# Death Match: 65-year-old Chuck Norris v. 30-year-old Karate Teacher of Average Skill **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 24, 2006, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-match-65-year-old-chuck-norris-v-30-year-old-karate-teacher-of-average-skill/349770 "2006-03-24T19:44:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-match-65-year-old-chuck-norris-v-30-year-old-karate-teacher-of-average-skill/349770/1 "2006-03-24T19:44:42Z")
Folks, please refrain from any Chuck Norris jokes. I want a serious discussion. If you feel the need to make funny, start another thread. Thanks. šŸ˜‰ The scenario is simple if brutal: 65-year-old Chuck Norris (a former 6-time undefeated world champ in non-contact karate) is forced into a steel cage with a 30-year-old martial artist instructor. They must fight to the death. The black-belt instructor is of average ability (for an **instructor** ) and his style is yours to decide. No tricks, no weapons, no commercial breaks, no help from Texas Ranger Cordell Walker or MIA soldiers hanging out of a Huey. Who winsā€“the seasoned senior citizen or the young, fast young lion? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-match-65-year-old-chuck-norris-v-30-year-old-karate-teacher-of-average-skill/349770/2 "2006-03-24T19:56:29Z")
Norris wins. You canā€™t beat experience. ---
**Author:** ![Mayo\_Speaks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mayo\_Speaks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayo_Speaks)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-match-65-year-old-chuck-norris-v-30-year-old-karate-teacher-of-average-skill/349770/3 "2006-03-24T20:17:02Z")
> [@Carnac the Magnificent!](#): > > Folks, please refrain from any Chuck Norris jokes. \ Iā€™ll try, but I canā€™t give any guarantees. . . Chuck Norris has counted to infinity. Twice. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2006, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-match-65-year-old-chuck-norris-v-30-year-old-karate-teacher-of-average-skill/349770/4 "2006-03-24T23:49:55Z")
Wikipedia lists his championships as non-contact karate, but I donā€™t think thatā€™s at all correct. As best as I know, Norris was a full contact karate champion, beating guys like Joe Lewis and Arnold Urquidez. A fight against most (but certainly not all) ā€œaverage martial arts instructorsā€ would be like a retired professional title holder fighting a ranked amatuer. ---
**Author:** ![Lynwood\_Slim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Lynwood\_Slim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynwood_Slim)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-match-65-year-old-chuck-norris-v-30-year-old-karate-teacher-of-average-skill/349770/5 "2006-03-25T02:49:05Z")
If Norrisā€™s opponent were an black belt instructor in a UFC style school (kickboxing, grappling, takedowns and BJJ no gi submissions), he would kill Norris or any other Karate black belt, even the current world champion, much less a 65 year old. ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-match-65-year-old-chuck-norris-v-30-year-old-karate-teacher-of-average-skill/349770/6 "2006-03-25T03:33:51Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > Wikipedia lists his championships as non-contact karate, but I donā€™t think thatā€™s at all correct. As best as I know, Norris was a full contact karate champion, beating guys like Joe Lewis and Arnold Urquidez. A fight against most (but certainly not all) ā€œaverage martial arts instructorsā€ would be like a retired professional title holder fighting a ranked amatuer. I always thought Joe Lewis was the best of the group, but also the least celebrated. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-match-65-year-old-chuck-norris-v-30-year-old-karate-teacher-of-average-skill/349770/7 "2006-03-25T19:38:27Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > Wikipedia lists his championships as non-contact karate, but I donā€™t think thatā€™s at all correct. As best as I know, Norris was a full contact karate champion, beating guys like Joe Lewis and Arnold Urquidez. While I am open to correction, I donā€™t believe Chuck ever fought full contact. I believe he sponsored a full-contact competition or two, but did not enter. As to the OP, pick an average kyokushinkai or Ashihara stylist, and old Chuck is going down. And if I can define one of [these guys](http://youtube.com/watch?v=RMjGQk-k2ZA&search=daido%20juku%20karate) as ā€œaverageā€, Mr. Norris would not be collecting Social Security for long. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2006, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-match-65-year-old-chuck-norris-v-30-year-old-karate-teacher-of-average-skill/349770/8 "2006-03-25T19:49:38Z")
In this context you need to remember that in athletic contests thereā€™s typically (there are some exceptions) not some huge divide between ā€œthe bestā€ and all the also rans. The difference between the ā€œbestā€ and ā€œthe restā€ is often surprisingly small. Almost any champions power and reflexes will be so (relatively) diminished by age 65 vs a 20 to 40 year old expert, that no matter how hard he trains that the 20-40 year old is likely to kick his ass. You used to see this in boxing all the time where some ex-superstar tried to make a comeback in his late 30s to 40ā€™s and got his ass handed to him by a mediocre talent. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-match-65-year-old-chuck-norris-v-30-year-old-karate-teacher-of-average-skill/349770/9 "2006-03-26T02:49:48Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > Norris wins. You canā€™t beat experience. But you can beat arthritis.