How would Bruce Lee do in the Ultimate Fighting Championships?

I've always been a Bruce Lee fan. I read some posts about Bruce compared to Chuck Norris. I'm wondering how Bruce, or even Chuck, would fare in the octogon against today's ultimate fighters. The closest I've seen to old school, traditional martial arts is Royce Gracie, and he couldn't stand up to the ground and pound grappling of Matt Hughes. Part of me thinks Bruce would easily win, but I thought the same of Gracie.

How would Bruce Lee do in the Ultimate Fighting Championships?
Bruce Lee will win
Reply:Sorry to say it but Bruce wouldn't cut it in the UFC. All the best fighters have gotten to the point where they are at least advanced in a variety of styles. (i.e. ju-jitsu, slo-boxing, dirty boxing, grappling, muay thai) If he hit the ground he'd be choked out or tap out due to strikes. Report It

Reply:Bruce would kick a$$
Reply:Um...i'd say he'd get beat. He was a striker, grapplers do better.
Reply:I think it depends. If he can finish off a guy quick (which in most instances he COULD, with lightning fast punches and kicks), then 9 times out of 10 i think he'd win.


BUT, if a guy like Royce Gracie got him tangles up and took him to the floor, i think he'd be in trouble.


Bruce Lee was , what? 105 pounds?


If some of these animals get Lee to the ground, i think Bruce loses.
Reply:Bruce would have broken every current knockout record that is currently held in the UFC. Keep in mind about


Gracie, when he fought Hughes, he was out of his prime. I saw the Gracie/Hughes fight, not the same
Reply:Bruce Lee is the ultimate martial arts fighter. Chuck Norris doesn't even compare. The thing about Lee was his unorthodox fighting style. It was not the traditional style and it pissed off many of the masters of the art.


Lee felt that you mixed it up to destroy your opponent in the least amount of time. If Lee were to go all out short of killing the person today's fighters would not stand a chance.
Reply:he would beat everyone


they might be bigger but they can't mach the speed or power of bruce lee
Reply:in his current state he'd be more of a punching bag :P





but in his prime he would have severly owned
Reply:It woulfd be called Ultimate Bruce Fighting
Reply:Bruce would be able to hold his own for a little while, but I think the sport has evolved so much since his day that the would undoubtedly be defeated. Bruce lee fought in tournament style fights,karate style matches that were not involving grappling and wrestling. The fight he had that was most like UFC fight he got his back broken, so I think in the end he would get his *** handed to him.
Reply:bruce would be champion


the only defense he would need is to stay off the floor...


there are a few comparisons between the two


chuck would later teach jeet kune do, the style lee created


without bruce, ther would be no ufc


dana white can back that statement
Reply:Bruce would kick butt. People say he wasn't a grappler but he was lightning fast and a very smart fighter. I have no doubt he would pick up grappling techniques in no time. He had an inner power that was like an atomic bomb going off and I think he would dominate whatever he set his mind to.
Reply:Bruce Lee may have been only 5'9'' 135lbs but...


it's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.


Bruce Lee's striking speed from 60cm (24 inches) away was five hundredths of a second.


Bruce did one-hand push ups using only 2 fingers.


Bruce was able to break a 70 kg (154 lbs) bag with a sidekick.


Bruce's famous "One Inch Punch" was able to knock back and off balance a 200lb man into a chair, using only 1 inch of striking distance. The target stands with their feet squared and is unable to turn to a sideways stance because of the chair being in the way, thus being knocked off balance.





He was a very smart man, and the greatest fighter ever, in my opionion.





http://www.metacafe.com/watch/23744/bruc...
Reply:I'm also a fan of Bruce and his philosophies on the discipline of fighting.





So I personally think that Bruce wouldn't compete in fighting competitions like UFC, Pride, or K-1, because he never struck me as a Martial Artist who emphasized the competitive side of Martial Arts.





By reading his writings and philosophies on fighting I'm more inclined to think He was more about refining and researching fighting techniques to fit the individual. instead of focusing on the Competitive side of fighting.





and seeing how old both Bruce WOULD be, and how old Chuck IS today, is purely a hypothetical question, since these competitions have only been around within the mainstream of Martial Arts within the last 10 to 14 years.





it's totally irellevant to the evolution and the direction of Martial Arts as a whole to ask such questions about whether or not who would win between the pioneers of modern Martial Arts and current figures within Martial Arts, or fights between Martial Artists who've made their mark by participating in Movies and tv shows to fight in "no holds barred" fights.





or how well these individuals would fare in these competitions, when it's completely hypothetical, because if they ever WERE going to compete, they prob'ly would've already done so BY NOW.
Reply:he wud be better than average if dedicated himself to training like everybody else, that does not make him championship material, there is only one way to find out if Bruce would make a real fighter tho, and that would be to fight a real fighter and see how he reacts to bein hit and fighting tired
Reply:bruce lee would get destroyed and humiliated in less than a minuite.





Why? The bruce lee of his prime would not have been able to deal with ground fighting as it wasn't as popular back then. He would essentially have virtually no defence against a takedown, he would be trying to straight punch the opponent and would be on the ground in a second thus nullifying any skill he has/had at stand up.





