grappling at all. Being able to do a one inch punch isn't going to mean a whole lot when someone double legs you.
 
I've seen documentaries that said the stunt men in Lee's movies would often challenge him in between shoots and Lee never lost a single one. The man could fight.

Wasn't he also challenged by serious martial arts contenders? I know Enter the Dragon is mostly ridiculous, but I think the part where he gets challenged because of his non-traditional method and destroys the other guy is real.
 

entremet

Member
Because he has no background in actual fighting. People use physical feats that he was capable of as evidence but those really don't have much to do with a real fight. The only encounter with someone "legit" that I'm aware of was with Gene LeBell who pretty much embarassed him, put him over his shoulder and ran about laughing while Lee screamed helplessly to be put down.

A whole bunch of martial arts were shown to be ineffective on their own in the early UFCs. Particularly those that don't use grappling at all. Being able to do a one inch punch isn't going to mean a whole lot when someone double legs you.

Didn't LaBell embarrass Steven Seagal too?
 

andycapps

Member
I've seen documentaries that said the stunt men in Lee's movies would often challenge him in between shoots and Lee never lost a single one. The man could fight.

Not that I don't believe that he could fight if he wanted to, I just find a huge difference between being in a fight and saying, "block this punch coming at your face" when you don't intend on following through when they don't block it. Or doing the 1 inch or 6 inch punch. Gimmicky things like that. Those things are great for competitions because they're impressive, but in a legit fight, how would he perform? We really don't know.

I mean, let's flip this around and bring up completely different fighting styles. Would he be able to hang with Royce Gracie in his prime? I don't think he'd be able to at first, nobody was able to. But with the right training from Gracie, he could probably eventually do it.

I'm just saying he could probably do whatever he made his mind out for doing, but we don't have the evidence that he could actually fight.
 
Not that I don't believe that he could fight if he wanted to, I just find a huge difference between being in a fight and saying, "block this punch coming at your face" when you don't intend on following through when they don't block it. Or doing the 1 inch or 6 inch punch. Gimmicky things like that. Those things are great for competitions because they're impressive, but in a legit fight, how would he perform? We really don't know.

I mean, let's flip this around and bring up completely different fighting styles. Would he be able to hang with Royce Gracie in his prime? I don't think he'd be able to at first, nobody was able to. But with the right training from Gracie, he could probably eventually do it.

I'm just saying he could probably do whatever he made his mind out for doing, but we don't have the evidence that he could actually fight.
I just typed up the evidence that he could fight. Bruce was challenged frequently while on sets of movies and the dude wrecked many a contender.
 
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