Mixed Martial Arts is the dream come true for those die-hard Kung Fu Theater disciples like myself.  I loved ninjas, drew them all day in class, and even snuck over to my un-supervised friends’ houses to throw shuriken into fence posts.  My older brother and I had padded nunchaku that we’d use to beat the hell out of each other.  Actually, he just beat the hell out of me and sometimes not even with the num-chuks.

Of course the high priest of martial arts is none other than Bruce Lee.  From my generation, it is complete blasphemy to assert that any other person could beat Bruce in one on one combat.  Heresy!  He’d destroy Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Tony Gaa, Steven Seagal, Jeff Speakman, and make Jean Claude his prison-yard ho.  End of story.

There are pundits within the MMA world that like to tout the new level of their fighters and the synthesis of striking and grappling.  I’m a huge fan of MMA and I watch several times a week, including several Muay Thai tournaments that I get on satellite.  I’ve heard people say that these are the best fighters ever.  Even to compare how Master Bruce would fare against a Rampage Jackson or Anderson Silva.

So I’m going to show you why the Greatest would dominate should he re-appear in his prime in today’s MMA sport.  I’m making no bones about it, I’m an avid Bruce Lee supporter, call me an apologist if you must.

So what makes me so sure that he’d crossover from movie superstar to MMA champion?  Let’s first examine Jeet Kune Do or the Way of the Intercepting Fist.  Jeet Kune Do (JKD) is not a new style, but rather describes a process of personal development from a life dedicated to martial arts training and philosophy. Bruce Lee stated in 1971 for Black Belt Magazine:

“Let it be understood once and for all that I have NOT invented a new style, composite or modification. I have in no way set Jeet Kune Do within a distinct form governed by laws that distinguish it from ‘this’ style or ‘that’ method. On the contrary, I hope to free my comrades from bondage to styles, patterns and doctrines.”

With that in mind, Jeet Kune Do can be described simply as constant learning, application, and evolution.  The entire concept of the JKD is to cast aside everything that does not work.  All of the forms, stances, and fixed methods were discarded to leave only the purest, pragmatic fighting style.  Lee looked to fencing, Western boxing, and even wrestling for ideas.  He started to synthesize in the truest sense of the word as many ideas and disciplines as possible.  In fact, Dana White, President of UFC, calls Bruce Lee “the father of Mixed Martial Arts”.

Look to his opus on JKD, the unfinished Game of Death.  A group of martial artists try to penetrate a tower of bosses.  Each level and corresponding boss represents a koan, or philosophical/symbolic challenge.  The traditional martial artists are defeated using their archaic, stagnant styles.  Bruce evolves during these challenges, adopting a fluidity and reactiveness based on his opponent.  Until finally, he faces a physical abomination in Hakim (Kareem Abdul Jabbar).  In pure symbolism, Lee realizes that his opponent cannot face the sun and by shedding light into their combat arena is able to defeat him.

Lee did not believe in training in Kata, or solo practice of precise movement and forms.  He equated it to learning how to swim on dry land.  Combat was dynamic, changing from second to second, and a series of rehearsed routines were inadequate in preparing the practitioner to fight.  The martial artist needed to forgo a plan to adapt to the combat in front on him.  “Be like water.”  Or to put it another way, Mike Tyson said once, “Everyone has a plan til they get punched in the mouth.”

JKD believed in combat ranges, which is something that Tae Kwon Do in particular has never gotten over as  a combat art.  Kicking, punching, and then grapple.  Lee was a big proponent in learning how to fight at all of these ranges, including head butts, elbow strikes, and more.  In fact, Bruce was training in Jiu-Jitsu with legendary teacher Master Wally Jay from the age of 22.  Because anyone that has fought in the real world, knows that 80% of fights go to the ground.

If Lee had been alive today, he’d be a ferocious cross-trainer in every art that had value – Muay Thai for striking, BJJ for grappling, etc.  Based on his own unique and original philosophy of JKD that is undeniable.  So to assume that Bruce was a one-dimensional fighter is ridiculous.

Let’s examine Bruce Lee the man.  As an athlete, he was gifted with lightning speed equal to no one.  In addition, he possessed uncanny accuracy with his kicks.  One story about Bruce is that he liked to sneak up on people on his movie sets and flick their ear to get their attention with his high kick.

