How Would Bruce Lee Do In MMA Today by Lacey Schuckman

HOW WOULD BRUCE LEE DO IN MMA TODAY?



For this blog I would love some feed back. Recently I posted a Bruce Lee quote on my facebook page and I was astounded at how many responses I got both good and bad. It got me thinking about what the world of Martial Arts and particularly Mixed Martial Arts would be like if Bruce Lee was still alive. I personally love Bruce Lee and all that he provided to the Martial Arts world. I think that he was one of the first "famous" Martial Artists to divulge into a form of Martial Arts that included stand up and ground fighting. Although ground wasn't a huge part of his forte he saw it as something that needed to be addressed based on the fact that most street fights end on the ground.

So as any Martial Artist knows, you can always progress, Martial Arts is a never ending circle of ability. So with that said Bruce obviously would have progressed with the times. In my opinion when he was alive he was thinking far beyond most of that time. So then I ask would he have heard of Vale Tudo in Brazil and Sambo in Russia and adapted it into Jeet Kune Do? Would he have been a far more advanced MMA fighter then the vast majority of the pioneers of MMA?

So then I ask what if he didn't? What if he was stubborn and believed that his style would still beat the average pioneer MMA fighter such as anyone of the original Gracies, Machado's, or say Tank Abbotts? Could he have beat some of the original UFC fighters or Vale Tudo fighters? Then that brings to mind the idea that what if you took Bruce Lee for what he was when he died in 1973 and put him in with MMA fighters of today, would his style of Jeet Kune Do be even close to superior?

So know that I have brought up about a million questions, here's my opinion. I think that Bruce Lee was a pioneer in his own right. I think that when UFC first began and it was all about the battle of Martial Arts styles that Bruce definatly could have been a dominating force. I believe that if he hadn't died he would've been too old to compete then but I also believe he probably would've have brought MMA or something similar to the mainstream long before the UFC existed. I think he may have gone over to Brazil or Russia and competed there and probably would have done well for himself. Now as far as putting the Bruce of 1973 in a cage with MMA fighters of today I strongly believe he wouldn't stand a chance. The game has evolved so much that you have to be well and I mean very well versed in all forms of the sport, ground, stand up, movement, etc. I think that Bruce Lee's death was crucial to his idealistic stature. There are many, many Martial Artists out there that are amazing but because of the timing in which he came to America and brought Martial Arts to the mainstream he is considered to be, "The Greatest". I think his life in it's entirety was all about great timing, his skills and death. I think without all that timing not many would still be talking about him in such grandiose. I respect so much that he did and he will always be someone I look up too even if he is relevant to the game of MMA today! So know for my final question: What do you think?