Bruce and Chuck in the UFC

[Em MacIntosh]

I think Bruce would be proud of UFC an MMA. He would always ask "does it work?". UFC and MMA are great examples of fighting, period. They have minimal safety to bring it as close to reality as reason will allow and prove most of the weaknesses other martial arts have on their own. My question is how would the old guys do? Joe Lewis, Ed Parker, Chuck Norris, Bill Wallace, Bruce Lee, Don Wilson etc. Many of them might do pretty good in an "old timers" legue or something. Not that they can't still scrap with the best of'em, I'm just curious to see they're styles and how they apply to the "gauntlet" of selective breeding built up by the UFC and MMA. It seems that no matter your background, you have to have standing game, ground game, elbow and knee skills. I think Bruce would still be tearing guys in half to this day.

 

[Tez3]

I would personally separate the UFC and MMA. I don't believe either that the best fighting is on UFC. Yes, they are arguably the first and best known promotion but I have seen a great many better fights on other promotions. I'd debate the minimal safety bit too, sorry. And the reality bit really. It's full contact, with rules, competition fighting. Would Bruce Lee be doing it? I've honestly no idea!

 

[DavidCC]

I'm sure he would participate to the same extent that he participated in similar events of his time: He would look for ways to get on camera and look cool, maybe as a gym owner or coach and certainly as an announcer...

 

[Xue Sheng]

I think Bruce would be proud of UFC an MMA. He would always ask "does it work?". UFC and MMA are great examples of fighting, period. They have minimal safety to bring it as close to reality as reason will allow and prove most of the weaknesses other martial arts have on their own. My question is how would the old guys do? Joe Lewis, Ed Parker, Chuck Norris, Bill Wallace, Bruce Lee, Don Wilson etc. Many of them might do pretty good in an "old timers" legue or something. Not that they can't still scrap with the best of'em, I'm just curious to see they're styles and how they apply to the "gauntlet" of selective breeding built up by the UFC and MMA. It seems that no matter your background, you have to have standing game, ground game, elbow and knee skills. I think Bruce would still be tearing guys in half to this day.

Since Chuck did try BJJ years ago with the Gracies and he incorporated Grappling into his style he now has he might not do to badly, if he were in his prime.....:uhohh: uh oh... now you did it.... I just called Chuck old.... NOW he will be after me... MUST HIDE!!!!!

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Since Chuck did try BJJ years ago with the Gracies and he incorporated Grappling into his style he now has he might not do to badly, if he were in his prime.....:uhohh: uh oh... now you did it.... I just called Chuck old.... NOW he will be after me... MUST HIDE!!!!!

I think you are in trouble!

 

[Dave Leverich]

Definitely tough to say how they would have done if brought to 'today' in their prime's. But, I think almost all of them were true competitors at their core and would adapt and be very much forces to deal with.

As far as league's go, I'm getting more and more interested in the IFL. Team approach, yet retaining 'normal' matches. Although I'm not much for the grappling, but that's my own personal thing (and it does reduce injury for sure). WCL was great from a traditional MA's standpoint, but the split round thing is just foreign to most I think (along with the strange ring).

 

[terryl965]

I believe they would have faired pretty well

 

[Tames D]

I think Chuck would of been fine. He always had that 'can do' attitude and would find a way to win.

 

[phlaw]

Since Chuck did try BJJ years ago with the Gracies and he incorporated Grappling into his style he now has he might not do to badly, if he were in his prime.....:uhohh: uh oh... now you did it.... I just called Chuck old.... NOW he will be after me... MUST HIDE!!!!!

I thought he trained with The Machado Brothers not The Gracies?

 

[MBuzzy]

I really think that they would have fared well. What I have seen of UFC and MMA, they are great, but not always at the top of their style. It takes a special kind of training for that type of fighting, so they train to win in that arena. I think that someone like Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris would get pretty far just on intimidation also!

