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Question regarding Bruce Lee

30K views 352 replies 113 participants last post by  kantowrestler 
#1 ·
Bruce Lee vs any UFC fighter

Hi all, I'm new to this forum and was wondering if you could all help me settle a long running debate I have been having with my friends.

Everyone knows that Bruce Lee is the greatest fighter ever and I tell my friends who all watch UFC that he could easily defeat any of them however they all tell me I'm wrong. The main reasons I feel he could beat any UFC (or MMA fighter) is:
  • One inch punch - I feel this is his strongest ally as it requires little room (1 inch) to deploy it so could be done even when being grabbled and the speed of it cannot be blocked. Anyone he hits with this is as good as finished
  • Didn't need to fight people on the ground - from what ive seen most mma is ended on the ground with some unwieldy hold however Bruce PERFECTED the art of beating his opponents whilst they were standing up. In short he would not need to rely about getting them on the ground
  • Mental toughness - the brain can be the warriors strongest or weakest weapon. Bruce was subjected to a rigorous training regime like no other on earth plus allegedly achieved enlightenment so his mental prowess would ensure his victory

There are a few more points but I feel that makes my case, any honest feedback or constructive criticism would be much appreciated. No haterz though.

Shadow Dragon
 
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#3 ·
thanks for the quick reply kamikaze145. I'm not familiar with this Torres character however fighting does not evolve, only fighters evolve. The main aim of fighting now is the same as it was thousands of years ago and Bruce was the best ever. Without more info about this torres guy I can't imagine him beating the master
 
#4 ·
Hi all, I'm new to this forum and was wondering if you could all help me settle a long running debate I have been having with my friends.

Everyone knows that Bruce Lee is the greatest fighter ever and I tell my friends who all watch UFC that he could easily defeat any of them however they all tell me I'm wrong. The main reasons I feel he could beat any UFC (or MMA fighter) is:
  • One inch punch - I feel this is his strongest ally as it requires little room (1 inch) to deploy it so could be done even when being grabbled and the speed of it cannot be blocked. Anyone he hits with this is as good as finished
  • Didn't need to fight people on the ground - from what ive seen most mma is ended on the ground with some unwieldy hold however Bruce PERFECTED the art of beating his opponents whilst they were standing up. In short he would not need to rely about getting them on the ground
  • Mental toughness - the brain can be the warriors strongest or weakest weapon. Bruce was subjected to a rigorous training regime like no other on earth plus allegedly achieved enlightenment so his mental prowess would ensure his victory

There are a few more points but I feel that makes my case, any honest feedback or constructive criticism would be much appreciated. No haterz though.

Shadow Dragon
Wow. You know, it's funny...I have a friend JUST LIKE this guy, who thinks Jet Li could beat any MMA fighter. Take Enter the Dragon out of your DVD player and put on some UFC, dude. Time to learn what the **** you're talking about.
 
#21 ·
I dont know about any MMA fighter but Jet Lee is actually the real deal and not just a movie martial artist just FYI. He was winning adult Tourneys when he was still a teenager and to young to even compete in them. he would have to work on his ground game a bit but his stand up I believe would do well against allot of MMA Fighters just IMO
 
#5 ·
You're new. I'll let this slide for now. But just so you know, threads like this pop up every once in a while.

Although you have reasons:

One inch punch - I feel this is his strongest ally as it requires little room (1 inch) to deploy it so could be done even when being grabbled and the speed of it cannot be blocked. Anyone he hits with this is as good as finished
The one inch punch could not be implemented on the ground in grappling. it requires a solid stance to turn the hips.

Didn't need to fight people on the ground - from what ive seen most mma is ended on the ground with some unwieldy hold however Bruce PERFECTED the art of beating his opponents whilst they were standing up. In short he would not need to rely about getting them on the ground
Opening scene in Enter the Dragon. He ends the fight on the ground.

Mental toughness - the brain can be the warriors strongest or weakest weapon. Bruce was subjected to a rigorous training regime like no other on earth plus allegedly achieved enlightenment so his mental prowess would ensure his victory
True. He was indeed very mentally tough.


Welcome to the forum
 
#6 ·
Just one thing to think of before you or any other new guy starts a new thread like this.....

Rob Emerson can beat all of them on leg kicks alone!!

I hope this doesn't deter you from starting new threads but I figured I'd get it out in the clear.
 
#8 ·
Seems you've bought into the "myth" of Bruce Lee more than anything. I believe it would be fairly easy to say that Bruce would not do to well in MMA with the skills he had.

