Okay, considering you all are very, very familiar with the life of Bruce Lee (not just "seen his movies")...

Say someone traveled back in time and brought him back today...do you think he would have been an undefeated UFC or Pride champion?

I'm no expert on Bruce Lee...this is just stuff I collected over the years in documentaries and books. But, let's not forget...

Bruce Lee was a man who never backed down from a challenge and (by the word of documentaries) never been beaten (otherwise, it'd be front page news since a reward was offered to whoever beats this man, publicly).

This is a man who openly stated, "...I can take on any man in this world." With that said, I'd imagine a whole line of people were in line to challenge him. Yet, there isn't a confirmed case that someone has beaten him.

He had all sorts of challengers from all types of martial arts.

These were real fights with no rules...not sparring matches or sporting events where you rack up points and be judged.

Eye witnesses report his punches and kicks were so fast and precise, the challenger who got hit in the face would be knocked out cold before even losing his balance and hitting the floor.

His fights lasted less than a minute...where a majority of time was just tormenting/toying with his opponent.

Anyway,...I've always wondered what it'd be like if he were here today (not still alive, but living our time at his prime--Heck! He'd be a grandpa by now!...but probably still in good shape).

He's still the king of Martial Arts past - present - or future! Yeah baby....
That's what Jeet Kun Do is ..............MMA. It was invented before we even had a clue.

I like it best when he said "stuctured martial arts lacks the ability to adapt, it has no fluidity"

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Charles Troglen
(Team Draculino)

Oh, yeah... he is the King of Martial Arts!
And I do believe he could have taken any man in the world in a fight.
Read about his life...and, well, he practically did take on any man in the world.

"WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I studied Jeet Kun Do under Burton Richardson for over a year here in Hawaii. He was certified by Dan Inosanto, one of the few people certified to teach from Bruce Lee. I may go back and learn some more soon!



Jeet Kun Do today is very different from when Bruce Lee first invented it. It has stayed true to the principle of evolving over time.

From what I understand the traditionalist Chinese forbid Bruce to teach Kung Fu to non-Chinese in San Francisco. So, they sent their best fighter to challenge Bruce. If he lost, he could not teach Kung Fu to non-Chinese again. Bruce fought and won, but he was not happy as it took 3+ minutes to beat the other man. He thought there was a lot of wasted moves in traditional martial arts. So, he came up with his own fighting style called Jeet Kun Do.

He took the best parts of all forms of fighting (fencing, boxing, etc) and created the best fighting system in the world at the time. His principles stand true today as we see the best mixed martial artists do the exact same thing today. They take the best of BJJ, Wrestling, and other martial arts and create their own fighting systems.

I don't think Bruce Lee would have done well in K-1 or Pride because the men fighting today are simply too big. If I remember correctly, Bruce was 5'6 and 135 pounds. I am not saying size matters in a street fight (although it helps), but when you put on gloves and gear, and restrict fighters to rules then size definitely matters. As far as a street fight is considered I am sure he would have held his own against any man. Bruce had one of the best work out routines I have every seen! I still have his work out routine book and reference it every so often.

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You didn't base this off of the movie Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (or his wife's book), did you? That movie was nearly all fictional from what I've read about him. From what I gather, it wasn't because he taught Kung Fu to the non-Chinese that got him in trouble...it was his invention of Jeet Kun Do itself that got people pissed off. But I'm not arguing...I'm not a Bruce Lee expert. I just saw some of his documentaries on the Discovery Channel, History Channel, and rented a few videos; read a few articles of him in libraries.

And you're probably right...with all the rules and restrictions in the K-1/Pride tournaments, it would have prevented him from using all his skills (like biting the person's leg to get out an an armbar --like he did on Chinese Connection...).

What are the basic restrictions for Pride? Is it "no kicking the groin", "no headbutts", "no use of elbows (sucks)", and "no biting"?

Nope, I am basing it off a few books I read about him. from what I understand, that was his wake-up call to traditional martial arts. When someone throws a punch, there is a choreographed defense. So, it looks like a real Kung Fu movie! He thought that was not practical in a real fight and decided to change. If there are any experts, please let me know if I am wrong!

Those rules are just part of it! Being in a constrained ring, wearing gloves, etc. You can't do eye jabs, which is very useful against a big opponent. Basically, a bigger man (like Bob Sapp) who out weighs Bruce by 200+ pounds can take a few punches and just grab Bruce and take him to the ground. An eye-jab, strike to the throat, and groin shot would change all of that in a street fight. If you are wearing gloves and the opponent is wearing a groin protector, and the rules forbid these strikes Bruce would be limited to strikes and submissions.

This also is true for BJJ experts. How many people are going to bring someone into their guard in a street fight against more than one opponent? It is a quick way to get hit with a bottle! I have seen too many fights where a guy is winning and the loser’s friends take a few cheap shots to turn the tide of the fight. It sucks, but you have to change your fighting style on the street!

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I can't really debate the history on Bruce Lee, just know the fighting style and how it developed. Biting was a part of the game, so was eye guages, groin shots, pressure points, and leverage.
His uncanny speed and accuracy was what terrified most, not his strength. Although small in stature, I wouldn't have pissed him off. If he couldn't beat you with his fists and feet, he would have picked up a stick or whatever was available. Like he said, it's not how you win sometimes? you have to know how to win!

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Charles Troglen
(Team Draculino)

I'm no expert, but I totally agree with Lee on this...not only in Kung Fu, but practically all traditional martial arts.

Yup! Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair prove that effecive in the WWE!
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"

Yeah, this is an all too common outcome in fights. The opponents always say, "No one jump in!" Then when they start losing, their buddies all rush you.

Im memory of Bruce.

Bruce Lee Video

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Here is a video of him sparring.

Bruce Lee Sparring

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