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Taken in their prime and with the ability to train like guy's are doing now they probably would fair well. However it is just pure specualtioin as we will never know.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I thought he trained with The Machado Brothers not The Gracies?

Actually you might be right, I will have to check.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Actually you might be right, I will have to check.

It is definately the Machado brothers.

 

[Tez3]

It is definately the Machado brothers.

Same family though lol!

 

[exile]

OK, since we're indulging in fantasy scenarios.... how about Mas Oyama. Oyama, when a young karateka, intervened on behalf of a woman being harrassed by a bully and found himself facing a knife. According to court records, he blocks the knife attack and delivered a single, fatal punch to the attacker. Later on...

Mas Oyama, in order to show the strength of his karate, tested his strength by fighting raging bulls bare-handed. It was a mismatch from the get-go for the bulls, not for Oyama. In all, he fought 52 bulls, three of which were killed instantly, and 49 had their horns taken off with knife hand blows. That it is not to say that it was all that easy for him. Oyama was fond of remembering that his first attempt just resulted in an angry bull. In 1957, at the age of 34, he was nearly killed in Mexico when a bull got some of his own back and gored him. Oyama somehow managed to pull the bull off and break off his horn. He was bedridden for 6 months while he recovered from the usually fatal wound. Today of course, the animal rights groups would have something to say about these demonstrations, despite the fact that the animals were all destined for slaughter.

(http://www.fightingmaster.com/masters/oyama/)

I've seen this story documented in a number of different places. Here is a guy who is quite capable of delivering a killing punch, as documented by his legal troubles in Japan—and apparently size was no object. I'm not much of an admirer of Oyama's, but his unequalled ability to generate and deliver power raises the interesting question of what would happen if he were back, in his prime, and set loose in the MMA competition circuit...

 

[Em MacIntosh]

I have to agree about the UFC and MMA being different. Old school UFC with Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock and all the headbutts was closer to realism than it is now. Still, as far as competition goes, unless it's underground, I think that's as real as it gets.
I think Chuck could still learn'em a thing or two. Mas Oyama could cuff somebody upside the head and break both his ankles.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Same family though lol!

Yes that does go without saying but both have slight differances to how they do certain things.

 

[exile]

Mas Oyama could cuff somebody upside the head and break both his ankles.

:lol:!!

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

OK, since we're indulging in fantasy scenarios.... how about Mas Oyama. Oyama, when a young karateka, intervened on behalf of a woman being harrassed by a bully and found himself facing a knife. According to court records, he blocks the knife attack and delivered a single, fatal punch to the attacker. Later on...

Mas Oyama, in order to show the strength of his karate, tested his strength by fighting raging bulls bare-handed. It was a mismatch from the get-go for the bulls, not for Oyama. In all, he fought 52 bulls, three of which were killed instantly, and 49 had their horns taken off with knife hand blows. That it is not to say that it was all that easy for him. Oyama was fond of remembering that his first attempt just resulted in an angry bull. In 1957, at the age of 34, he was nearly killed in Mexico when a bull got some of his own back and gored him. Oyama somehow managed to pull the bull off and break off his horn. He was bedridden for 6 months while he recovered from the usually fatal wound. Today of course, the animal rights groups would have something to say about these demonstrations, despite the fact that the animals were all destined for slaughter.

(http://www.fightingmaster.com/masters/oyama/)

I've seen this story documented in a number of different places. Here is a guy who is quite capable of delivering a killing punch, as documented by his legal troubles in Japan—and apparently size was no object. I'm not much of an admirer of Oyama's, but his unequalled ability to generate and deliver power raises the interesting question of what would happen if he were back, in his prime, and set loose in the MMA competition circuit...

Mas Oyama was certainly a tough minded individual and you can see it in his lineage of Kyokushinkai Karate. Having said that I think the bull story is well a little bully if you get my meaning. Still with today's training I am sure he would be effective if he put his mind to it.

 

[Shotgun Buddha]

Im actually more interested in how Jon Bluming would have done. It would have been a bloodbath.