Yes, fighting does evolve. For thousands of years there were different martial arts. It was often disputed which was "The Best Martial Art". It wasn't until things like the UFC popped up 15-20 years ago, that we saw a blending of martial arts. Thus changing (evolving) Martial arts forever.

Bruce understood that and began incorporating different aspects together, things like: grappling and submissions. Fighters today are far ahead of where Bruce was.

I'm a huge Bruce Lee fan too, but I have to say that you're way off in your assumption of his potential in MMA.
 
#10 ·
Bruce Lee was a great martial artist and legend. However, he would get beat up in MMA. It is impossible for another man just to run through other top notch fighters. Bruce Lee is the man, but MMA fighting is something he really hadn't seen. Assuming he would kick everyone's ass is probably the dumbest thing I've ever read. Bruce Lee would get beat up in MMA. He would have a chance to be good, but he'd be fighting at 135. If he fought bigger guys, he would get smashed. Even at 135, there is no guarantee he would even compete favorably.
 
#11 ·
Um, Bruce Lee never fought a real goddamned fight in his entire life. He didn't perfect the art of fighting without going to the ground, he perfected the art of making flashy entertaining movies to impress the casual viewers. One inch punch doesn't work, it's all make-believe. He did some nice things refining traditional martial arts into JKD, but it's still only a precursor to modern MMA.

Since you base your opinion of reality on movies, I'd say write to your local representative; tell him that we should screw this whole troops in Afghanistan for Al Qaeda thing and just send Silvester Stallone over. He'll be like "Why didn't we think of that?!", then they'll dedicate a national holiday to you.
 
#12 ·
Don't want to bump this up, but just a couple comments to the OP -

1) Wasn't Bruce Lee defeated back in the day? I know he was a phenominal fighter, but I don't recall him as not ever being beat. For whatever it's worth, I knew a guy who was into martial arts (obviously an older guy, reference time period) and he told me he'd seen Bruce Lee get beat. He said Lee was very, very good (duh), and what was most impressive was his hand speed. The guy (Jim) stated it was basically super difficult to keep track of his arms below the elbow - super fast fighter with lots of focus. He'd wathced him do the 3 inch punch or whatever. As someone already noted that comes from a strong base being able to use your hips, but also shoulder, which would be moot in many grappling situations.

2) Bruce could have learned more if he were alive today, but if you are saying the Bruce Lee from back then would beat everyone, you are wrong. Bruce was partly so good because of his enlightening interpretation of the martial arts, to incorporate all the arts, and focus on the best techniques from them. Still, I don't know if he incorporated much wrestling into his training, and I would say any great wrestler that could slightly distract him with decent stand-up would be able to get a takedown on him. At that point, the mma game of today (Damian Maia is an extreme case, but any top tier BJJ practitioner) would be able to submit the Bruce Lee you are referencing.
 
#159 ·
WOW! I actually just got sucked into reading this entire thread, and that is time I will never get back. That being said, I feel inclined to respond somewhat so it's not just a complete waste of time. I'll try to be brief...


If Bruce Lee could give the same kind of commitment to MMA that he gave to Kung Fu would he be a contender?
This should have been the question and maybe it has been in some other thread.

Don't want to bump this up, but just a couple comments to the OP -

1) Wasn't Bruce Lee defeated back in the day?

2) Still, I don't know if he incorporated much wrestling into his training,
Very little facts as to Bruce's ACTUAL fighting history, some say he got into training because he got beat up as a teenager, have yet to find anything to say he got beat as an adult.

By that logic Bruce Lee was an ACTOR. Many MMA fighters today have probably encountered more dangerous real life situations than Lee ever have. What "warrior-like has Lee done? Specifically? When he talks about his stuff he sounds pretty stoned, tbh...
It is documented that Lee was involved in gand-related activity as a young man, i think that constitutes as dangerous real life encounters.

He opened his own school. Taught for years. Developed Jeet Kune Do (like a verry basic MMA). Dislocated a dude's shoulder when he punched him.

He competed in a ton of martial arts tournaments.
JKD is a "mixed" martial arts, which continued to evolve from its inception until his death. Hell, he trained under Gene Lebelle, some refer to him as the "godfather of grappling". Only speculating, but I would say he was adding this to his "style" of fighting and combat.

I have a hard time finding a "ton" of tounaments Lee competed in, really only a hand few between 1958-1961, (he did win them all though)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

RAWR!

These are a few of the fights that Bruce participated in the ring and out.

