How tough was Bruce Lee?

[EmptyneSs]

bruce lee was extremely skilled. yeah he is idolized alot, but he had skill. the speed and power he could generate was insane for a person of his size. i think he would decimate people in his weight division if he was to compete in mma. if this dude could generate so much power in his 1 inch punch, i would think a full powered punch by him would cause absolute devastation. bruce lee acheived skills that most of us never will. i aint a bruce lee worshiper or anything, but from what ive read about him, and from the footage ive seen of him at seminars and whatnot, its evident that bruce had extreme skills that most of us will never have.

[Chilly Dog]

I would have to agree with you. If Bruce lived in this era, I think he'd be a noteable fighter, but not the best. Most of his wins would be by KO or decision from his speed.

As opposed to wins by what...corner stool? 12-gauge?? Divine intervention???

[Tom Yum]

As opposed to wins by what...corner stool? 12-gauge?? Divine intervention???

no, no, no.....jello pudding pop eating...jj.

I meant that Bruce would be a great stand up NHB fighter and win most of his fights in stand up or clinch.

[Mr. Gordo]

Seriously, I think Bruce would have kicked alot of ass at K-1 in his weight division.

[revolverjgw]

Thanks for the replies, some of them were quite informative... and exactly what I expected. The historical context thing...

I'm a big hockey fan, there's always discussion about how the legends of yesteryear would fare against modern competition. It's a hard thing to gauge, indeed. For hockey (and the same probably goes for martial arts), the guys are a LOT bigger than they used to be, bigger than guys that played in the '50s/'60s. And of course there's the better nutrition, better training methods... better knowledge. Hockey plays and styles have been perfected over the years, and I'm sure there's been advances in specific Martial Arts over the years, as well. I was reading how Bruce had trouble blocking a particular Chuck Norris kick during a spar... but soon learned from Chuck that stepping out of the way was the better option. Common knowledge now, but back then...

So Bruce Lee's situation kind of reminds me of Wayne Gretzky's... he's another undersized guy that dominated his profession, but he was in his prime 2 decades ago, when equipment was smaller, guys were smaller and not as fit, etc... how would he fare against today's 6'5'', 240 pounders? It's tough to say, but obviously he'd reap the benefits of the modernization of the sport as well... Wayne was only 170 pounds soaking wet during his playing days, but now, he'd probably train much harder, and get ripped, might get up to 200. It'd put him on an even playing field with today's ''superior'' athletes. Bruce would have a lot more to work with today as well...

And of course you could factor in intelligence... Bruce seemed like a bit of a visionary to me, his interviews have some nice insights, he seemed really intelligent, I guess his MIND alone helped Martial Arts forge ahead... and Wayne was probably the most purely INTELLECTUAL athlete I can think of, he totally dominated guys twice his size using literally just his brain (though I think some sports lend themselves towards mental strategies like that more than others). These guys would find a way to be competitive now, for sure! Whether or not Bruce could beat the biggest, baddest Marital Artist on the planet today may be a moot point, considering his contributions... they transcend that.

(by the way, who IS the most respected Martial Artist going right now? If there is one... the Gretzky/Ruth/Jordan of Martial Arts, if you will)

Anyway, thanks for the input. It's all about context... that's the way it is for every sport, and I was pretty sure it would be the same way for Martial Arts.

[EmptyneSs]

i agree that real fighting and mma arent the same at all. i notice most young guys walkin around nowdays all carry a pocket knife. that factor alone changes alot of things.

btw i hope u werent serious about the homosexual mma fighter thing,, cause thats rediculous. i doubt a guy would want to take hits and risk being hurt just to be able to roll around with a sweaty guy longer. i dont think any sexual thoughts will be going through anyones head while someone is trying to knock them out cold or choke them out.

and true, alot of them are all on roids n shit.

[Mr. Gordo]

LOL, WTF are you talking about? I know 3 MMA that have fought in UFC and Abu Dhabi that I work out with for fun.....they don't do drugs or are homosexual. You're too much.

[EmptyneSs]

So be warned some tough MMA fighter gets you in a mount from behind (and has gorilla strength from steroids) you might get a very nasty surprise or put it this way you drop a $50 bill and one of them is behind you I wouldnt try picking it up, you might be walking funny for a few weeks. fact.

lol^

ok dude, whatever u say.

[Tom Yum]

As I said forget what some 'Armchair MMA guys' in forums like this think

Welcome to the club, fellow armchair MMA dude.

[Tom Yum]

ask them about steroids, drugs illegal type - speed, coke, etc , and the homosexuality; they will tell you it is rife in MMA circles, as undeniable as steroids are in professional bodybuilding.

Wow, the same drugs found on Wallstreet.

[DragonAE86]

An interesting read on Bruce Lee by former students

http://www.forumco.com/pauljbax/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4145&FORUM_ID=30&CAT_ID=7&Topic_Title=FOR+JESSE+GLOVER+%2D+William+Cheung+%2C+etc&Forum_Title=2%2DJKD%3A+Forum+II

[Mr. Gordo]

Warrior Dude,

I know three NHB fighters that I'm close with. They are not on drugs, nor are they homosexual (they're the type that could give a sh!t what you thought of them). So how do get these many NHB fighters to talk to you so openly. I thought knowing 3 people who actually fight was alot. I pretty much think you're full of it, but hey, that's just me.

lol

ok dude, whatever u say.

Exactly, emptyness

[Ikken Hisatsu]

hes just trolling, ignore him.

[EmptyneSs]

Wow, the same drugs found on Wallstreet.

there also found in all catholic schools as well as alot of public ones.

[Tom Yum]

Believe ne I've sucked off many in MMA circles fighters & coaches, and promotional people; so I think I can speak with certainty these things are going on in MMA circles.

TMI dude....