I recently stumbled across an old article in Slate magazine in which the writer posed this intriguing question:
"Who would win in an ultimate (no rules) fighting contest? Your choices are: Jean Claude van Damme, Arnold Schwarzeneggar, Jackie Chan, Wesley Snipes, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Sylvester Stallone, Steven Segal, or–brace yourself–Bruce Lee?
Also assume each is in his present condition, though Bruce Lee is alive and the age when he died–about 32. If you want to throw in your own candidate, go for it.
Well, In My Humble Opinion(cough, cough) Arnold Schwarzenegger would. Since there are no rules, reality can be put on pause. The Terminator could kick the collective ass of any of their meanest movie characters.
I would have to go with Bruce. In a real fight, brawn rarely proves as effective as speed & skillful fighting tactics. Jean-Claude would probably fair well, also. Bruce, from what I hear was a real bad-ass, as opposed to most of the others who have probably never been in a real fight. In the Ultimate Fighting Championships, the Brazilian Jujitsu fighting style (which is composed primarily of grampling & joint manipulation) seems most effective. Even the biggest & badest say, “Uncle” when they feel that their arm or leg is about to break.
Chuck is starting to get pretty old (i think he’s about 60), but he’s still in great shape. In a few more years, he’d probably have to be taken off the list. In his prime, i bet he could give Bruce a damn good fight.
Arnold, Sly, and Dolph are just brawny … superior technique could prevail over them. Jean-Claude, Steven, and Jackie just use “showmanship” martial arts … it looks good in a movie and they might do well in certain tournaments, but they would get their asses kicked in a real no-holds-barred fight. Chuck Zeeto (sp?) (HBOs Oz, Hell’s Angel, all-around-tough-guy) mopped up the floor with Jean-Claude in a bar a couple of years ago. I’m not sure about Wesley Snipes … i think he knows some martial arts, but i don’t know how much, nor how good he is.
But to add to the list, i would say Royce Gracie (Brazilian jujitsu) and Ken Shamrock (shoot-fighter, actor). Royce would give Bruce a run for his money, and definitely beat Chuck. Ken would probably beat Chuck, but it’d be a good fight. So the new list would be:
By the way, the writer’s panelists in that article concluded that Jackie Chan, Stallone, and Snipes would be first to get their butts kicked. His panelists–fighters, assorted experts–also concluded that it would come down to Bruce Lee versus big kickboxer, Dolph Lundgren, with Lee winning if he could break a knee or leg and then move in for the kill. Most thought Segal would whine if someone messed up his hair, and someone added that Aikido works best against a poor fighter.
Long ago, Bruce Lee said that the best “street fighter” he had ever seen was Joe Lewis, the American student of Master Ed Parker and a practitioner of American Kempo–a system Chuck Norris also once said would be the one he would least like to have to defend against.
Joe Lewis began his training in Okinawa and received his first black belt in Shorin Ryu. He was one of the early advocates of cross-style training and was a training partner of Bruce Lee. He was never, to the best of my knowledge, a student of Ed Parkers. He was, in his prime, an extremely skilled and powerful fighter. He is also a good grappler with a wide array of effective choke techniques (one of hich he used to render me unconscious, thank you very much).
I would probably choose Lewis over Lee in a 1-on-1 empty handed fight, but I think Lee was the superior weapons technician. With a weapon, the speed/power balance shifts appreciably.
Lundgren and Van Damme both have legitimate kickboxing credentials, but that does not always translate into streetfighting expertise. In Lundgren’s case, he’s also a big, strong boy. Van Damme is not.
Personally, I would throw in Alexander Karelin and watch the bodies fly.
Please do not misconstrue the above as an attack on Parker’s Kempo system. Two of my good friends and former sparring partners teach Parker’s system, and I think it is one of the most practical “formal” styles around. Among other things, they stress the need for continuing motion and a flow of techniques, rather than a “one punch kill” philosophy.
He did, in “Enter the Dragon” (or was it Return of the Dragon?).
The scene: the coliseum in Rome (I think). Fight lasts about five or ten minutes, three or so of which are Bruce finding Chuck. Fight ends with Bruce basically maiming Chuck in several areas.
Bruse could kick the shit out of any of the rest of them. He hda no form - no way to defend against his faster-than-the-camera moves.
What would be interesting to see is Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren taking instruction from Bruce Lee. Or fighting themselves for the right to fight Bruce. Man, that would be a fight I’d pay bundles to see.
Actually, Lewis DID study under Parker. How long, who knows? Before and after Parker’s death, a huge argument ensued as to which of the Kempo offshoots was truest to Master Parker’s vision. Lewis was later interviewed for a magazine article after Parker’s death and in it he claimed that Parker had bestowed the golden boy award to him.
By the way, the slate article also included Mike Tyson in the line up. The writer ended the article by quoting some current ultimate fighter as saying he could put Bruce Lee on the ground “with one backhand–it would be comical.”
Mercutio jumps in the ring to fight side by side with Cecil Adams.
Suddenly Segal grabs a pool cue and attempts to swing it at Mercutio’s head, but is stopped, half-swipe, by sk8rixtx.
Yes, sk8rixtx, me, even though might Mercutio deserve to have his head bashed by Segal’s pool cue, sk8 isn’t like that, and kicks Segal in the shin, knocking him unconsiouss.
Lewis began his training in Okinowa under Eizo Shimabuku, Kinjo Chinsaku and Seiyu Oyata. He was a black belt in Shorin Ryu when he first made a splash on the tournament (point) circuit in 1966. As I mentioned above, he was an early advocate of cross style training and a sparring partner of Bruce Lee (who did have ties to Ed Parker). When the Tracy brothers, who were students of Ed Parker, started their own highly successful chain of schools in the late 60’s they hired Lewis to be a spokesman/recruiter/figurehead for their franchising efforts. At the time, Lewis was already one of the stars of the American martial arts scene. Lewis also taught his brand of fighting technique at the Tracy schools.
I would be surprised to learn that Lewis ever called himself a student of Ed Parker or claimed that he had inherited a claim to Parker’s American Kenpo.
Well, I’m not so sure about Bruce lee winning. Mind you, I don’t know how good a ground fighter he is. UFC has cured me of the belief that lightning fast punches and kicks win the day. If Lee had ground technique to match his upright, well then I’d give it to him… but the same could be said for any of the above listed fighters. Darth Vader, for example was a notoriously bad grappler. Kept getting tangled up in his cape and stabbing hisself inna ass with his lightsaber.
