In 2004, UFC President Dana White made a comment that still gets people talking. He claimed that the late Bruce Lee is the “father of MMA”. In this article, I will give the reasons why I disagree with this statement and also give my opinion on the real “Father of MMA”.
“Actually, the father of mixed martial arts, if you will, was Bruce Lee. If you look at the way Bruce Lee trained, the way he fought, and a lot of the things he wrote, he said the perfect style was not style. You take a little bit of everything. You take the good things from each different discipline, use what works, and throw away the rest.” (1) Dana White, 2004
First, let’s look at some of the reasons given WHY Bruce Lee was given the title “Father of MMA”.
- He believed that you must free yourself from the trappings of any style of martial arts.
- I thought you had to be a complete fighter.
- According to his daughter, Shannon, he was the first to say that the best style is “no style.” (2)
- His training reflected the above while he was still alive.
These are compelling points. And I have to say that I had to rethink my position after delving into this article.
Before we go any further, we need to clarify some of the terms we are using here. Although the following may not be official definitions, I think they will serve us well for this test.
MMA – “Mixed Martial Arts”
This term has come to mean the most popular sport we enjoy today. This would include organizations like the UFC “Ultimate Fighting Championship”, WEC “World Extreme Cagefighting” (now wrapped up in the UFC), Bodog Fight (now defunct), Bellator Fighting, etc.
While the term can mean almost anything, its popular meaning is more toward the unified rules that most state athletic commissions observe.
NHB – “No Restrictions”
This term is almost identical to “MMA”, although it could be considered a more extreme version with fewer rules.
Val Tudo
This term is more popular in Brazil, where the Gracie family forged their fighting system. It means “anything goes,” but it often still has rules.
Using the term “MMA” with the definition above, Dana White makes a compelling argument.
If you think of this in terms of “styles” then today’s MMA fighter is more closely related to what Bruce Lee described and practiced than to the single style artists of the past. Just look at early UFCs like I, II, and III. Those were the “good old” days of style vs. style and more akin to the definitions of “NHB” or “Vale Tudo” than to MMA.
Today’s MMA fighters have to be more “rounded”. They may not be masters of all aspects of the fighting game, but they must be able to handle themselves at all ranges.
I think a perfect example of this is someone like Georges Ste. Pedro (PSG). Georges started out in Kyokushin karate. (3) But look at it now. He is one of the most complete fighters in MMA today. It would be hard to find a weakness in his game. And if he’s up against someone better than him in a certain area, he changes his game plan so that this area is hard to exploit.
There is evidence that Bruce Lee followed a similar path in his own training. Instead of trying to beat someone at his own game, he would try to exploit the weaknesses of a particular strategy, attack, or individual style.
Wow! Pretty convincing so far, right?
Now let’s look at some reasons AGAINST Bruce Lee receiving this title.
- Bruce Lee was not the first person to cross-train in martial arts.
- Jeet Kune Do is not a sport and Bruce Lee was never in favor of creating a new sport.
- Bruce Lee never competed. (Except for a boxing match in his younger years.)
- There is not a shred of evidence that Bruce Lee or JKD influenced modern MMA in any way.
- MMA would have happened regardless of Bruce Lee.
All you need to do is look at the Greek martial art of Pankration to see that cross training has been with us for a long time. First introduced at the Greek Olympic Games in 648 BC. C., this art included blows, joint locks and gripping techniques.(4)
Another curious point is that Bruce Lee did not advocate sports fighting. If he didn’t compete or train to compete, how could he be the father of a sport?
Yes, he trained some competitive wrestlers of his day, like Joe Lewis, Chuck Norris, and Mike Stone. But these guys were already sports fighters. So this would appear to be a null point.
I haven’t found a shred of evidence that Bruce Lee or JKD influenced modern MMA in any way. Yes, there are occasional fighters who have trained in JKD or pay homage to Bruce Lee. But I’m willing to bet there are hundreds of MMA fighters who don’t even know who Bruce Lee was or know anything about his training, philosophy, etc.
While there is evidence that JKD Concepts was training in a similar way to MMA, there doesn’t seem to be much support that they actually influenced any of today’s major fighters or training camps. (Of course there are always exceptions. I mean a general influence on the sport of MMA).
But the most important question is this…
“Would there have been MMA without Bruce Lee?”
My answer to this is a resounding “Yes!”
Helio Gracie as “Father of MMA”.
In my opinion, the nickname “Father of MMA” is more appropriate for the late Helio Gracie. These are some of the reasons why I feel this way.
- Helio was facing all comers since 1931.(5)
- He passed this tradition of the “challenge match” down to his sons.
- The UFC was originally started by his son, Rorion, to continue this tradition and bring it to the US.
- If it weren’t for Helio, the UFC and the sport of MMA would never have existed.
I now realize that Helio’s goal was to show the superiority of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. And in this, he goes against the “mixed” part of MMA.
But the inescapable truth of this is that if it weren’t for Helio, the UFC probably never would have come to light. At first it was an exhibition to show the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu style. But now it has become more than that.
As a parent, you want your child to exceed his or her abilities. The “kid” of the UFC has done this in spades.
In writing this article, I have come to appreciate the opinion of naming Bruce Lee the “Father of MMA.” I can see some valid arguments at this point.
But I maintain that Helio Gracie is a more appropriate option.
After reviewing all the points both for and against, I think it all boils down to this question:
“Would the sport of MMA be where it is today without Bruce Lee?”
And then ask this question:
“Would the sport of MMA be where it is today without Helio Gracie?”
Answer these questions honestly.
Trust me, I want to give Bruce Lee all the credit in the world and all the publicity he deserves. But I can’t give you credit on this one. I would love to say, “Bruce Lee IS the father of MMA”! But I can’t do that with a clear conscience.
Bruce Lee deserves so much praise and recognition for the many things he did and has given us. If it wasn’t for him I probably wouldn’t have gotten into martial arts as I’m sure many of you can relate.
But let’s give him credit where credit is due. I feel it’s quite a stretch to give him the title “Father of MMA”. I’m sorry Dana!
kip brockett
http://www.JKD101.com
(c) 2011 Kip Brockett All rights reserved
1 Wickert, Mark. 2004. Dana White and the future of the UFC. tiemposdelucha.com
2 Lee, Shannon. 2010. Bruce Lee: Father of MMA? youtube.com
3 Pollard, Edward. 2006. Exclusive interview with Georges St. Pierre. blackbeltmag.org
4Wikipedia. Pancracio. wikipedia.org
5 Gracie Academy. A tradition of excellence. academiagracia.com