Bruce Lee vs Top MMA fighter in Octagon, who wins?

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Axon

Axon

Platinum Member
Sep 25, 2003
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Bruce's fluid, no set style is conducive to MMA. But there's no way to know how he would do in a modern MMA competition. If the stories about him are true, it seems like he would, at least, be decent.
 
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LookBehindYou

Platinum Member
Dec 23, 2010
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I think Bruce had the natural talent, if he trained for years and years like modern MMA fighters at his prime age, then yeah, he'd probably be a champ in his weight class. But to fight in his prime as he was, against a guy like Aldo or Mendes or someone... he gets mauled.
 
z1ggy

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,010
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This is all hypothetical stuff. How can you compare real pro fighters, with a guy from what this thread posters call " having no professional record" ? Watching BL, it's clear he is an amazing athlete, in extremely good shape and no doubt would rape any no pro fighter. But if you gave him no MMA training for the octogon, and put him in with the best 145 pounder with years and years of exp... I don't know how close it would be. I like the Kimbo analogy. Look how bad he sometimes beat ppl up on the street and how jacked he was. He was good at what he did. Fast forward to him getting the piss beat out of him in the UFC and it's obv. he did not belong there. Pros belong in the ring, actors and the like don't.
 
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LookBehindYou

Platinum Member
Dec 23, 2010
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z1ggy said:
This is all hypothetical stuff. How can you compare real pro fighters, with a guy from what this thread posters call " having no professional record" ? Watching BL, it's clear he is an amazing athlete, in extremely good shape and no doubt would rape any no pro fighter. But if you gave him no MMA training for the octogon, and put him in with the best 145 pounder with years and years of exp... I don't know how close it would be. I like the Kimbo analogy. Look how bad he sometimes beat ppl up on the street and how jacked he was. He was good at what he did. Fast forward to him getting the piss beat out of him in the UFC and it's obv. he did not belong there. Pros belong in the ring, actors and the like don't.
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Like I said above your post. He had a shit ton of natural ability and talent, give him years of training like the other top tier MMA fighers, and he'd probably be a champ. Otherwise, no comparison...
 
FallenHero

FallenHero

Diamond Member
Jan 2, 2006
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I think alot of people are forgetting the Bruce Lee probably would have LOVED MMA and embraced it as an evolution to any standard form. He never was one to embrace any "stance" and it reflected in his martial arts. I honestly think that if he was in his prime, he would have fully adapted to MMA and would have a hell of a run at a title in his weight class, no doubt about it.
 
sourceninja

sourceninja

Diamond Member
Mar 8, 2005
8,805
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FallenHero said:
I think alot of people are forgetting the Bruce Lee probably would have LOVED MMA and embraced it as an evolution to any standard form. He never was one to embrace any "stance" and it reflected in his martial arts. I honestly think that if he was in his prime, he would have fully adapted to MMA and would have a hell of a run at a title in his weight class, no doubt about it.
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Bruce may have liked MMA, but he was a performer because that's where the money is. There is less money in MMA than boxing (for the fighters). I don't think Bruce would have ever fought professionally for the same reasons he didn't become a pro boxer/kickboxer/etc. There just wasn't as much money in it as hollywood.
 
Zeze

Zeze

Lifer
Mar 4, 2011
11,395
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There's no doubt he would fare well if he were to prepare for it in 12-18 months.

But if you just told him the rules and dropped him in the ring, he would get raped. You are absolutely delusional if you think otherwise.
 
DAPUNISHER

DAPUNISHER

Super Moderator CPU Forum Mod and Elite Member
Super Moderator
Aug 22, 2001
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He was a child actor before he took his first martial arts lesson, so the comments about him being a fighter first, are absurd. Not just because he was an actor first, chronologically no less. But also, because he never competed in sanctioned events. He was a martial artist and instructor, neither of which earn you the title of fighter.

Nor am I disparaging him. My post history displays that I have immense respect for the man. But all of his fights are in the realm of myths and tall tales. There just does not exist hard, verifiable, proof. Even if some of them occurred, it would earn him nothing more spectacular than the title of can crusher. He was not fighting Joe Lewis, Tony Tulleners, Chuck Norris, Mike Stone, Bill Wallace, or any of the other pros.

And Dana White can have any opinion he likes, but Bruce was not the grand daddy/founder/whatever, of modern MMA. Pankration is over 3000 years old, and Vale Tudo was going on in the 1920's. And it was not a Bruce Lee disciple or someone inspired by him that founded the UFC (responsible for MMA catching fire) It was the Gracies from Brazil, where Vale Tudo was popular.
 
Woosta

Woosta

Platinum Member
Mar 23, 2008
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^ You bring up a good point, I forgot about Pankration. I retract my grandfather statement.
 
zinfamous

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,855
31,344
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sourceninja said:
Bruce may have liked MMA, but he was a performer because that's where the money is. There is less money in MMA than boxing (for the fighters). I don't think Bruce would have ever fought professionally for the same reasons he didn't become a pro boxer/kickboxer/etc. There just wasn't as much money in it as hollywood.
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iirc, Bruce didn't fight regularly b/c it was against his philosophy. To him, fighting was pure, it was life--you don't spoil it by cheapening it in a ring.

The only way one should fight is if it is real--on the street, life and death. the structure and rules of MMA would spoil "the fight," in his mind.

This is why most in the field were angry with him--he wouldn't fight them but, as the story goes, ended up having to prove himself in that underground match so that he could receive the endorsement for teaching.

The movies were simply part of his teaching--he wanted to bring his art to everyone, not simply keep it behind closed cultural barriers.
 
P

Pacfanweb

Lifer
Jan 2, 2000
13,158
59
91
Chuck Norris has as much as said, without actually saying it, that Bruce was an actor, and a very good martial artist, but not a fighter.

There's a recent interview where he was asked about Bruce, and how they met after Chuck won the world championship in karate in New York. Struck up a friendship, and went and trained together.

The interviewer asked Chuck if that meant they sparred, and Chuck said no, they practiced kicks and worked on the bags, etc....e.g., "trained".
Pressed about whether they fought or not, Chuck said "no, because I was a professional fighter....", and the interviewer says "and he was not", and Chuck says with a nod, "yeah", then throws in "but he was very good".
Then asked "so you would have beaten him", and Chuck said he didn't want to go there, and neither did Bruce.

So he was being diplomatic, but it's obvious from how Chuck said it that he thinks he would have beaten Lee, no problem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mcl81ldNODc&feature=related

And I believe Gene Lebell embarrassed Lee on the set of Green Hornet, which led to Lee learning from Lebell and their friendship.

On a side note, Gene Lebell also choked out Steven Seagal and Seagal shit his pants, literally, when he went to sleep. One BAD old dude.
 
7

7window

Golden Member
Nov 12, 2009
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bruce lee has no chance. I saw an inexperienced marine got in the octagon with a small mma fighter and the marine made the mma fighter puked after sparring
 
MagickMan

MagickMan

Diamond Member
Aug 11, 2008
7,460
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Alive, in his prime, and in his weight class, Lee would be champion. He had the rare ability to focus and adjust to anything. That combined with his natural speed, agility, and strength would make him devastating in MMA. Many fights wouldn't reach the grapple stage, the opponent would shoot for his legs, he wouldn't be there, and the guy would take a 1600PSI punch to the back of the head.
 
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