The feats of strength and ability that he performed routinely are almost too hard to believe.  By the way, I’ve pulled these off of Wikipedia and not off of the general Internet and all of them have documented sources:

• Lee’s striking speed from three feet with his hands down by his side reached five hundredths of a second.
• Lee’s combat movements were at times too fast to be captured on film at 24fps, so many scenes were shot in 32fps to put Lee in slow motion. Normally martial arts films are sped up.
• In a speed demonstration, Lee could snatch a dime off a person’s open palm before they could close it, and leave a penny behind.
• Lee could perform push ups using only his thumbs
• Lee would hold an elevated v-sit position for 30 minutes or longer.
• Lee could throw grains of rice up into the air and then catch them in mid-flight using chopsticks.
• Lee performed one-hand push-ups using only the thumb and index finger
• Lee performed 50 reps of one-arm chin-ups.
• From a standing position, Lee could hold a 125 lb (57 kg) barbell straight out.
• Lee could break wooden boards 6 inches (15 cm) thick.
• Lee performed a side kick while training with James Coburn and broke a 150-lb (68 kg) punching bag
• Lee could cause a 300-lb (136 kg) bag to fly towards and thump the ceiling with a side kick.
• In a move that has been dubbed “Dragon Flag”, Lee could perform leg lifts with only his shoulder blades resting on the edge of a bench and suspend his legs and torso perfectly horizontal midair.
• Lee could thrust his fingers through unopened steel cans of Coca-Cola, at a time before cans were made of the softer aluminum metal.
• Lee could use one finger to leave dramatic indentations on pine wood.

In fact, Joe Weider, the founder of Mr. Olympia, was quoted as describing Bruce Lee “the most defined body I’ve ever seen!”  Many top body builders of the day cite Lee as a huge inspiration for their own methods and techniques, including Arnold, Ferrigno, Lee Haney, etc. There are some freakish athletes in MMA, but I don’t think anyone compares to the sheer level of physical dominance that Lee possessed that left other athletes and lifelong martial artists gasping in disbelief.

Now let’s talk about how Lee would match up against the current crop of MMA fighters.  The first thing that must be addressed is that Bruce Lee would never fight against a Rampage Jackson, Frank Shamrock, or Chuck Liddell.  What a lot of these people that like to throw out these scenarios don’t know is that there are standardized WEIGHT classes in MMA.

Most of those guys I listed are light heavy weights (186 to 205) or even middle weights (171 to 185).  Bruce was a paltry 130lbs without playing the weight game to cut for fights to maximize size and strength against his opponent.  The truth is that there is not a weight class low enough for Bruce, so he’d still be fighting against guys that are bigger than him.

But … when Bruce was primarily active in the late 1960s and 70s, there was nowhere the types of legal supplements for mass building and muscle training.  Regardless if Bruce was able to put on a single extra pound of muscle, he’d be competing in light weight (146 to 155).

Let me show you a few of the current best of the best in UFC at that weight class.

The first guy is BJ Penn, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and then Kenny Florian, a grappler and Muay Thai.  I don’t want to sell these guys short, but is there any doubt about the physical dominance of Lee?  The speed in which he can punch and kick is incredible.  Bruce is simply too fast (and powerful surprisingly) for any of these fighters, in my opinion.  There are rules in MMA that wouldn’t let Bruce use his full arsenal, but the only weakness that I see with Lee is his grappling.  He was already training with Jiu-jitsu back in the 1960s and I’m positive that had he been alive today, he’d be learning BJJ as well.

Finally, let me show you a successful MMA fighter that joined late after a hugh career in Sanshou (professional record 17-0).  He’s the pride of Saigon, Cung Le (and my countryman as part of my Vietnamization).  He’s a 95% striker and primarily with his legs.  In the current credo of MMA, Cung Le should be meat.  Once he’s taken down, he’ll be defenseless for ground and pound or submissions.  But the thing is that Le is such a great striker that he’s able to control the distance, range, and even defend against take downs with kicks and knees.

How successful?

Cung Le’s biggest conquest to date in his short MMA career (K1 and Strikeforce 9-0) is Frank Shamrock, the first superstar of cage fighting and younger brother to Ken.  During the fight, Cung Le kept Shamrock away with side kicks and head kicks.  He was so effective that the fight had to be stopped because he BROKE Shamrock’s arm (ulna) with all of the blocking.  That’s kicking power.

With all of this being said, I’m not saying that Lee would be untouched and uncontested.  In a fight, anything can happen.  One punch can end things.  I’m saying that had Bruce lived in today’s time with the accessibility to cross-training, supplements, and MMA, he’d have compiled a record similar to boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez (116-6).