In his prime JKD form, against today's MMA extreme cage/octagon K1 fighters, how would Bruce Lee have done? http://youtube.com/watch?v=JqmliQdnB-s Notice the kick in the opening sequence. Surely, this would take out any guys in the cage today.
The Brazilian wrestlers would take him to the ground and win easily... Once your opponent gets close, your kicks and punches are worthless...
This may be so, but remember, Lee was the most advanced "sticky fingers" expert in the world so, "close range" was where he lived. Plus, Brazilan ground fighers aren't all they're cracked up to be. If you doubt this, watch Matt Hughes destroy Gracie like he was a Rag doll. Lee would have been far from "worthless." If Matt was able to get through Lee's supreme defence mechanism, he may have hurt him, but I doubt the Braz ground guys would. d
Lee was not just a great striker he was also very skilled in wrestling which he spent a lot of time working on with Larry Hartsell and Wally Jay. Also you MIGHT not have MMA if it weren't for Bruce. Although small in stature he would have been a worthy opponent against any man fighting today. His speed and power are still talked about today but his ingenuity will live forever.
I agree. When you think about it, Lee was extremely muscular and powerful. The INVENTOR of MMA. How could he lose? He adapted better than anyone - the father of instantly adapting! JKD.
Do you or did you study JKD. I have studied with several of Bruce's old students from the Seattle and LA areas back in the 80's and 90's. I don't practice much anymore but I had a great time back then.
Bruce left off JKD for movie money. So, he wasn't nearly as tough as the guys in the cage are. ONLY if he had continued his pace of advancing as a fighter would he have kicked @$$ in the cage. He became an actor of fighting, but not a real figher. Look at Matt Hughes if you wanna see one real tough SOB - mentally and physically. Lee woulda had a difficult time with Matt, either way.
Oh I am not saying he could have beaten any of the cage guys these days. Even if they trained the same way he disadvantage would be size with those guys. But he would have been a worthy opponent for them. I don't know how much more he could have advanced anyway his body and reflexes were pretty much peaked out when he started the movie business. Now if it would have been a street fight I would not count him out as his primary focus was the eyejab and knee strikes. With his speed and those being finesse moves I would not want to be on his bad side.
He definitely would have had to adapt his methods for cage rules. But, you're right. Some of the top MMA fighters are just as fierce (if not more) as Lee was in his peak fighting condition. They take out black belts like they're ballerinas.
I know Bruce would have been at a disadvantage with size and all but I would love to see one of his students fight in MMA. I know of one Jesse Glover in Seattle would have been good to see. He is big and powerful and mean as hell. I went there to workout with his group and could not believe how aggressive they were. Even with their sticking hands they were brutal. I think Bruce would have enjoyed seeing the early days of UFC.