Bruce lee and NHB.

[T-Rex]

If Bruce were to be alive and was physically and mentally fit then he has ever been. How do you guys think he would do in all the NHB events?

[Zeke]

This has been discussed before on this board. From what I have read on here and other places, it is questionable whether Bruce Lee ever had actual fights. He was an actor first. In addition there are few organizations with a weight class for him. I believe on the last thread on this subject, someone found that Lee's weight was 120-130. He would have to x-train and then be tested in real fights before anyone could estimate his ability to compete today.

[T-Rex]

My bad, yeah I ve been on other message boards and hate the repitition of a subject. Had no clue.
I think he would do well though. from all the experience and relationships he had with people that had seen bruce in action. I think he was in more than enough fights though. I know its all bout rumors but for his wife to speak about his confrontations. I think that legit enough. Plus Guro inosanto.

[Ryu (non-working password]

Bruce was a martial artist FIRST, and everything else second....An actor is someone who trains martial arts just for a role, and then quits after the movie is over. Bruce trained his entire life, had schools, students, etc. He was not a tournament fighter, and fought probably what we would consider "nobodies" on the street. He sparred with the greats, Chuck Norris, Gene Lebelle, etc.
And they all thought he had something.
Now I don't know about NHB, but I'm sure Bruce would have been a BJJ blackbelt these days. He would have dove right into it. Anyone who thinks he wouldn't doesn't know enough about him.

Acting was his career, but he was definately a martial artist first. I don't fight in cages either, but I consider myself a martial artist before anything else as well.
You don't need to be a competing NHB fighter to be considered a martial artist.

Ryu

[Chopstix]

very well put, ryu.

[Robbie]

Yes,I agree with Ryu,Bruce lee would definitly be learning Bjj and other grappling styles.IMO he would be a force to be reckoned with in his weight division.

[Shimora]

Bruce would do reasonably well in MMA against someone his own weight. Although I fear someone like Iha would be able to submit him. Against a Jens Pulver or Laverne Clark Bruce would have done OK.

There is no way that Bruce would have lasted 30 seconds with any of the top middleweights or heavyweights.

I remember when he told me about the time he "sparred" with Judo Gene Lebell and Gene picked him up and threatened to body slam him , LOL those were the days. Those crazy guys.

[T-Rex]

I think no matter size fighter he would have fought he would have done very well. with his way of intercepting attacks and reading people he could easily overcome a bigger opponent. the guy may not be big but with his kind of physical prowess he was a very very strong person. remember a fighter is one who doesn't fight just people in his weight class he fights everybody and anybody. I think he would be fine.

[PassiveGuy]

Rex: In a UFC type match he would most certainly lose against a stronger opponent, but for street fighting, with all his "dirty" fighting(knee stomps, gouges, groin kicks...) he very well could defeat bigger guys. He wasn't a God.

[Zeke]

Okay, I'll take the bait. When we consider Bruce Lee's abilties are we going off of what he did in a movie, or is there some film out there of him in real fights that I have not seen? If we are going by what he did in movies, why limit him to NHB? Imagine what he could do in basketball, I saw him jump about 5 stories up one time to escape from some bad guys. Or, he could levitate above one of the baskets and just rain in shots from about 15' up. Football would probably be the same, with his "movie" abiltity to jump over people, no one could tackle him. And to take this even further, I've never seen a real life boxer who could take what Stallone could, I guess we could surmise from his movie prowess that he could do well as a boxer. And Burt Reynolds sure did run over those prison guards in The Longest Yard. And some of those guards were real football players. I'm not putting down Bruce Lee, I have no idea how he would do in NHB. I guess he could be a one of a kind human, or super human. He would have to be to compete with the big guys. I just have a difficult time thinking of him hurling his 120 pounds at Igor and doing any damage.

[Martial Artist]

We should have a " what if "forum.

[Twisted up]

Ok, so what-if's suck. That much is a given....


I will say that Lee would've done ok in his weight division. He was smart enough to realize that the best competitor is one who is cross-trained.

Would've he have beaten everyone? Back then, yes! No-one then had a clue!

Today, everyone is at Lee's level. You have to understand that no-one really fought NHB back then. Lee was the only one who DID have a clue and understood that training must be an "all-out, with anything goes" approach.

To do this would mean that a fighter must have great (world class) attributes, something that MOST practitioners of martial arts simply didn't possess in those days. Most fighters would've been spent after a few minutes of TRUE NHB fighting. Lee likely would not have been.

Attributes win fights.....not techniques!

John