1958:
vs. Gary Elms in a tournament. (Won)
1958 or 1959:
Against Chung on a rooftop in Hong Kong. (Won in 2nd Round)
1960 - Seattle:
Bruce backfisted a guy and busted his nose after Bruce saw him harrassing a Chinese Girl. Bruce was taking a walk. This fight was witnessed by James DeMile.
1960 or 1961:
vs. Uechi. (Won in 10 seconds)
Summer 1963 - Hong Kong:
Bruce snapped a low kick to a punk's shin after the punk and his friend harrassed him during an evening stroll.
they all considered one man to be the absolute toughest his name was Gene Lebelle. Back then chuck was asked who was the baddest man and he said Lebelle hands down
See above, and add that Chuck is on record as saying Bruce Lee would beat him, a well accomplished competitor in many tournaments, hands down.

There is zero basis either for the initial comparison or for subsequent criticisms of the initial comparison.
^THIS^ :thumb02:


It's like asking "would Ali have beaten Mike Tyson?"


and ^THIS^

What did I just say on the previous page guys?

This is a topic, like religion or politics, that makes so many members go batshit crazy, it's better avoided altogether.
I should have started at the end of the thread with ^THIS^ and my place in the world tonight would have been a little better.
 
#15 ·
right, long time reader here, first time poster.....

i think bruce lee's abilitys can not be doubted, i dont think his skill set would do well against that of a modern day mma fighter.... however, i do think that the guy would be leapes and bounds ahead of any other fighter if given the same training... or if he were born in this day & age with his natural ability etc :)
 
#16 · (Edited)
Everyone knows that Bruce Lee is the greatest fighter ever and I tell my friends who all watch UFC that he could easily defeat any of them however they all tell me I'm wrong. The main reasons I feel he could beat any UFC (or MMA fighter) is:
  • One inch punch
  • Didn't need to fight people on the ground
  • Mental toughness


Shadow Dragon
Which all means nothing unless you've fought in a competition. Has Bruce ever fought in a real tournament? Nope? Has he fought any ranked fighters? Nope. Has he won any championships? Nope. Has he made lots of movies? Yup.

Finally, the only fights we've ever heard of is when he fights some mysterious, unknown "grandmaster" behind closed doors, or some schmuck off the streets. It's all meaningless. For Christ's sake, at least Van Damme formally competed and had an 18-2 record in karate.

PS - you are at an extreme disadvantage if you don't know how to fight on the ground.
 
#17 ·
Bruce Lee is arguably the first mixed martial artist and was an amazing physical specimen. However, with the skillset he had at his death he would get beat by anyone with a decent ground game.

But, I will say if Bruce Lee was alive and in his prime today, he would be training all the different discipline and with his focus and natural athleticism would probably dominate his weight class.

Which all means nothing unless you've fought in a competition. Has Bruce ever fought in a real tournament? Nope? Has he fought any ranked fighters? Nope. Has he won any championships? Nope. Has he made lots of movies? Yup.

Finally, the only fights we've ever heard of is when he fights some "grandmaster" behind closed doors, or some schmuck off the streets. It's all meaningless. For Christ's sake, at least Van Damme formally competed and had an 18-2 record in karate.

PS - you are at an extreme disadvantage if you don't know how to fight on the ground.
A lot of history's best fighters never entered any tournaments.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Pretty cool, shows a lot of reflexes and hand eye coordination but that's where any relation to fighting ends. There's all kinds of circus acts and street performers that do things like this and ten times crazier but no one calls them the best fighter ever born for it. Fun to watch though, and nice find, repped.

EDIT: nm, it's a fraud.. the footage is from a phone Ad and is an impersonator, possibly CGI edited as well. I want my rep back :(. Shows the exact kinda thing that builds up these crazy legends.
 
#30 ·
#31 ·
Thanks for all your great input, good to feel such a sense of community on these boards. I do however feel that you are all pretty much missing the point of what it is to be a warrior, whilst technically very good at their MMA fighting it is still a sport and that's what these fighters are...sportsmen. Bruce Lee was a true fighter though and as such would have the killers instinct, bravery and desire needed to defeat them.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Bruce was a physical specimen and p4p very strong. But no matter how good you are you will ALWAYS have to worry about the ground. Imagine freakin' Coleman against Bruce, he wouldn't get back up ever if he got taken down by him, which he would. (Also, I really don't believe Kung Fu is the ultimate stand up art either.) A Man proven himself in many full contact, well documented encounters, that is someone I will belive is a good fighter in that specific art.

So IMO Miguel would work Lee, in MMA.



By that logic Bruce Lee was an ACTOR. Many MMA fighters today have probably encountered more dangerous real life situations than Lee ever have. What "warrior-like has Lee done? Specifically? When he talks about his stuff he sounds pretty stoned, tbh...
 
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