If bruce lee had lived? Well we can presume he would have trained groundfighting to some degree to be able to defend against a shoot however this bruce lee would be a man in his 60's competing against younger, quicker fighters (he would have lost his speed with age, it happens to all of us, bruce doesn't defy the laws of science and aging) and he wouldn't have the physical ability to compete with the younger fighters.
Reply:I'm chinese AND a die hard Bruce fan. But I wouldn't dream of him inside the UFC ring coming out a champion.


Bruce is both fast and strong but he would not stand up to some of the brawling grapplers in the UFC.


In his own weight class, he would do well against the karate, taekwondo or even a thai kick boxer. Beyond that, sorry, I would not be putting my money on Bruce in the UFC.
Reply:Whoa there, slow down. Let's not confuse today's UFC with the original.





This is a totally different product. The current rules are made for TV and profit.





In case you do not remember UFC 1





No time limits. No weight restrictions.





There were three rules.


1. No Biting


2. No Groin attacks


3. No eye gouging





Everything else was fair game. And I disagree with you. Under those rules Royce would have tapped out Matt Hughes.





I would bet if asked, Matt would agree.





As far as Bruce and Chuck are concerned. They would have lost in the first version of the UFC and they would lose in its current form.





Karate is right up there with yoga as far as I am concened.





You young fans should buy the boxed set of the first thirteen UFC tournaments.





It will change your view of our sport forever.
Reply:He would get eat alive today.





-He's too small for UFC.





-His style is useless today. Styles evolve and change over time. So in his own weight class, he would lose.





-He may be fast but he have no real power and it'll take few good hard counters to make him think twice.





-His one inch punch is a cheap trick. It doesn't prove anything.





-He avoid Muay Thai fighters for a reason. So he'll have fear in the octagon.





-Gene Lebell made bruce Lee his ******. That was without all evolving that has taken place.





-There's a research that prove bruce Lee is pretty strong for his normla weight but nothing freakish or unusual.





So he have lot of disadvantage. However if he was born later and train in MMA, he would have better chance.
Reply:He would OWN !!!
Reply:Dead men are not permitted to partake in any UFC bouts.
Reply:bruce had amazing speed and power - in fact phenomenal for hsi size





but his best asset would have been his ability to learn styles fast - Bruce could master things in a week that would take us mortals a year - he woul quickly have picked up grappling and close quarter skills





i am 285lbs 6'4" and do really well at UFC and mixed comps - but there is no way I would get in a cage with Bruce - bruce would wipe the ground with most if not all ufc champs - he was comparable to muhamid ali in boxing - no one when they were in their prime could touch them
Reply:I just read all of the answers for your questions, and i am disgusted with how little information people have on bruce lee, but they go and assume away on how he would do. The simple fact is, he would win, but before i get into specifics, i want to clear up that bruce lee was a phenominal ground fighter, he left no stone unturned in his quest for the ultimate martial art. Another thing, what ufc and mma today is trying to do right now is the very similar to what bruce lee tried to accomplish. He wanted there to be competition where all techniques were aknlowledged and you weren't fit into any forms, in his books he points out the strong and weak points of quite a few martial arts, and jeet kun do was an attempt to incorporate the best and most useful techniques without falling into uslessness, he had no wasteful technique when i found bruce lee, i had maybe just found out and been experementing with similar thoughts that he had for about a year. I had been expanding my fighting skills outside of judo and boxing, because although both good, they were not perfect, i expanded into as many martial arts as i could, but i only continue to train in a few of my favorite because of time issues. But bruce lee had none of these issues, he dedicated more time to martial arts in two years as i have in my life, his back kick could kill you, and he was nearly as skilled with his hands as he was with his feet, although he favoured his legs for their superior power. In any aspect of fighting bruce lee had trained himself because not only did he have the technique he had practiced and trained, or for the intense conditioning he subjected himself to six days a week (his sundays were commited to training jeet kun do) it was his mindset in combonation with these two things that made him what he was. He would not let himself be intimidated by a larger opponent. and chuck norris? he trained chuck norris haha. I am sure that if you asked the man he would say that he would not fight bruce lee. The things that little chinaman could do astound me. there is no question in my mind about how well he would do in the ufc against anyone.
Reply:Bruce would defeat most, just like he did on the street. People need to remember that he would have been a lightweight, and even though skinny, would have been stronger than MOST in that weightclass. Put that together with his INHUMAN speed and he would be a very dangerous fighter ANYWHERE.





Ninedemon, you are a fool. Bruce incorporated ALL styles, that is the point of JKD. If you think his speed and power were not incredible, you are aslo foolish. Bruce Lee DESTROYED a brand new 100 lb bag one of his disciples had with one half-@ssed kick.
Reply:Roy B - Let people have their own opinions. Chuck had won countless karate tournaments before he even met Bruce, so don't make out like Bruce taught him all he knows. When you make out you are the font of all knowledge it gets a little tedious.





Also, I've read that Bruce had done some groundwork but never read anywhere that he was 'phenomenal' on the ground. Cite your sources before shooting people down saying you're disgusted with how little they know. If Bruce was so 'awesome' then why wasn't there a definitive account of what happened against Wong Jack Man?





As for my opinion, I don't think Bruce would beat any of the much bigger guys easily but still think it could go either way. Shootfighters miss the legs frequently and Bruce's footwork was a hell of a lot quicker than most of these bigger guys'. Then again, if someone caught him with one big hit, who knows what would happen...